Commercial cleaning cost in Adelaide (2026): per hour, per m² and per visit
How much does commercial cleaning cost in Adelaide in 2026? Typical rates per cleaner hour, per m² and per visit for offices, clinics, warehouses and pubs.
Across Adelaide in 2026, routine commercial cleaning typically costs $45 to $75 per cleaner hour, $2 to $6 per square metre per month for an office on a regular schedule, and $90 to $350 per visit for a small to medium workplace. Medical rooms, pubs and after-hours work sit at the top of those ranges. Warehouses sit lower per square metre because most of the floor is not cleaned at all. Anything sold under about $40 an hour cannot cover the award wage and the legal on-costs of the person doing the work.
Updated 21 October 2026. Written by Jordan Sinclair, JC Commercial, Adelaide. Figures are market ranges checked against the sources linked in the text.
Commercial cleaning prices in Adelaide by site type (October 2026)
A "cleaner hour" below means one person working one hour, with chemicals, equipment, supervision and travel built in. The per-visit figure is what a single routine visit usually costs once the hours are set. These are typical market ranges across Adelaide, not a quote for your site.
| Site type and size | Typical visits | $ per cleaner hour | $ per m² per month | $ per visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small office, under 300 m² | 2 to 3 a week | $45 to $65 | $3 to $6 | $90 to $180 |
| Medium office, 300 to 1,000 m² | 5 a week | $45 to $60 | $2.50 to $4.50 | $150 to $350 |
| Large office, 1,000 m² and up | Nightly | $42 to $55 | $2 to $3.50 | $300 to $900+ |
| GP, dental or allied health rooms, under 400 m² | Nightly | $55 to $90 | $5 to $10 | $120 to $300 |
| Warehouse or factory, offices and amenities only | 1 to 3 a week | $45 to $70 | $0.50 to $2 on the whole footprint | $150 to $450 |
| Pub or hotel public areas, 300 to 800 m² | Daily, 6 to 10 am | $50 to $90 | $6 to $12 | $160 to $450 |
Per-square-metre pricing only works for a routine clean on a set schedule. Once-off and deep cleans in Adelaide run $60 to $100 per hour, or $5 to $15 per square metre for the job. For the hourly picture on offices alone, see how much office cleaning costs per hour.
What moves the price up or down
Six things explain most of the gap between the low and high ends of each range.
- Visit frequency. A nightly clean costs less per visit than a weekly one because less builds up between visits and the cleaner wastes no time re-learning the site. The monthly bill is higher, the per-visit rate is lower.
- Hours of access. Work before 6 am or after 6 pm attracts a shift loading under the award, and weekend work attracts penalty rates. A 6 am pub clean costs more per hour than a 7 pm office clean for that reason alone.
- Fixtures per square metre. A toilet block takes three to four times longer per square metre than open-plan floor. A site with eight toilets and two kitchens prices very differently to a showroom of the same area.
- Standard of finish. A medical room cleaned to the RACGP scheduled-cleaning guidance, with a tick sheet and a two-step detergent then disinfectant method on frequently touched surfaces, is slower than a general office wipe-down.
- Consumables. Toilet paper, hand towel, soap and bin liners are sometimes in the rate and sometimes billed separately. Ask which. On a 50-person office they add roughly $150 to $300 a month.
- Periodical work. Carpet extraction, hard-floor strip and seal, high dusting and window cleaning to ladder height are priced as separate line items. If they are not in the written scope, they turn up later as extras.
The award maths: why under about $40 an hour cannot be lawful
Most cleaners in Australia are paid under the Cleaning Services Award 2020 (MA000022). The Fair Work Commission lifted award minimums by 4.75% from 1 July 2026 (Annual Wage Review 2026). The Level 1 full-time rate is now $27.08 an hour. The table shows what an employer must pay before a single bottle of chemical is bought.
| Cost line for one casual cleaner, evening shift | Rate | $ per hour |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 minimum hourly rate, from 1 July 2026 | Award Schedule B | $27.08 |
| Casual loading | 25% of the base rate | $6.77 |
| Early morning, afternoon or non-permanent night shift loading | 15% of the base rate | $4.06 |
| Superannuation guarantee | 12% of ordinary time earnings (ATO, from 1 July 2025) | $4.55 |
| Workers compensation | 1.85% average SA premium (ReturnToWorkSA, 2026-27) | $0.70 |
| Wage cost before anything else | $43.16 |
A daytime casual on Level 1 costs $38.54 an hour on the same basis. On top of that the contractor has to pay for chemicals and consumables (typically $2 to $4 per cleaner hour), equipment, vehicle and travel time, public liability insurance, supervision, quality checks and payroll administration. A realistic delivered cost for one hour of compliant daytime cleaning in Adelaide sits around $43 to $48 before any profit. For evening and early-morning work it is higher.
