How much do Google Ads cost in Australia? What a click costs in 49 trades
Google does not publish what a click costs, and most "average cost" figures online are American. These are Australian: the average cost per click and the bid range for the main search term in 49 trades and local businesses, from Google's own keyword data for Australia.
By the Desk editorLast checked 4 October 20266 min read
The short answer
It depends almost entirely on your trade. On Google's Australian keyword data for the past 12 months, a click on "emergency plumber" averaged about A$73, "plumber near me" about A$49 and "family lawyer" about A$37, while "hairdresser near me" was about A$1.31 and "cafe near me" under 40 cents. The middle of the 49 businesses we checked was about A$10.90 a click.
The explorer
Pick a business to see its average click cost, the bid range for a spot at the top of the page, and how many people search for it each month.
Search term:
Google Ads data for Australia, past 12 months, read 4 October 2026. Converted at the RBA rate.
Every business we checked
| Business | Search term | Searches a month | Average cost per click | Top-of-page bid range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emergency plumber | emergency plumber | 4,400 | A$72.97 | A$12.23 to A$68.27 |
| SEO services | seo services | 3,600 | A$62.38 | A$16.99 to A$70.24 |
| Plumber | plumber near me | 49,500 | A$48.62 | A$11.93 to A$57.41 |
| Family lawyer | family lawyer | 12,100 | A$36.97 | A$9.26 to A$36.45 |
| Electrician | electrician near me | 40,500 | A$33.98 | A$9.07 to A$40.56 |
| Real estate agent | real estate agent | 135,000 | A$32.15 | A$8.01 to A$71.53 |
| Conveyancer | conveyancer | 22,200 | A$31.30 | A$8.58 to A$31.93 |
| Mortgage broker | mortgage broker | 22,200 | A$31.17 | A$10.26 to A$34.16 |
| Removalist | removalists | 14,800 | A$28.03 | A$10.77 to A$28.46 |
| Locksmith | locksmith near me | 49,500 | A$26.27 | A$4.17 to A$34.59 |
| Marketing agency | marketing agency | 3,600 | A$24.94 | A$8.54 to A$28.54 |
| Air conditioning installer | air conditioning installation | 12,100 | A$24.39 | A$6.89 to A$27.33 |
| Web designer | web design | 6,600 | A$24.26 | A$5.37 to A$23.06 |
| Bookkeeper | bookkeeper near me | 1,300 | A$21.49 | A$5.09 to A$29.91 |
| Painter | painters near me | 8,100 | A$20.89 | A$5.47 to A$24.36 |
| Tree removal | tree removal | 3,600 | A$20.73 | A$5.50 to A$19.54 |
| Pest control | pest control | 18,100 | A$20.28 | A$6.94 to A$21.75 |
| Roofer | roofing contractors | 1,300 | A$18.00 | A$7.37 to A$26.29 |
| Childcare | childcare near me | 49,500 | A$13.93 | A$6.16 to A$26.66 |
| Cleaning service | cleaning services | 4,400 | A$13.86 | A$4.13 to A$14.02 |
| Pool builder | pool builders | 1,300 | A$13.66 | A$4.50 to A$20.78 |
| Gutter cleaning | gutter cleaning | 8,100 | A$12.91 | A$4.72 to A$16.15 |
| Concreter | concreter | 6,600 | A$12.71 | A$4.23 to A$14.28 |
| Dentist | dentist near me | 135,000 | A$11.02 | A$4.83 to A$17.25 |
| Builder | builders near me | 6,600 | A$10.90 | A$5.31 to A$19.36 |
| Tutor | tutoring near me | 4,400 | A$9.98 | A$4.67 to A$11.51 |
| Solar panels | solar panels | 40,500 | A$9.89 | A$4.38 to A$16.53 |
| Fencer | fencing contractors | 1,600 | A$8.96 | A$2.77 to A$8.91 |
| Chiropractor | chiropractor near me | 40,500 | A$8.91 | A$3.48 to A$13.93 |
| Tax agent | tax agent near me | 6,600 | A$8.48 | A$3.06 to A$11.31 |
| Accountant | accountant near me | 12,100 | A$8.15 | A$3.42 to A$12.38 |
| Skip bin hire | skip bin hire | 27,100 | A$7.56 | A$2.24 to A$7.01 |
| Wedding photographer | wedding photographer | 2,900 | A$6.45 | A$2.11 to A$6.22 |
| Landscaper | landscaping near me | 5,400 | A$6.39 | A$3.00 to A$11.05 |
| Psychologist | psychologist near me | 27,100 | A$5.70 | A$2.60 to A$9.06 |
| Personal trainer | personal trainer near me | 8,100 | A$5.51 | A$1.82 to A$6.61 |
