Most Melbourne businesses pay between $45 and $65 an hour for contract commercial cleaning in 2026. After-hours office cleaning that pays award wages properly sits at about $52 to $56 an hour before GST.

That is the short answer. The useful answer is knowing which part of a quote is fixed by law, which part is negotiable, and which part should make you nervous.

What Melbourne Cleaners are Charging Right Now?

On 19 October 2026 we reviewed seven published price guides from Melbourne cleaning companies and independent cost sites. Here is what they show:

• Quoted rates run from $35 to $75 an hour.
• The middle of the market sits at about $52.50 an hour.
• Four of the seven list a low end below $43 an hour.

That last point matters more than it looks.

The $43 Floor: What One Hour Must Cover

After the 4.75% increase of cleaning wages on 1 July 2026, the Level 1 minimum is $27.08 an hour. Most commercial cleaning happens after 6pm and most cleaners are casual, so the award lifts that hour to 140% of the base rate.

Here is the cost of one after-hours casual cleaning hour, before the cleaning company earns a cent:

1. Wage: $37.91
2. Superannuation at 12%: $4.55
3. WorkCover Victoria at the 1.8% average premium rate: $0.76
4. Labour floor: $43.22

One after-hours casual cleaning hour, Melbourne, from 1 July 2026, before GST

Wage $37.91

 

 

■ Wage $37.91 ■ Super 12% $4.55 ■ WorkCover 1.8% $0.76

That figure still leaves out chemicals, equipment, public liability insurance, supervision, travel, rostering and profit. Add a lean 20 to 30% for those and you reach the sustainable rate quoted at the top of this guide.

In other words, the middle of the market is not padding. It is what legal cleaning costs.

Why Does Weekend Cleaning Cost More?

Penalty rates climb fast after Friday. The same casual labour floor reaches $54.04 an hour on Saturday and $69.47 on Sunday. A shift that finishes after midnight sits at $47.86.

If your site can be cleaned on a weeknight, moving a Sunday visit to Monday evening cuts its labour cost by about 38%. Same mop, smaller bill.

Labour floor per casual cleaning hour by day, Melbourne, from 1 July 2026

Weeknight

 

$43.22

After midnight

 

$47.86

Saturday

 

$54.04

Sunday

 

$69.47

The Two-Hour Rule Hiding in Your Quote

The award sets a minimum paid shift for part-time and casual cleaners, based on the size of the site:

• A standalone site of up to 300 m² cleaned by one person: 1 hour.
• Any other site up to 2,000 m²: 2 consecutive hours.
• 2,000 to 5,000 m²: 3 hours.
• 5,000 m² or more: 4 hours.

So a 45-minute tidy of a 600 m² office is still a two-hour invoice. The fix is simple. Book fewer, longer visits, or fold extra tasks such as glass and fridges into hours you are already paying for.

What Moves Your Quote Up or Down?

1. Frequency: More visits raise the monthly total but lower the cost per visit, because less mess builds up between cleans.
2. Fit-out: Kitchens, bathrooms and dense desk layouts take longer than open floor space.
3. Consumables: Toilet paper, soap and bin liners are either built into the rate or itemised. Ask which.
4. Compliance: Medical centres, childcare and food sites need infection control, extra training or site inductions.
5. Access: CBD towers with lift bookings and security sign-ins add minutes to every visit.

Hourly, per Square Metre or Fixed Monthly?

Small or irregular sites suit hourly pricing. Large, uniform floors such as warehouses are often priced per square metre. Most ongoing contracts become a fixed monthly fee built from estimated hours. Whatever the format, ask to see the hours behind the number. A fixed price with no hours attached is a guess wearing a suit.

A Practical Example for Commercial Cleaning in Melbourne

Take a 200 m² office in Mount Waverley with a kitchenette and two bathrooms. It is cleaned three weeknights a week, two hours a visit. That is about 26 cleaning hours a month. At $52 to $56 an hour, budget $1,352 to $1,456 a month plus GST. Drop to two visits a week and the bill falls by a third.

Five Red Flags in a Cheap Quote

1. An after-hours rate below $43 an hour: Someone is absorbing the gap, and it is usually the cleaner.
2. Rostered cleaners paid as “contractors” on their own ABN: That can be sham contracting, and your site ends up in the story.
3. Fishy records: No certificate of currency for public liability and workers’ compensation.
4. No action plan: A scope that says “general clean” instead of listing tasks and how often they happen.
5. Accountability, reliability, and dependency: No named supervisor and no quality check after the first month.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do Melbourne cleaning rates include GST?

Usually not. Most commercial quotes are ex GST, so add 10%. Some cost guides publish GST-inclusive figures, so check before you compare.

Is a cleaning contract cheaper than one-off cleans?

Yes, per visit. Regular sites let a cleaner roster staff efficiently, so ongoing work is priced below ad hoc jobs.

How often should an office be cleaned?

It depends on headcount and traffic. Busy offices with shared kitchens usually need a clean most weeknights. Small, quiet offices often manage with two or three visits.

Get a Quote That Shows it is Working

1Eight Facility Services prices every site from a free walkthrough. You get the hours, the task list and award-compliant rates in writing, so you know exactly what you are paying for. Book your site walkthrough today.