Tiling labour runs $45-$120 per m² for standard work, with a national typical of about $65 per m² - two independent 2026 datasets agree on that figure almost exactly. Installed, a standard floor lands at $50-$120 per m² and porcelain at $70-$150. What really moves the price is the tile you choose and the format it comes in.
Two-thirds of tilers quote per m² (ServiceSeeking's 2026 pricing data), and their datasets put the national average at $65.80/m² - TradieVerify's national average is ~$65/m². That agreement is why ~$65 is the anchor figure in this guide. Everything else is a variation on it:
| Labour type | Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Standard work, all tiling | $45-$120/m² | Stretching to $150/m² for complex work (hipages) |
| Floor, standard format | $50-$80/m² | Sydney/Brisbane benchmark (The Flooring Guys); Victoria $45-$80 (The Quote Yard); Perth typical $63 |
| Wall | $55-$105/m² | Walls price above floors - more cuts, more ladder work |
| Bathroom | $50-$120/m² | hipages; standard ceramic in a bathroom $65-$90/m² (Trusted Tradie Network) |
| Large-format (800+ / 600x1200) | $70-$115/m² | Roughly $20-$35/m² above standard format |
| Mosaic | $84-$200/m² | Perth typical $125/m²; roughly 2-3x standard installed cost |
| Complex / patterned installs | $100-$150/m² | hipages' complex band. No source publishes a herringbone percentage uplift - be suspicious of any guide that quotes one |
| Tile | Supply per m² | Installed per m² (supply + lay) |
|---|---|---|
| Ceramic | $20-$60 | From ~$50 average; standard floors $50-$120 |
| Porcelain | $50-$120 | $70-$150 |
| Natural stone | $80-$150+ | $130-$280 |
| Mosaic | $60-$150 | ~$94-$250 |
Porcelain typically costs $30-$60/m² more than ceramic at like-for-like quality, and because it is denser and harder to cut, porcelain labour tends to sit in the upper half of the standard band. No source quantifies a separate porcelain labour premium, so we have not invented one.
| Job | Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Small bathroom (5-8 m² floor), tiling only | $2,000-$3,500 | Materials + labour (hipages) |
| Medium bathroom (8-12 m² floor) | $3,500-$5,000 | Materials + labour (hipages) |
| Large bathroom (12 m²+ floor) | $5,000-$8,000+ | Premium/large tiled areas can reach $6,000-$12,000+ (TradieVerify) |
| Bathroom tiled + waterproofed (VIC benchmark) | $3,000-$7,500 | The Quote Yard - a useful cross-check on the totals above |
| Extra | Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Waterproofing | $40-$75/m² | Or $500-$750 for an average bathroom inside a renovation; $500-$1,500 per bathroom is the safer published band for standalone work |
| Tile removal / strip-out | $20-$60/m² | Typical $30-$50/m²; $500-$1,000 flat for an average bathroom. Well-adhered or multiple layers cost more |
| Screeding (floor falls) | $30-$60/m² | Indicative - single published source (The Quote Yard, Victoria) |
Location matters more in tiling than most trades: published average installed floor rates run from $95/m² in Sydney and $96 in Canberra down to $62-$66 in Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth and Melbourne (Airtasker city data) - close to a 50% spread between the dearest and cheapest capitals. The calculator adjusts labour for your city on exactly that basis.
The biggest single variable. Ceramic averages roughly 63% less per m² installed than natural stone, and the supply gap ($20-$60 vs $80-$150+) is only part of it - stone and porcelain are slower, harder work.
Standard $50-$80/m² labour becomes $70-$115 for large-format and $84-$200 for mosaics. A 25 mm mosaic carries 80+ metres of grout line per m², against about 6.7 m for a 600x600 tile.
Patterned, asymmetrical and feature layouts price on the complex band ($100-$150/m² labour). Diagonal and herringbone are named premium patterns in every guide - priced as a band swap, not a tidy percentage.
