09 Oct Commercial Cleaning Costs in Australia: Rates per Hour and per m²
If you are building a cleaning budget for next financial year, the first question is simple: what is a reasonable commercial cleaning cost for a site like ours? The honest answer is a range, because floor area, frequency, fit-out, operating hours and location all move the price. But the range is narrower than most people expect once you know how cleaners actually build a quote.
This guide gives you current indicative rates, explains hourly versus per m² pricing, and shows how to check a quote, whether your site is in Brisbane or anywhere else in Australia.
How Much Does Commercial Cleaning Cost in Australia?
Contract office cleaning in Australia typically costs $40 to $65 per hour, or $2.50 to $6 per square metre per month, according to What’s The Damage’s national commercial cleaning cost guide (reviewed October 2026). Its figures include GST. Brisbane sits in the same $40 to $65 hourly band.
| Cleaning service | Typical hourly rate | Typical rate per m² |
|---|---|---|
| General office cleaning (ongoing contract) | $40 to $65 | $2.50 to $6 per month |
| Commercial window cleaning | $45 to $70 | Usually quoted per job |
| Medical and specialised cleaning | $55 to $80 | Site-specific |
| Deep clean or end-of-lease clean (one-off) | Usually quoted per job | $6 to $12 per clean |
| Vinyl strip and seal (one-off) | Usually quoted per job | $8 to $15 per clean |
| Industrial and warehouse cleaning | Site-specific | Site-specific |
Industrial cleaning is left without a range on purpose. Scope varies so much between a warehouse amenities block and a production floor that a published average would mislead more than help.
The same guide puts a small office (under 100 m²) at $250 to $600 a month, and a medium office (100 to 500 m², daily service) at $800 to $2,500 a month.
Two things to keep in mind. First, these are market ranges, not any one provider’s price list. Second, businesses usually receive commercial quotes excluding GST, so add 10% before comparing a quote with the figures above.
Commercial Cleaning Rates per Hour vs per Square Metre
Hourly commercial cleaning rates
Hourly pricing charges for the labour time a site needs. It suits smaller offices, sites with changing workloads and one-off or ad hoc jobs, where the time is easy to estimate but the area is not.
Commercial cleaning costs per m²
Per m² pricing ties cost to floor area and frequency. It works well for larger facilities with a clearly defined scope, because cleaning time scales fairly predictably with area once the specification is set.
Here is an illustrative example for a 400 m² office cleaned five nights a week:
| Method | Calculation | Monthly estimate (ex GST) |
|---|---|---|
| Hourly | 1.5 hours per visit x 5 visits x 4.33 weeks x $50 | about $1,624 |
| Per m² | 400 m² x $4 per m² per month | $1,600 |
These figures are for illustration only. In practice, the per m² rate depends on productivity, layout, frequency and complexity. A well-built quote should land in a similar place under either method. If two quotes for the same site are far apart, one of them has made a different assumption about scope.
What Affects Your Commercial Cleaning Cost?
Floor area matters, but it is rarely the biggest driver. Compare a 500 m² open-plan office with a 500 m² site that has six bathrooms, two kitchens and a dozen enclosed meeting rooms. The second site can need far more cleaning hours for the same area.
The factors that move a quote most are:
- Frequency. Daily service raises the monthly total but usually lowers the cost per visit.
- Facility type. An office, a medical suite and a warehouse need different methods and standards.
- Bathrooms, kitchens and shared areas. These wet areas take the most time.
- Operating hours and access. After-hours, early morning and weekend work costs more.
- Specialist requirements. Infection control, hard-floor care or high windows add skills and equipment.
- Equipment and consumables. Some quotes include paper and soap supplies; others charge them separately.
- Location and access. Travel time, parking, security inductions and multiple sites add time.
Labour is the largest cost in most cleaning contracts. Under the Cleaning Services Award, the minimum rate for a Level 1 cleaner is $27.08 an hour from 1 July 2026, with higher penalty rates for early morning, night, weekend and public holiday work. The Fair Work Ombudsman’s Cleaning Award summary explains who the award covers and what it requires.
