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Home Rewiring

House Rewiring Cost in Melbourne

Rewiring is the single most variable job in residential electrical — pricing depends on the home's size, vintage, and whether walls are open. Below is what to expect across Melbourne's east, with the factors that shift a quote.

  • Median$13,500
  • Range$6,500–$28,000
  • Mid 50%$10,000–$18,000
  • DatasetIndustry-typical
  • As ofApr 2026
  • Taxex GST
02Pricing tiers

Where your job lands.

Three bands cover the full spread we see. Most jobs land in the typical band — bigger or smaller jobs sit either side.

01

Smaller jobs

$6,500–$10,000

Bottom 25% of jobs we quote — straightforward scope, easy access, fewer line items.

02

Typical

$10,000–$18,000

Middle 50% of completed jobs — most quotes land here.

03

Larger jobs

$18,000–$28,000

Top 25% — bigger scope, harder access, multiple complications stacked together.

03What drives the price

Where the spread comes from.

Each entry below moves the median up or down. Your job lands somewhere on the curve based on how these stack.

01

Whether walls are open

Rewiring during a renovation when plaster is off and joists are exposed is dramatically cheaper than rewiring a closed-up house. Open-wall jobs sit in the lower half of the range; closed-up jobs requiring careful access through ceilings and skirtings sit in the upper half.

02

Floor area and number of circuits

A 2-bedroom unit might run 10 circuits; a 4-bedroom family home runs 18–24. Each new circuit means new cable runs, terminations, and labelling. Per-square-metre, expect roughly $80–$160.

03

Wiring vintage

VIR (rubber-insulated, pre-1960) and early TPS need more careful disconnection than modern TPS. Knob-and-tube or aluminium wiring requires full removal — adds labour.

04

Number of new fittings

Replacing existing GPOs and switches like-for-like is included. Adding new outlets, USB-C combo points, smart switches, or extra lighting circuits adds material + labour per location.

05

Switchboard upgrade (almost always required)

A full rewire usually includes a new switchboard with RCDs on every circuit — see our [switchboard upgrade cost guide](/services/switchboard-upgrades/cost) for that component. We quote it as a line item so you can see the split.

06

Heritage features

Period homes with picture rails, ornate plaster, or polished floorboards take longer to access without damage. We work with carpenters and plasterers to coordinate make-good — adds 10–20% in tighter heritage builds.

04In the median price

7 line items.

What's covered when we quote a typical job in this band.

INCLUDED
  1. +01Full inspection of existing wiring — what must go and what can stay
  2. +02Replacement of cloth-insulated, rubber-insulated, and aluminium cabling
  3. +03New switchboard with RCDs on every circuit
  4. +04Modern power point layout — USB outlets, outdoor GPOs, dedicated circuits where needed
  5. +05Cable runs planned to minimise plaster damage in occupied homes
  6. +06Interconnected photoelectric smoke alarm installation where required
  7. +07Final testing and Certificate of Electrical Safety lodged with Energy Safe Victoria

Full house rewiring is the highest-variance job we quote — the same brief in two different homes can come back at $9,000 or $24,000 depending on access. The price band above reflects typical rewires across single and double-storey homes in Melbourne's eastern suburbs.

What you're paying for

Every rewire we deliver covers: full removal of the existing cabling (or careful isolation, if regulations require it stays in place), new TPS cabling rated for current loads, new switchboard with RCDs and circuit breakers on every circuit, new GPOs and switches at every existing location plus any additional locations you've specified, and a Certificate of Electrical Safety lodged with Energy Safe Victoria.

Where homeowners often underspend

Two false economies show up repeatedly: skipping new GPO locations because "we'll add them later" (later costs ~3× the during-rewire price for the same outlet), and refusing to upgrade the consumer mains alongside the rewire (the existing mains are usually at end-of-life and will cause an unscheduled outage within 5–10 years). We flag both at quote stage and let you choose — but they're worth understanding upfront.

Rewires we won't do

We don't quote partial rewires that leave high-risk wiring (asbestos-jacketed, VIR, knob-and-tube) in place behind unmodified walls. If the home needs a rewire, it gets a real one. We're happy to scope a staged plan or refer you to another sparky if budget doesn't fit — but we won't compromise on the core safety work.

05FAQ

Common questions about cost.

06Compare

How this stacks up.

Other guides in the same audience, ordered by median.

07From the blog

Read more on this.

Field notes that go deeper on the work behind the numbers.

08 / NEXT STEP

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