Underfloor Heating Cost Calculator
Estimate the cost of underfloor heating in Australia by area and type.
Your underfloor heating details
Below the typical range for this service.
Below the typical range for this service.
Ways to save
- Mind the floor-height buildup in a retrofit, traditional screed adds around 100mm and can foul doors and skirtings, whereas thin electric mats add only a few millimetres. That alone often decides electric versus hydronic in an existing home.
- Even a DIY mat kit legally needs a licensed electrician for the power, conduit, thermostat and load certification, budget for that, don't assume it's a weekend job.
How we estimate this
Underfloor heating is priced per square metre installed, and the type sets the rate. Electric ranges from $60–$100/m² for slab cable up to $100–$160 for an under-tile mat and $120–$200 for in-screed cable. Hydronic pipework is $45–$100/m² in-slab or $70–$150 retrofit, but that excludes the heat source, which adds a gas boiler at $3,000–$7,000 or a heat pump at $6,000–$15,000 on top.
Pricing reviewed: October 2026.
Underfloor heating prices by city
Costs vary by city. See the local breakdown for your capital.
Doing more than just underfloor heating?
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Pricing reviewed October 2026. Indicative Australian costs, not a quote.
Understanding underfloor heating costs in Australia
Underfloor heating is priced per square metre installed, and the type sets the rate. Electric ranges from $60–$100/m² for slab cable up to $100–$160 for an under-tile mat and $120–$200 for in-screed cable. Hydronic pipework is $45–$100/m² in-slab or $70–$150 retrofit, but that excludes the heat source, which adds a gas boiler at $3,000–$7,000 or a heat pump at $6,000–$15,000 on top.
As whole jobs, a bathroom mat with thermostat (around 5m²) is $600–$1,500; a 3-bed home in electric is $8,000–$18,000; and a 200m² new-build hydronic system including the heat source is $30,000–$50,000. Hydronic only pays for itself above roughly 80m², which is why electric dominates single-room bathroom jobs and hydronic suits whole-home heating. New builds are cheaper because the floor is already open, retrofits push you toward thin mats or a slim flow-screed overlay.
Two practical realities. In-slab and in-screed systems are slow to warm, 10 to 24 hours, so they must run on a schedule and are useless on demand; that's fine for steady winter heating, wrong for a quick warm-up. And geography decides whether whole-home hydronic even makes sense: it's genuinely economic only in the cold belt, Victoria, Tasmania, the ACT and alpine NSW, with Melbourne and Canberra the real hydronic markets. In Queensland and the north, electric bathroom spot-heating is the sensible limit.
Frequently asked questions
How much does underfloor heating cost?
In 2026, electric runs $60–$200/m² depending on type, and a bathroom mat is about $600–$1,500. Hydronic pipework is $45–$150/m² but the heat source adds thousands, a 200m² hydronic whole-home system with its heat pump reaches $30,000–$50,000.
Electric or hydronic?
Electric suits single rooms like bathrooms and is cheap to install. Hydronic only pays off above about 80m² and is far cheaper to run at scale, so it suits whole-home heating, but mainly in cold-climate states like Victoria, Tasmania and the ACT.
Can I run it on demand?
No, not in-slab or in-screed systems, they take 10–24 hours to warm up, so they have to run on a schedule. That's ideal for steady winter heating but useless for a quick warm-up, where a thin electric mat responds faster.
Are you a trades business?
Everyone on this page is working out what underfloor heating costs because they are ready to hire. Put your business right beneath the calculator, in your state, so you are who they find. From $100/mo.