Artificial Grass Cost in Australia: 2026 Prices per m²

Artificial grass in Australia costs roughly $70 to $130 per square metre fully installed in 2026, including GST. Most suburban backyards between 40 and 80 m² end up somewhere between $3,500 and $8,000, with the final number set more by what is under the turf than by the turf you pick.

That last point surprises a lot of people. They walk into a showroom, see synthetic turf priced at $35 per m² and assume the job will cost about that. It won't. A proper install means digging out the old lawn, carting it away, laying and compacting a crushed-rock base, fixing edging and then laying, joining and infilling the turf. Skip any of those steps and the lawn ripples, holds puddles or grows weeds through the joins within a couple of years.

The figures below are indicative only. Prices move with your soil, access and location, so get at least three written quotes that spell out the base depth and materials before you commit.

Installed price by lawn size

Installers have fixed costs on every job: getting a crew and a bobcat or mini loader to site, a minimum tip load, cutting and joining time. On small areas those costs are spread over fewer square metres, so the rate per m² goes up. On big areas it comes down.

Laying over concrete is cheaper because there is no excavation or base work. You still pay for a foam shock pad or underlay, adhesive and labour, and you need the slab to drain properly. Turf glued to a flat slab with no fall turns into a sponge after rain.

Where the money goes on a typical job

Here is a rough breakdown of a standard soil-based install, per square metre. The ranges are wide because a flat, sandy Perth block and a sloping clay block in Sydney's Hills district are very different jobs.

Add those up and you land around $75 to $170 per m² before economies of scale, which is why a well-quoted medium yard comes in near the middle of the headline range and why cut-price quotes usually skimp on the base.

Choosing the turf itself

Product quality matters, but not as much as the sales pitch suggests. A mid-range turf on a good base will outlast a premium product on a bad one. Here is what actually separates the cheap rolls from the expensive ones.

Pile height

Most residential turf is between 25 and 40 mm. Shorter pile (25-30 mm) suits high-traffic areas, kids and dogs because it springs back better and is easier to clean. Longer pile (35-40 mm) looks lusher from the back door but flattens in walkways unless it is dense and well infilled.

Density and stitch rate

Denser turf has more fibres per m², looks more natural and hides the backing. It also costs more and weighs more. Ask for the face weight or stitch count on the spec sheet and compare like with like.

Yarn and backing

Polyethylene yarn is soft and common. Nylon is tougher but harsher underfoot. Some products blend in a brown "thatch" fibre to mimic dead grass at the base, which looks more realistic. A perforated or fully permeable backing drains faster, which matters for pets and for heavy summer storms in Brisbane or Darwin.

UV rating and warranty

Australian sun destroys cheap imported turf. Look for products tested for Australian UV levels with a written fading warranty, typically 7 to 10 years on residential products. A warranty that only covers "manufacturing defects" is close to worthless for fading.

As a rule of thumb, budget turf runs $25 to $35 per m², mid-range $35 to $50 and premium $50 to $65 or more for supply only. For most family backyards, a dense 30-35 mm mid-range product is the sweet spot.

Three worked examples

These are realistic jobs priced at 2026 rates, including GST. Your quotes will differ, but they show how the line items stack up.

Example 1: 45 m² backyard in Blacktown, NSW

A three-bedroom brick veneer with a patchy kikuyu lawn, flat clay soil and 1.2 m side access. The owner wants a family-friendly 35 mm turf with timber edging along garden beds.

The kikuyu is the hidden risk here. It spreads by runners and will push up through joins unless the installer digs out the runners properly and uses a good weed membrane. Ask how they handle it.

Example 2: 12 m² apartment balcony in Richmond, VIC

Tiled balcony with a good fall to a floor waste, lift access only. The owner wants a soft surface for a dog and a couple of chairs.

Check your strata by-laws before ordering. Some buildings restrict balcony floor coverings because of waterproofing warranties, and the turf must not block the floor waste.

Example 3: 120 m² front and back yard in Logan, QLD

Lowset brick home with a gentle slope and a soggy corner that holds water after storms. Budget-conscious owner happy with a 30 mm entry-level product.

If the ag pipe needs to connect into the property's stormwater line rather than discharging to a gravel soak, that connection is plumbing or drainage work for a licensed plumber, so expect another few hundred dollars.

Prices around the country

Rates vary by city because labour costs, tip fees, soil types and freight differ. These are typical installed ranges for a standard backyard job.

What pushes a quote up or down

• Access. If a mini loader can't get down the side of the house, every barrow of soil and rock goes by hand. That can add $10 to $25 per m² on a small yard.
• Soil and slope. Heavy clay, rock or a slope that needs levelling means more digging, more base material and sometimes a small retaining edge.
• Existing lawn. Couch and kikuyu need thorough removal. Some installers spray first and come back a week or two later, which adds a visit.
• Drainage. Low spots, downpipes that discharge onto the lawn and clay that holds water all need fixing before turf goes down.
• Edges and shapes. Curved garden beds, lots of trees and pavers to cut around add labour and offcut wastage. Wastage on fiddly shapes can reach 15%.
• Turf choice. Going from budget to premium turf can add $20 to $30 per m², or $1,000 to $1,500 on a 50 m² yard.
• Extras. Concrete mowing strips, garden bed rebuilds, irrigation capping and putting greens all add cost.