| Driving school | driving school | 12,100 | A$4.93 | A$1.36 to A$6.66 |
| Panel beater | panel beaters near me | 12,100 | A$4.82 | A$1.88 to A$7.00 |
| Carpet cleaner | carpet cleaning | 60,500 | A$4.70 | A$3.12 to A$11.65 |
| Mechanic | car mechanic near me | 18,100 | A$4.31 | A$2.18 to A$7.62 |
| Vet | vet near me | 110,000 | A$3.82 | A$1.96 to A$7.07 |
| Gym | gym near me | 301,000 | A$2.55 | A$1.79 to A$6.63 |
| Tyre shop | tyre shop near me | 90,500 | A$2.50 | A$1.25 to A$3.75 |
| Beauty salon | beauty salon near me | 8,100 | A$1.63 | A$1.10 to A$3.58 |
| Dog groomer | dog groomer near me | 40,500 | A$1.57 | A$0.49 to A$2.63 |
| Florist | florist near me | 135,000 | A$1.41 | A$1.25 to A$4.31 |
| Hairdresser | hairdresser near me | 135,000 | A$1.31 | A$1.01 to A$3.78 |
| Restaurant | restaurant near me | 6,120,000 | A$0.48 | A$0.68 to A$2.96 |
| Cafe | cafe near me | 3,350,000 | A$0.39 | A$0.39 to A$1.96 |
Why some clicks cost more than 100 times as much as others
A click costs what other advertisers are willing to pay for it. Google runs an auction every time someone searches, and the price rises with competition. Three things push it up:
- What a customer is worth. An emergency plumbing job, a family law matter or a home loan is worth hundreds or thousands of dollars, so businesses will pay more to win one. A haircut or a coffee is worth less, so clicks are cheap.
- Urgency. Someone searching "emergency plumber" will call the first plumber they find. Advertisers know it, and pay for the top spot.
- How many businesses advertise. Trades with many small operators bidding in every suburb cost more than trades where few advertise.
What you actually pay also depends on your ad's quality and relevance: Google says the actual cost per click is often less than your maximum bid.
What a month of ads returns
Click cost is half the sum. What matters is how many clicks turn into enquiries, and how many enquiries turn into jobs. Put in your own figures:
Your own numbers in, plain arithmetic out: clicks = budget / cost per click; enquiries = clicks x enquiry rate; and so on. It is not a prediction. Use your own enquiry and win rates from your past ads, your website analytics or your enquiry log.
If you do not know your enquiry rate yet, run a small test first and count every call and form from the ads before you raise the budget. Our one-page marketing plan has a space for the one number to watch on each channel.
How these figures were measured
The figures are Google's own keyword data for Australia, read through the Google Ads API on 4 October 2026: the average cost per click advertisers paid over the past 12 months, and the low and high "top of page" bids Google estimates for appearing above the free results. Google reports them in US dollars; we converted at the Reserve Bank rate of 2 October 2026. Each business is represented by its single most common search term, so your own terms and suburbs will differ. A national average hides big local differences: clicks in capital cities usually cost more than in regional towns.
How much does a Google Ads click cost in Australia?
It depends on the trade. On Google's Australian data for the past 12 months, the middle of 49 businesses was about A$10.90 a click, ranging from under 40 cents for "cafe near me" to about A$73 for "emergency plumber".
How much should a small business spend on Google Ads?
Enough to buy a useful number of clicks in your trade. At A$49 a click, A$1,000 buys about 20 clicks; at A$5, about 200. Start small, count every enquiry, and raise the budget only when the cost per enquiry works for you.
Why are Google Ads so expensive for plumbers and lawyers?
Because each customer is worth a lot and many businesses bid for the same urgent searches. The click price is set by an auction between advertisers.