That figure is a minimum wage for employees, not the price you pay. A contractor’s hourly charge also has to cover superannuation, leave, insurance, supervision, equipment, chemicals, training and administration, which is why service rates sit well above award wages.
Industrial sites add another layer: inductions, permits and cleaning scheduled around production. Aspen’s industrial and warehouse cleaning is scoped on site for that reason.
How Much Does Office Cleaning Cost?
Office cleaning cost depends mostly on how often you clean. Daily cleaning suits busy offices with shared kitchens and steady visitor traffic. Two or three visits a week is common for smaller teams. Periodic work, such as carpet steam cleaning, window cleaning and hard-floor care, is usually scheduled quarterly or annually and budgeted separately.
Illustrative example: an office needing three cleaning hours per visit, five days a week, uses about 65 cleaning hours in an average month (3 x 5 x 4.33). At an illustrative $50 per hour, that comes to about $3,250 a month before GST and any extras, or about $3,575 including GST.
Your Facility Deserves Better Care.
From everyday cleaning to complete facility management, Aspen Services makes looking after your workplace easier.
The actual hourly rate must be confirmed by the provider after it has seen the site. For corporate buildings, see Aspen’s commercial and corporate facilities page.
What’s Included in a Commercial Cleaning Quote?
A cleaning quote is only useful once you know what sits inside it. Before comparing proposals, check that each one states:
- Routine cleaning tasks by area
- Frequency of each task
- Labour hours and supervision
- Equipment and chemicals
- Consumables and sanitary services
- Periodic deep cleaning
- Quality inspections
- Reporting and issue resolution
- Charges for additional services
- GST treatment and contract terms
A cheaper quote may simply leave out periodic work or consumables that a more complete proposal includes. Some providers also run washroom supplies through a separate service, such as Aspen’s hygiene systems, so check which line each cost sits in.
How to Reduce Commercial Cleaning Costs Without Lowering Standards
The savings usually come from matching the scope to how the building is actually used, not from cutting hygiene. Schedule cleaning around real occupancy, so a floor that is half empty on Mondays and Fridays is not serviced like a full one. Group periodic tasks, such as windows, carpets and hard floors, into planned visits instead of separate call-outs. Review frequencies every few months, keep the cleaning specification clear so there is no guesswork, and coordinate cleaning with other site services where one team can cover both.
Getting a Commercial Cleaning Quote in Brisbane
You will get faster and more accurate quotes if you prepare:
- Facility address and approximate floor area
- Business type
- Required cleaning frequency
- Operating hours
- Special requirements
- Number of locations
- Preferred start date
Aspen Services provides commercial cleaning and facility management for offices, industrial sites and multi-site organisations from its Brisbane base. You can explore the full range of cleaning and facility management services, then send your details to the team.
Request a commercial cleaning quote from Aspen Services and the team will scope your site before pricing it.
Frequently Asked Questions About Commercial Cleaning Costs
What is the average commercial cleaning rate per hour in Australia?
Contract office cleaning typically costs $40 to $65 per hour including GST, based on What’s The Damage’s October 2026 national guide. Medical and specialised cleaning sits higher.
Is commercial cleaning charged hourly or per square metre?
Both are common. Hourly suits small or variable jobs; per m² suits larger sites with a fixed scope. Most ongoing contracts end up as a fixed monthly price.
How much does office cleaning cost per month?
Published ranges put small offices at $250 to $600 a month and medium offices on daily service at $800 to $2,500, including GST. Your figure depends on frequency and fit-out.
Does a commercial cleaning quote include equipment and supplies?
Equipment and chemicals are usually included. Consumables such as paper, soap and bin liners vary, so check the quote line by line.
Is daily commercial cleaning cheaper than occasional cleaning?
Per visit, usually yes, because the site never gets heavily soiled. Per month, daily cleaning costs more simply because there are more visits.
