How much does a concretedriveway costin Melbourne?
Concrete driveway cost in Melbourne runs $65 to $150 per square metre depending on the finish, so a
standard 40 to 50 m2 driveway usually comes in between $2,600 and $7,500. Finish and site condition are
the two big levers. Plain grey sits at the bottom of the range and stamped or exposed finishes at the
top, while whatever is already on the ground, old concrete, a slope, a tight side gate, decides how much
work happens before any concrete goes down. These are typical Melbourne market prices from published
Australian concreting cost guides, compiled July 2026, not a quote for your place. The rest of this guide
takes the cost of a concrete driveway apart: per-square-metre rates by finish, job totals by size, and
the site factors that push a quote up or down.
These are the market's numbers. A site measure gets you your own, and the quote is free.
What does a concretedriveway costper square metre?
Plain concrete driveways in Melbourne typically run $65 to $90 per square metre, with decorative
finishes reaching $150 to $200 per square metre at the top of the published national ranges. Concreters
price driveways by area, so the concrete driveway cost per m2 (written per sqm on some quotes) is the
rate that matters, and it covers supply and laying for the finish you choose. Here is where each finish
sits:
Finish
Typical Melbourne range per m2
Source
Plain / broom finish
$65 - $90
S2 $65-85, S4 $65-85, S3 $75-150 (national high end)
Coloured
$75 - $120
S4 $75-100, S3 $95-200 (national high end)
Exposed aggregate
$85 - $150
S4 $85-120, S3 $120-200 (national high end)
Honed / polished look
$90 - $130
S4
Stamped / patterned
$100 - $150
S4 $100-150, S3 $120-200 (national high end)
Sourced market ranges, July 2026; a complex site can price past the top of them. The codes in the
source column are the published guides named at the end of this page. For per-metre rates on anything
that is not a driveway, see
concrete cost per m2 in Melbourne.
How much does a driveway cost by size?
A 40 m2 plain concrete driveway typically costs $2,600 to $6,000, and the same driveway in exposed
aggregate $4,800 to $9,000. The table below works the other common sizes the transparent way, area
multiplied by the per-metre ranges above; rows marked ~ are calculated from those ranges rather than
independently published.
Driveway size
Plain
Exposed aggregate
30 m2 (single, short)
~$1,950 - $2,700
~$2,550 - $4,500
40 m2 (typical single)
$2,600 - $6,000 (S3)
$4,800 - $9,000 (S3)
50 m2 (double)
$3,250 - $4,250 (S4)
$4,250 - $6,000 (S4)
70 m2 (long/double)
~$4,550 - $6,300
~$5,950 - $10,500
Treat the table as a rough concrete driveway cost estimator: measure the length and width, multiply the
two, and apply the finish range. If you are asking how much is a concrete driveway at your place, that
bracket is the honest starting point before anyone visits.
What makes a concrete driveway cost more?
Site condition moves a Melbourne driveway quote more than finish choice. These are the published uplifts worth knowing before anyone measures up:
Old driveway removal adds $30 to $80 per square metre before the new surface starts. (S3)
Reactive clay soils, common across Melbourne's north, add $15 to $25 per square metre of base preparation. (S4)
Slope, narrow side access and pump hire add hours, and labour already makes up $20 to $55 per square metre of the rate. (S2)
Stormwater work runs $500 to $2,000 where drainage has to be built or moved. (S4)
Around the inner north a lot of driveways are the original concrete at the end of its life, so removal
is often simply part of the job. If yours is cracked through or sitting unevenly, price
concrete removal and replacement into the
comparison from the start.
Does a council crossoveradd to the cost?
Yes. Replacing or widening the crossover, the concrete between your front boundary and the road edge,
typically adds $1,500 to $4,000 on top of the driveway itself. That strip sits on council land, so
Melbourne councils, Merri-bek included, require a vehicle crossing permit and council inspections for
crossover works. A good driveway quote states whether the crossover and its permit sit inside the price,
so ask that question early rather than at invoice time. The permit process, and what the council looks
at, is covered in the driveway crossovers in Melbourne
section of the driveway page.
Is exposed aggregate worth the extra cost?
Exposed aggregate typically costs $20 to $60 more per square metre than plain concrete in Melbourne,
based on the published Melbourne ranges, and across a whole driveway that uplift adds up to real money.
The extra buys a stone-textured surface that keeps its grip in the rain and hides everyday wear better
than a flat grey finish, and many clients choose it purely for how the driveway reads from the street.
Position usually settles the question. A front driveway you look at every day earns the spend; a side
run to the shed mostly does not. Colours, stone blends and finish options are on the
exposed aggregate concrete page.
How much does drivewayresurfacing costinstead?
Resurfacing an existing driveway typically costs $50 to $80 per square metre, against $65 to $150 per
square metre for full replacement, and it only suits a slab that is still structurally sound. Spray-on
resurfacing is a coating: it follows whatever the concrete underneath does next. Over a sound but
tired-looking driveway, that makes it the cheapest lift going. Over cracks that keep moving or sections
that have dropped, it fails along with them, and the money goes too. The honest test is the state of the
slab, and concrete resurfacing in Melbourne walks through
which driveways make good candidates and which are better replaced.
How do you get anaccurate driveway price?
The only accurate concrete driveway price is a measured, site-specific quote, because access, soil and
removal change the number in ways no table can. If you want a ballpark on slab work first, our
concrete slab cost calculator gives one; driveways are priced
off the tables above. From there, Northside Concreting connects you with quoting for driveways across
Melbourne's inner north. Send the job details through and a local concreter measures up and prices it in
writing.
How much does a 50m2 concrete driveway cost in Melbourne?
A 50 m2 concrete driveway in Melbourne typically costs $3,250 to $4,250 in plain concrete, rising towards $7,500 for stamped and premium decorative finishes, per the published Melbourne size tables in this guide. Old-driveway removal, clay base preparation and a new crossover are the usual reasons a job prices above that range.
Is it cheaper to resurface or replace a concrete driveway?
Resurfacing a concrete driveway is cheaper, at $50 to $80 per square metre against $65 to $150 for full replacement, but it only works over a structurally sound slab. A driveway with moving cracks or sunken sections needs replacement; a coating over movement fails with it.
How much does it cost to remove an old concrete driveway?
Removing an old concrete driveway costs $30 to $80 per square metre, covering breaking out the slab and carting the rubble away. Most concreters quote removal inside the replacement price rather than as a separate job, so check the quote lists it rather than assumes a clear site.
How long does a new concrete driveway take to cure before use?
Standard trade guidance is about seven days before a new concrete driveway takes vehicles. Driving on it early risks cracking a surface you have just paid thousands for, which is why cure time belongs in every driveway budget. The concreter confirms exact timing for your finish before handover.
Does a bigger driveway cost less per square metre?
Usually, yes. A driveway's fixed costs, site set-up, pump hire, the crossover, spread across more square metres on a bigger job, so the rate eases as the area grows. The published ranges in this guide assume a typical 40 to 50 m2 driveway; small pours price above them.
Sources
The price ranges on this page are typical Melbourne market prices blended from published Australian concreting cost guides, compiled July 2026. The table codes:
S2: Airtasker concreting cost guide, last updated 4 July 2026.
S3: What's The Damage concreting cost guide, verified July 2026. Skews to the national high end, flagged in the tables where it does.
