How Much Does a Power Point Cost to Install in Australia? (2026)

A single double power point costs about $120 to $200 to replace and $200 to $350 to install in a new spot in 2026, once you include the electrician's call-out fee. Extra outlets on the same visit are far cheaper, often $40 to $80 each for straight replacements and $120 to $220 each for new points, because the call-out and setup are already paid for.

That is why the smartest way to buy power points is in batches. This guide covers prices for the common types, what makes one wall cheaper than another, special locations like kitchens and outdoor areas, three costed jobs and the licensing rules. Electricians often call a power point a GPO, short for general purpose outlet, so you will see that on quotes. All prices include GST and are indicative. Get at least three written quotes before you commit.

Power point prices in 2026

The first column is what you would pay if that was the only job on the visit. The second is roughly what each additional one adds when the electrician is already there.

Moving a power point is often priced like a new one, because the electrician has to run new cable to the new spot and then blank off or remove the old one. It also leaves a hole in the wall that needs patching.

The four things that set the price

Replacement or brand new

Replacing a power point in the same spot is quick. The electrician isolates the circuit, removes the old outlet, connects the new one and tests it. Ten minutes for a straightforward swap, a bit longer if the old wiring is tired. A new point needs cable run from an existing circuit or the switchboard, a hole cut in the wall, a mounting bracket and testing, which is more like 45 minutes to an hour and a half.

Where the cable comes from

In most single-storey homes, cable drops down inside the wall cavity from the roof space. That is the easy path. If the point is on a ground floor below another storey, the cable may have to come up from underneath or along from another outlet, which can mean cutting access holes. In slab homes with no roof access above the wall, surface-mounted conduit or skirting duct may be the only practical option without serious wall damage.

What the wall is made of

Hollow plasterboard walls are the cheapest to work in. Solid double brick walls have no cavity, so the electrician has to chase a channel into the brick or render for the cable, then someone has to patch it. Walls with noggins (horizontal timber braces) in the way take longer to fish cable through. Tiled splashbacks need careful cutting to avoid cracking tiles.

Whether the circuit can take it

A power circuit can only carry so much load. If the circuit you want to extend already runs a fridge, a microwave and a kettle, the electrician may recommend a new circuit instead. If the switchboard has no safety switch protecting the power circuits, adding new outlets is a good time to fix that. Under the current wiring rules, AS/NZS 3000, new circuits in homes generally need RCD protection. Our switchboard upgrade cost guide explains what that work involves when the old board cannot take more.

What the outlets themselves cost

The part is a small share of the bill. Here is a rough idea of what electricians pay or charge for common outlet types.

USB outlets are convenient, but they do not suit everyone. A good USB-C charger plugged into a normal point does the same job and can be replaced when standards change. If you want USB outlets, put them by the bed and the kitchen bench rather than in every room.

Kitchens, bathrooms, garages and outdoor areas

Kitchens

Kitchens are the room most people underestimate. A modern kitchen easily needs four to six double outlets along the benches plus dedicated circuits for the oven, cooktop and sometimes the dishwasher or a built-in microwave. Benchtop points near the sink must sit in the right position relative to the tap and basin. Adding them during a renovation, before the splashback goes on, is far cheaper than retrofitting through tiles or glass.

Bathrooms and laundries

The wiring rules define zones around baths, showers and basins where outlets cannot go or need specific protection. In a small bathroom that can rule out the spot you want for a hair dryer. The electrician will tell you what is allowed. Laundry points for a washing machine and dryer are simple, but a dryer on the same circuit as a heater can trip things in winter.

Garages and workshops

Garages often have one lonely point by the roller door. Adding a run of outlets along a bench, a 15 amp outlet for a compressor or welder, or a dedicated circuit for a second fridge is common. Concrete block or brick garage walls usually mean surface conduit, which is cheaper than chasing and perfectly acceptable in a garage.

Outdoors

Outdoor points need weatherproof fittings and must be protected by a safety switch. For a point on a post or a shed away from the house, the cable has to run underground in conduit at the depth the wiring rules require, so trenching becomes part of the cost. A point on the house wall under an alfresco is much simpler. If you plan an outdoor kitchen, a spa or a pool pump, ask for a separate circuit rather than adding to an existing one.

Electric vehicles

A standard power point can trickle charge an EV slowly, but most owners end up wanting a dedicated wall charger on its own circuit. That is a different job, typically $1,800 to $3,500 with the charger, and it may need a switchboard upgrade. The electrician cost guide lists it alongside other larger jobs.

When a dedicated circuit makes more sense

A dedicated circuit is a new cable run from the switchboard to one appliance or one outlet, protected by its own circuit breaker or RCBO. It costs more than tapping into an existing circuit, typically $400 to $900 depending on the distance from the board and the cable size, but it stops nuisance tripping and keeps heavy loads away from the outlets you use every day.

Appliances that usually get their own circuit include wall ovens, induction and electric cooktops, split system air conditioners, pool pumps and heaters, spa heaters, large workshop tools and EV chargers. A split system usually needs its own circuit and isolator, which our air conditioning installation guide includes in its pricing. If the switchboard is full, uses old ceramic fuses or has no room for another breaker, the dedicated circuit may trigger a board upgrade, so ask about that before you choose an appliance that needs a big supply.

