How Much Does an Electrician Cost? Hourly Rates and Call-Out Fees Explained

September 4, 2026

In Melbourne, electricians typically charge $80 to $140 an hour, with a call-out fee of $80 to $150 where one applies, and emergency or after-hours attendance commonly running $150 to $300 before the repair itself. A full day of licensed labour generally lands between $600 and $1,100. Small jobs like swapping a power point or a light switch usually come in between $150 and $300 all up, and bigger jobs should arrive as one fixed number, in writing, before anyone starts.

Those are market ranges, not one company’s price list, and the spread exists because electricians price in genuinely different ways. Understanding the model behind the number will save you more than shopping the lowest hourly rate ever will.

What is the hourly rate for a qualified electrician?

The $80 to $140 band covers most licensed electricians across metropolitan Melbourne in standard hours, climbing for nights, weekends, specialist work and two-person jobs. What the headline rate hides is everything wrapped around it: whether the first hour is charged in full, whether travel is on the clock, how parts are marked up, and whether the person quoting is the person turning up. A $95-an-hour electrician who takes four hours costs more than a $130-an-hour one who arrives with a stocked van and finishes in two, and only one of those jobs got done properly the first time.

That’s the case for fixed pricing. The electrician assesses the job, gives you one number, and the number holds however the afternoon unfolds. The risk sits with us, where it belongs, because we’re the ones who can judge the job. O’Shea Electrical has priced this way for years, every job backed by a labour guarantee afterwards, and the reviews suggest it’s the part people remember: “Prompt call out, reasonable fees and friendly team,” as one on our site puts it.

What is a reasonable day rate for an electrician?

For a full day of one licensed electrician, $600 to $1,100 is the realistic Melbourne band, materials on top. Day rates suit renovations and catch-up visits, and they reward homework: walk the house first and write the list, the dead power point, the crackling switch, the room that’s always needed another outlet, so the day gets sequenced efficiently. Ten small jobs in one visit costs a fraction of ten visits.

Our call-out policy, in plain words

A call-out fee covers getting a licensed electrician and a stocked vehicle to your door, and most companies charge one in some form even when the headline says otherwise; the cost just moves into the rate, the job price or the parts. Rather than talk in generalities, here’s exactly how ours works. Most weekday residential jobs with O’Shea Electrical carry no call-out fee. Weekend fees apply, but are waived if you go ahead with the work. Melbourne CBD jobs and real estate agent bookings carry a fee, and the real estate one isn’t waived. If you’re not sure which bucket you’re in, ask when you call; we’d rather be straight up front than surprising on an invoice.

Emergency attendance is its own animal. When a fault has you without power or genuinely at risk at 10pm, someone has to be rostered, insured and awake, and the industry’s $150 to $300 attendance range reflects that honestly. What should never vary is knowing the price before you approve the repair. Our emergency electricians quote first, fix second, whatever the hour.

Typical Melbourne prices by job

As a general guide only:

• Replace a power point or light switch: $150 to $300
• New power point in a new position: $200 to $400
• Replace a light fitting: $150 to $350
• Ceiling fan installation: $150 to $350 for a swap, more with new wiring
• Safety switch (RCD) installation: $200 to $400 per circuit
• Switchboard upgrade: $800 to $2,000 plus
• Hardwired smoke alarm replacement: $150 to $250 per alarm
• Full house rewire: from around $4,000 for a small home, always quoted individually

Every one of those moves with access, cable condition and what the roof space reveals, which is exactly why we quote in person rather than guessing down the phone. On an older home, the smartest first spend is often an electrical safety check, which turns a houseful of unknowns into a priced, prioritised list.

Keeping the bill down without cutting corners

Bundle the small jobs. Describe everything when you book so the right gear is on the van. Fix the buzzing power point before it graduates into a switchboard job. And never solve a price problem with an unlicensed operator: unlicensed electrical work is illegal in Victoria, voids insurance, and costs more to make safe than doing it properly once. Every O’Shea electrician works under REC 36928, which takes about thirty seconds to verify with Energy Safe Victoria, and pensioner and seniors discounts apply across our full service list.

For a fixed price and a bill with no surprises in it, call O’Shea Electrical on (03) 9900 1010 or request a free quote. Family owned and quoting honestly across Melbourne for over 45 years.