Adds $40-$75/m² in wet areas and is legally required - see the compliance notes below. It is also the step whose failure costs the most later, which is why it is licensed work in several states.
Stripping old tiles adds $20-$60/m², and screeding to set falls adds $30-$60/m² (indicative). Small, cut-up rooms cost more per m² than big open floors - more edges, more cuts, same setup time.
Ceramic tiling is in acute shortage on HIA's Trades Availability Index (-0.77 in the September 2026 quarter, the second-tightest trade after bricklaying), and peak spring/summer renovation season pushes rates up. Book ahead, or price the wait.
The job: 20 m² living-room floor, standard-format ceramic tiles, straight lay, existing tiles removed first, no waterproofing, national-average labour rates.
Tiles: 20 m² x $40/m² typical ceramic = $800 (range $400-$1,200 across the $20-$60 supply band). Labour: 20 x $65 typical = $1,300 (range $1,000-$1,600 at $50-$80/m²). Removal: 20 x $35 typical = $700 (range $400-$1,000 at $20-$50/m²).
Guide estimate: $2,800 typical - range $1,800 - $3,800
Sanity check: the installed portion works out to $105/m² - inside the published standard fully-installed band of $50-$120/m². The $2,800 total also sits close to ServiceSeeking's average total tiling job of $2,653, and Airtasker's average living-room installation of $2,381 (before removal). The tiling calculator runs this exact method, with your city and your extras.
Waterproofing: wet-area waterproofing must comply with the National Construction Code and AS 3740 (Waterproofing of domestic wet areas) - it is mandated by law, and you should ask for a waterproofing certificate when the work is done.
NSW & QLD: wall and floor tilers and waterproofers must be licensed in both states (there is no single nationwide tiler licence). In NSW, a licence is required for residential work over $5,000, a written contract is required over $5,000, and Home Building Compensation cover applies over $20,000. In QLD, building work over $3,300 must be done by a QBCC-licensed contractor, waterproofing has its own QBCC licence class, and a waterproofing certificate (Form 43 or Form 12) is required when waterproofing exceeds $3,300.
Other states: SA tilers need a Building Work Contractors licence, and VIC domestic building work over $10,000 must be carried out by a Registered Building Practitioner. Check your state's current rules before you sign - thresholds change.
And a boundary worth knowing: the moment a tiling job involves moving taps, drains or power points, those parts are plumbing and electrical work - always licensed trades, in every state, at any price.
All figures are guides, not quotes. Tiling is priced per m² by most tilers, but small and cut-up rooms break the per-m² logic - if your job is under 5 m², expect minimum charges rather than a neat rate.
Prices cross-checked against hipages (tiler, floor tile, bathroom tiling and waterproofing guides), ServiceSeeking 2026 pricing data, Airtasker, TradieVerify, The Flooring Guys, The Quote Yard, WhatsTheDamage and Trusted Tradie Network; compliance per NSW Fair Trading, QBCC and the National Construction Code / AS 3740 - October 2026.
Tiling labour runs $45-$120 per m² for standard work, with a national typical of about $65 per m² - two independent 2026 datasets agree on that figure almost exactly. Installed, a standard floor lands at $50-$120 per m² and porcelain at $70-$150. What really moves the price is the tile you choose and the format it comes in.
The biggest drivers are tile material, tile format, layout complexity and waterproofing. Each one is worked through with prices in the guide above, and the calculator prices them for your job.
Use the free calculator linked from this guide - it prices your job with the same installed ranges used here, in about 30 seconds. It is a guide range, not a quote: your contractor confirms a fixed price after seeing the job.
No - they are researched guide ranges, cross-checked across at least two published sources, not quotes. Prices move with your area, the condition of the site and the scope you choose. Get itemised quotes in writing, and check the tradesperson's licence with your state building authority before you book.
Pick your tile and format honestly - format is the lever most people underestimate - and the calculator splits tiles, labour and extras for you.