So a quote of $35 an hour for an evening office clean has only three ways to work: the cleaner is being underpaid, the "hour" is really 40 minutes, or the business is not paying its super and insurance. None of those is your problem until something goes wrong on your site, and then all of them are.
Hourly, per square metre or per visit: which should you ask for?
Ask for all three, because each one checks the others. The hours tell you whether the scope is realistic. The per-visit price tells you what you will actually pay. The per-square-metre figure lets you compare two sites or two quotes quickly. If a contractor will not show the hours behind a fixed price, you cannot tell whether the price is cheap because the method is efficient or because the scope has been quietly thinned.
A written scope fixes this. It should list every area, every task, how often each task is done and the visit window, numbered by clause so both sides can point to the same line. The office cleaning scope builder shows how this works for a workplace: pick the areas and the frequency, and the hours fall out of it.
How to compare two quotes fairly
- Put both scopes side by side, task by task. Mark anything in one and not the other.
- Divide each monthly price by the stated hours per month. Anything under $42 an hour needs an explanation.
- Check whether consumables, periodical work and public holidays are in or out.
- Ask what happens when something is missed. A real response term reads like "acknowledged within 2 hours, resolved within 24", in the contract, not in the brochure.
- Ask for proof of visit. Time-stamped start and finish, tasks ticked, photos. If the contractor cannot show you a week of records from another site, assume you will not get them either.
- Ask about notice periods. A no lock-in arrangement with a written notice period that applies both ways is a sign the contractor expects to keep the work on merit.
For specialised sites the same rules apply, the ranges just shift. Medical practice cleaning prices on the clinical standard. Industrial sites price on the amenities and offices, not the warehouse floor. Pubs and hotels price on the early window and the toilets.
How JC Commercial prices a site
JC Commercial was founded in Adelaide in 2023 and is certified to ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001. Every site is priced after a 15-minute walk-through, from a written, clause-numbered scope issued before the first visit. Every visit is time-stamped, ticked and photographed. Issues are acknowledged within 2 hours and resolved within 24 as a contract term, and there is no lock-in contract. Prices are not published because no two sites carry the same fixtures or hours, but the hours and the method behind every price are shown in the quote. Enquiries are answered the same business day.
FAQs
What is a fair hourly rate for a commercial cleaner in Adelaide in 2026?
For routine work, $45 to $65 per cleaner hour is typical across Adelaide, rising to $55 to $90 for medical rooms, pubs and early-morning or weekend windows. The award minimum for a casual evening cleaner is $43.16 an hour once super and workers compensation are added, before chemicals, insurance or supervision.
How much does office cleaning cost per square metre in Adelaide?
A regular office clean usually works out at $2 to $6 per square metre per month. Small offices with lots of toilets and kitchens sit at the top. Large open-plan floors cleaned nightly sit at the bottom.
Why is a nightly clean cheaper per visit than a weekly one?
Less soil builds up between visits, the cleaner knows the site and the set-up time is spread over more visits. The monthly total is higher, but each visit costs less and the site never falls behind.
Are cleaning consumables included in the price?
Sometimes. Toilet paper, hand towel, soap and bin liners can be in the rate or billed at cost. Ask which before you compare two quotes, because the difference on a 50-person office is $150 to $300 a month.
What should a commercial cleaning quote include?
A clause-numbered scope listing every area, task and frequency, the visit window, the hours per visit, whether consumables and periodical work are in or out, the response term for missed work, how visits are recorded, and the notice period.
Does JC Commercial publish its prices?
No. Every site is priced after a 15-minute walk-through from a written scope, and the hours behind the price are shown in the quote. The ranges in this guide are Adelaide market figures, not JC Commercial's rates.