Data insight

The Suburb Tax

The same house cleaning job in Mosman costs 59% more than in Logan. Below: every indexed suburb ranked by cost-of-service adjustment.

Suburb price spread

59%

between most and least expensive indexed suburbs

Adjustment factors (vs Sydney baseline)

House cleaning baseline $210. Factor = city multiplier × suburb multiplier. 1.00 = Sydney metro average.

1.15

Mosman

2088 · Sydney

$241

1.12

Surry Hills

2010 · Sydney

$235

1.10

Chatswood

2067 · Sydney

$231

1.10

Manly

2095 · Sydney

$231

1.08

Bondi

2026 · Sydney

$227

1.08

Randwick

2031 · Sydney

$227

1.08

Dee Why

2099 · Sydney

$227

1.06

Newtown

2042 · Sydney

$223

1.05

Hornsby

2077 · Sydney

$221

1.05

Mascot

2020 · Sydney

$221

1.04

Marrickville

2204 · Sydney

$218

1.03

South Yarra

3141 · Melbourne

$216

1.02

Cronulla

2230 · Sydney

$214

1.02

Castle Hill

2154 · Sydney

$214

1.01

Fitzroy

3065 · Melbourne

$213

1.01

Hawthorn

3122 · Melbourne

$213

1.00

Strathfield

2135 · Sydney

$210

0.99

St Kilda

3182 · Melbourne

$209

0.99

Richmond

3121 · Melbourne

$209

0.98

Carlton

3053 · Melbourne

$205

0.96

Brunswick

3056 · Melbourne

$201

0.95

Parramatta

2150 · Sydney

$200

0.95

Hurstville

2220 · Sydney

$200

0.94

New Farm

4005 · Brisbane

$196

0.92

South Brisbane

4101 · Brisbane

$193

0.90

Box Hill

3128 · Melbourne

$189

0.90

Paddington

4064 · Brisbane

$189

0.90

Bankstown

2200 · Sydney

$189

0.88

Penrith

2750 · Sydney

$185

0.88

Liverpool

2170 · Sydney

$185

0.87

Toowong

4066 · Brisbane

$182

0.85

Campbelltown

2560 · Sydney

$179

0.85

Indooroopilly

4068 · Brisbane

$179

0.85

Footscray

3011 · Melbourne

$178

0.83

Carindale

4152 · Brisbane

$175

0.81

Dandenong

3175 · Melbourne

$170

0.81

Chermside

4032 · Brisbane

$170

0.72

Logan

4114 · Brisbane

$152

FAQ

Questions about the suburb tax

What is the suburb tax?+
The suburb tax is the premium (or discount) you pay for the same home service depending on your postcode. Across our indexed AU suburbs, the spread between the most and least expensive is about 59% for an identical house cleaning job — that's the suburb tax in action. Mosman sits at the top; Logan at the bottom.
Why does the same job cost more in some suburbs?+
Higher-priced suburbs typically attract tradies who service higher-value properties, charge for longer travel time from outer-area depots, and price in the expectation of more demanding clients. Lower-priced suburbs have less density, shorter travel for local sole operators, and less operating-cost pressure. The job itself is identical — the market positioning is not.
Should I tell tradies I live in a fancy suburb?+
Tradies will figure out your suburb either way — postcode is in your address before they quote. The defensive move is to know what's actually fair for your suburb (use our pricing guides) and push back with specific data when a quote seems inflated. "Your quote is 30% above the median for this suburb" lands very differently than "I think you're charging me too much".
How do I avoid paying the suburb tax?+
Three moves: (1) get 2-3 quotes from a mix of local and slightly-further-out operators, since some will travel for less than the local premium; (2) use our Quote Check tool to see exactly how your quote compares to your suburb median; (3) book midweek or off-peak where possible — urgent and weekend pricing adds 20-50% on top of the standard suburb rate.
Is the suburb tax legal?+
Yes — tradies are free to set their own prices. The suburb tax isn't a markup hidden in your bill; it's a market-rate signal. What's not legal is charging more than your quoted price without your written consent, billing for work you didn't request, or providing substandard service. See our quote rights page for details.

Don't let the suburb tax catch you out.

Run your quote through Quote Check — adjusted for your specific suburb and job scope.

Check your quoteHow we calculate adjustments