Older homes, rentals and apartments

In homes wired before the 1970s, adding an outlet can uncover problems. Old rubber-insulated cable crumbles when it is moved, some circuits have no earth, and two-pin outlets may still be in service in back rooms. An electrician cannot safely extend a circuit like that, so a single new outlet can turn into replacing a section of wiring. Budget a contingency of 20 to 30 percent on any power point job in a house that has never been rewired.

Tenants should not organise electrical work without the landlord's written approval, and the landlord or agent is responsible for arranging repairs to faulty outlets. In apartments, work inside your own unit is usually your responsibility, but cabling through common property walls, risers or ceilings may need strata approval. Concrete walls and ceilings in apartment buildings also limit where new outlets can go without surface conduit, so ask the building manager about any rules before booking.

Prices by city

Perth deserves a special mention. A large share of older Perth homes are double brick, which has no wall cavity. Every new point in an internal or external brick wall means chasing, so Perth quotes for new outlets can run 20 to 30 percent higher than a Brisbane quote for the same number of points.

Three jobs, broken down

Ten USB upgrades in a Belconnen house, ACT

A 1970s three-bedroom ex-government home. The owner wants ten tired double outlets replaced with USB-A and USB-C doubles in the same positions. The wiring is in reasonable shape.

About $86 per outlet, in line with the extra-point rate in the table above.

Home office in a Geelong brick veneer, Victoria

A single-storey brick veneer with plasterboard internal walls and an easy roof space. The spare room becomes an office with three new double points and one data point for a wired internet connection.

Alfresco power in a Joondalup home, WA

A double brick home with a tiled roof. The owners want two outdoor weatherproof double points under the alfresco on a new circuit with its own RCBO, with the cable run in conduit down the external brick wall rather than chased in.

Is it legal to replace a power point yourself?

No. Replacing, adding or moving a power point is fixed electrical work, and it must be done by a licensed electrician in every Australian state and territory. That includes swapping a cracked outlet for an identical one. The penalties for unlicensed electrical work are significant, insurers can refuse claims connected to it, and a badly connected outlet can sit quietly for years before it causes a fire or electrocutes someone. Hardware stores sell the parts, but buying them does not make it legal to install them.

The regulators who license electricians are NSW Fair Trading, Energy Safe Victoria, the Electrical Safety Office in Queensland, which sits within WorkSafe Queensland, Building and Energy in WA, Consumer and Business Services in SA, CBOS in Tasmania, Access Canberra and the NT Electrical Workers and Contractors Licensing Board. Your electrician should give you the compliance certificate your state requires once the work is tested.

A handyman cannot do it either, even if they have done it for years. Our article on whether a handyman can do electrical work explains the rules state by state.

Power boards and double adaptors are not a fix

The most common reason people call about new power points is a room full of power boards. A power board is fine for a TV, a set-top box and a lamp. It is a poor long-term answer for a heater, a kettle, an air fryer or a space heater, and daisy-chaining boards together is a real fire risk. If you are running several high-draw appliances off one outlet, the cost of two new points is small next to the risk.

Signs that it is time for more outlets, or a check of the ones you have, include outlets that feel warm, plugs that fall out because the contacts are loose, scorch marks on the plate, a burning smell and a safety switch that trips when certain appliances run together. Any of those is worth a call to an electrician now.

Ways to spend less

• Make a list for the whole house. The call-out fee is the biggest cost on a one-outlet job. Spread it across six or eight points and the price per point drops sharply.
• Add points during renovations. At rough-in, with walls open, a new point costs a fraction of retrofitting after plastering and painting.
• Pick the position carefully. A point on an internal plasterboard wall below a roof space is the cheapest place to put one. Ask the electrician whether a slightly different spot avoids chasing brick.
• Accept surface conduit in garages and sheds. It is cheaper than chasing and easy to change later.
• Stick with a standard range unless the room is a showpiece. Designer plates can triple the parts cost.
• Group other small electrical jobs such as a light fitting or a smoke alarm into the same visit.

Checking a power point quote

For anything more than a single replacement, get a written quote that lists:

• The number and type of outlets, including the brand range if appearance matters to you.
• Whether each point is a replacement, a new point off an existing circuit, or on a new circuit.
• Any switchboard work, such as a new RCBO or safety switch.
• Whether chasing, patching or painting is included. It usually is not.
• The electrician and contractor licence numbers.
• Confirmation that testing and the compliance certificate are included.

Be cautious of anyone who will not provide a licence number, wants cash with no invoice, or says the paperwork is optional. A quote far below the others often skips the circuit capacity check or the safety switch.

Getting help around the electrical work

Yakka Labour lists electricians, so you can find a licensed electrician near you for the outlets themselves. Only a licensed electrician can do that part.

The work around it is where general help pays off. Moving a heavy bookcase, entertainment unit or desk away from the wall before the electrician arrives saves billable minutes. Afterwards, a handyman can patch the hole where an old point was removed and touch up the paint. For larger patches after brick chasing, see the plaster repair cost guide.

What happens on the day

The electrician will isolate the power circuit they are working on, so expect some outlets to be off for part of the visit. Lights usually stay on because they are on a separate circuit. Replacements take minutes each. New points in plasterboard take 45 to 90 minutes each, and the first one usually takes longest while the electrician works out the cable route.

Expect a little plaster dust around new points and some mess if brick has been chased. Before leaving, the electrician should test every outlet, check that the safety switch trips correctly and give you the compliance paperwork. Keep it with your house records, because buyers and insurers sometimes ask for it.