How much does it cost to rewire a house in Australia? (2026 guide)

Rewiring a house replaces old, worn or unsafe electrical cable with new wiring that meets current standards. "How much does it cost to rewire a house?" depends mostly on the size of the home, how accessible the cabling is, and whether the switchboard is upgraded too. The honest version is a range: roughly $4,000 to $25,000+, from a small unit at the bottom to a large multi-storey home at the top.

This guide breaks down where in that range your rewire is likely to land, what moves the number, the signs you might need one, and how to get a real quote. Figures are 2026 estimates for Australian residential work and include materials and licensed installation, GST inclusive. Electrical work must be done by a licensed electrician.

House rewire cost by home size

| Home | Typical full rewire cost | | --- | --- | | Unit or small home (1-2 bed) | $4,000-$8,000 | | Standard 3-bedroom house | $8,000-$15,000 | | Large or multi-storey home (4+ bed) | $15,000-$25,000+ | | Partial rewire (selected circuits) | from ~$1,500 |

These bands reflect current Australian cost guides, which broadly put full house rewires in the $5,000-$20,000 range for most homes, with large or hard-to-access properties higher and small partial jobs much lower.

What actually drives the price

The home size is only part of the story. Four things move your quote:

• Number of points. Every light, power point, switch and hardwired appliance is a point, and more points means more cable, more labour and more terminations. Modern homes have far more points than older ones, so adding points during a rewire lifts the total.
• Cable access. A single-storey home with an accessible roof space and subfloor is the easiest. A double-storey home, a slab floor, or solid plaster walls mean more cutting, chasing and patching to fish the new cable through.
• Switchboard upgrade. Replacing an old fuse board with a modern switchboard fitted with circuit breakers and safety switches (RCDs) is often part of a rewire and adds a few thousand dollars. Safety switches are required on most circuits under the wiring rules.
• Patching and making good. Opening walls and ceilings to run cable is half the job; patching plaster and repainting afterwards is a real cost that is sometimes quoted separately. Clarify whether it is included.

A worked example

Say you want a full rewire of a single-storey 3-bedroom home with an accessible roof space, including a switchboard upgrade.

| Line item | Estimate | | --- | --- | | New cabling to all points (rewire) | $7,500 | | New switchboard with circuit breakers and RCDs | $2,800 | | Additional power points and lighting upgrades | $1,200 | | Patching and making good (plaster) | $1,500 | | Total (inc GST) | ≈ $13,000 |

A double-storey home or one on a slab with solid walls would add to the access and patching lines. A partial rewire of just the failing circuits, with no switchboard change, could come in under $3,000.

How prices vary across Australia

Electrical labour follows the usual pattern: dearer in Sydney and Melbourne, a little cheaper in Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide, and variable in regional areas depending on travel and call-out distance. Cable and switchboard pricing is fairly national, so most of the metro swing is in labour. House construction does more to the price than postcode in many cases, since a brick-veneer home with an accessible roof space is far quicker to rewire than a double-brick or concrete home where every run has to be chased into the wall. For day-rate and call-out pricing, our electrician cost guide covers hourly rates and common jobs.

How to keep the cost sensible

• Do it during a renovation. If walls or ceilings are already open, the access and patching cost drops sharply.
• Plan your points up front. Deciding power point and light positions before work starts avoids costly changes mid-job.
• Bundle the switchboard. If the board is old, upgrading it during the rewire is cheaper than two separate jobs.

Questions worth asking before you commit

• Is the electrician licensed, and will I get a compliance certificate? Electrical work must be certified.
• Is patching and making good included? Plaster and paint repair is sometimes a separate cost.
• Is a switchboard upgrade needed, and is it in the quote? Safety switches are required on most circuits.
• Is the quote fixed price or an estimate? A fixed price protects you if the cable access is worse than expected.
• Can the job be staged? A partial rewire of the worst circuits first can spread the cost if a full rewire is not urgent.

Wiring is a safety system that has to last decades. The cheapest quote that skips the switchboard or the certificate is rarely the cheapest rewire once a fault or an insurance claim exposes the gap.

Get a tailored number

Every home is different, and an average cannot see your points, your wall construction or your switchboard. Outline your job in the Karven estimate tool and get a clear, itemised quote from a licensed electrician.