Synthetic or real turf: the 10-year sums

Real turf is far cheaper up front. Supplying and laying a quality couch or buffalo turf on prepared soil costs roughly $25 to $45 per m². The gap closes over time once you add mowing, water, fertiliser and the odd patch repair.

If you mow it yourself, real grass usually wins on cost. If you pay someone, the numbers favour synthetic within about 6 to 10 years. Our lawn mowing cost guide has per-visit prices if you want to run your own numbers.

Cost is not the only factor. Synthetic turf gets much hotter than real grass in full summer sun, it does not cool the yard the way living plants do, and it ends up in landfill when it wears out because recycling options are still limited. Real grass handles heavy wear badly in shade, which is exactly where synthetic turf earns its keep. The Australian Government's Your Home guide is a useful reference on designing outdoor spaces for shade and heat.

Doing it yourself

A handy owner can lay a small area. On a 20-30 m² yard, DIY can save $1,000 to $2,500, mostly in labour. The materials cost is similar either way, and you may pay more per m² for turf because trade installers get better pricing.

Expect to hire a turf cutter ($120 to $200 a day), a plate compactor ($80 to $150 a day) and possibly a skip or a trailer for the old lawn and soil. Excavated clay is heavy. A 50 m² area dug to 80 mm produces about 4 m³ of soil, which is several tonnes and more than a standard trailer should carry in one trip. See our skip bin hire cost guide for bin sizes and prices.

The steps that go wrong most often for DIYers are compaction (one pass is not enough), running the turf in different directions so the pile colour looks patchy, and seams that show because the edges were cut badly. If you are going DIY on anything bigger than a courtyard, consider paying a pro to do the base and laying the turf yourself, or the other way around.

Licences, approvals and rules

Laying synthetic turf in your own backyard does not normally need council approval. A few situations change that:

• Nature strips and verges. The strip between your boundary and the road usually belongs to council. Many councils restrict or ban synthetic turf there, so check before you lay anything.
• Strata properties. Balconies and common property fall under by-laws. Get written approval from the owners corporation or body corporate first.
• Drainage connections. Connecting new drains into stormwater is plumbing or drainage work in most states and needs a licensed plumber.
• Bigger landscaping jobs. If the job includes retaining walls, paving or other structural landscaping over your state's licensing threshold, the contractor may need a building licence. In NSW check with NSW Fair Trading, and in Queensland check the current threshold and licence classes with the QBCC.

Asbestos is rare in lawn jobs, but some older homes have fibro sheeting buried in yards from past renovations. If an installer digs up fragments of grey fibrous sheeting, stop work and get it tested.

Upkeep, lifespan and what wears it out

A decent residential turf on a good base lasts about 10 to 15 years. Heavy use from big dogs, kids' football games or constant shade and leaf litter can bring that down to 8 years or so.

Maintenance is light but not zero. Plan to:

• Blow or rake off leaves every week or two so they don't rot into the infill.
• Rinse pet areas regularly. Zeolite infill helps with odour, and a perforated backing helps urine drain.
• Power brush high-traffic areas against the grain a few times a year to lift flattened fibres.
• Top up infill every couple of years.
• Keep hot items off it. Barbecue coals, cigarette butts and even sunlight reflected from some low-E glass windows can melt the fibres.

Weeds can still grow in windblown dust and debris on top of the turf. A spot spray or quick pull a few times a year keeps on top of them.

Ways to spend less without a worse result

The base is the last place to save money. These are the savings that hold up over time:

• Do the removal yourself. Cutting out the old lawn and filling a skip before the installer arrives can knock $8 to $15 per m² off the quote. Confirm the depth and finish they want first.
• Pick mid-range turf. The jump from mid-range to premium is mostly about looks from close up. In a family yard, density and UV warranty matter more than the extra 5 mm of pile.
• Keep shapes simple. Straightening a wavy garden bed edge cuts labour and offcut waste.
• Book in the cooler months. Installers are busiest from late spring into summer. Autumn and winter bookings are often easier to get and sometimes cheaper, although wet weather can delay base work.
• Combine jobs. If paving or a path is planned, get one contractor to do the excavation for both at the same time.

How to compare installer quotes

Get at least three written quotes and compare them line by line. A good quote spells out:

• The exact turf product, its pile height and its UV warranty in writing.
• Excavation depth and what happens to the spoil.
• Base material type and depth, and how it will be compacted.
• Edging type and linear metres.
• Whether weed membrane and infill are included.
• Workmanship warranty, separate from the product warranty.
• Payment terms. A modest deposit is normal; be wary of anyone wanting most of the money before they start.

Red flags include quotes priced only per m² with no detail on the base, "we lay straight over your existing soil", cash-only pricing with no invoice, no public liability insurance and pressure to sign on the day.

Getting help with the labour

Much of an artificial grass job is plain hard work: cutting out old turf, barrowing soil to a skip, spreading and compacting rock. Yakka Labour lets you book labourers by the shift or job for that groundwork, which suits owners who want to lay the turf themselves or keep a specialist installer's time focused on the final layer.

You can also find lawn and turf specialists, landscapers and gardeners and rubbish removal help on the platform. For drainage connections into stormwater, use a licensed plumber.

Pairing turf with other outdoor work

Synthetic turf is often one part of a bigger backyard makeover. If you are also adding a patio or path, our paving cost guide covers prices per m² by material, and the decking cost guide covers timber and composite decks. Doing the paving and turf in the same project usually saves money because the excavation and base work can be done in one go with one machine hire.