Split system installation cost in Australia typically sits around $600 to $1,500 for installation alone, or $1,500 to $4,700 supplied and installed. Unit size sets the starting price. Pipe run, mounting height, access and electrical work decide where the final bill lands.
Those figures assume one indoor head and one outdoor unit. In Brisbane, a raised Queenslander or an older switchboard can push a job well past the standard price, which is why a phone estimate only goes so far. Our electricians give free, fixed-price quotes for air conditioning installation.
How much does it cost to install a split system?
Expect a split system air conditioner installation cost of about $2,000 to $2,900 for a supplied and installed 3.5kW unit, the size many large bedrooms and small living areas call for.
Unit size | Typical room size | Supply and install |
2.5kW | Bedroom or study, up to 20 square metres | ~$1,500 to $2,500 |
3.5kW | Large bedroom or small living room, up to 30 square metres | ~$2,000 to $2,900 |
5kW | Living room, up to 40 square metres | ~$2,700 to $3,500 |
7kW | Open-plan living area, up to 60 square metres | ~$3,200 to $4,300 |
8kW | Large open-plan area, up to 70 square metres | ~$3,700 to $4,700 |
The table shows reverse cycle split system installation cost on a straightforward job. These are indicative market prices, drawn from published installer pricing and homeowner reports in 2024 to 2026.
Brand explains part of the price to install a split system air conditioner. One homeowner paid $1,350 for a 2.5kW TCL in Sydney. Another paid about $2,750 for a 2.5kW Mitsubishi Electric on a second floor, so access played its part as well. Mitsubishi Electric and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries are separate brands, so check which one a quote names. Our notes on air conditioner brands cover the wider field.
Size the unit to the room. An undersized split runs flat out and wears sooner, and running costs climb with it. An oversized one can be loud and blow too hard on low settings, yet salespeople still upsell them. A rule of thumb is 0.10 to 0.15kW per square metre, adjusted for ceiling height, insulation and western sun.
Does the price include the unit?
Ask this first. A split system installation cost can describe labour alone or the whole job, and the two can’t be compared.
Homeowners report install-only prices from about $600 for a simple 2.5kW job. Licensed companies usually charge $800 to $1,500. A split system supply and install quote of $2,400 also pays for the unit. You can’t line those two numbers up.
Supplying your own unit rarely pays off. Installers earn part of their margin on supply, so some recover it in the labour price (one installer put the figure at about $300), and others decline the job. You also lose a single point of contact. When a fault appears, the installer can blame the unit, and the retailer can blame the installation.
The shelf price is a poor guide as well. A catalogue split system price covers the hardware, with none of the pipe, electrical work or mounting your home needs.
What does a standard split system installation include?
There’s no industry definition of a standard installation, so read the inclusions on every quote. One national retailer’s fixed back-to-back price of $795 covers up to 3m of pipe, 2m of pipe cover, a ground mount on rubber pads, an isolator and up to 10m of electrical supply.
Anything beyond that is charged separately, and this is where split system installation cost moves most. These indicative prices come from published price lists and homeowner invoices.
Extra | Indicative price | When it applies |
Additional pipework | ~$28 per metre | The outdoor unit sits away from the indoor unit |
New dedicated circuit | ~$400 to $450 | Your existing circuit can’t take the load, or the unit requires its own |
Wall bracket | ~$130 to $185 | The outdoor unit mounts on an external wall |
Roof bracket | ~$220 | There’s no suitable wall or ground position |
In-line drain pump | ~$325 | Condensate can’t drain away by gravity |
Removal of the old unit | ~$80 to $250 | You’re replacing an existing system |
Difficult access | ~25% extra | Double storey, roof work or tight spots |
Switchboard upgrade | Quote needed | The board has no room for a new circuit |
Electrical work causes the most surprise in the cost to install a split system. One Melbourne homeowner assumed it was part of the install, then found $578 per unit on the quote and another $150 per bracket.
Older Brisbane homes need a closer look here. Ceramic fuses or a full board can turn a simple install into a switchboard upgrade, and that decision should be made before you accept a price. Many 5kW and larger units need a dedicated circuit in any case.
When does a job stop being back-to-back?
A back-to-back installation puts the indoor and outdoor units on opposite sides of one wall, with a short pipe run through it. Published pricing puts a back-to-back split-system air conditioner installation cost about 10% below a standard job.
The same wall doesn’t guarantee that price. One installer arrived at a booked back-to-back job to find a three-storey house needing over 10m of horizontal trunking. Height, a long horizontal run or a wall with no safe place for the outdoor unit all count against it. Raised Queenslanders are a common example. The outdoor unit often goes under the house or on a stand, well below the indoor unit.
A photo of both sides of the wall will usually settle whether your job still counts as back-to-back.
What does a real split system installation quote look like?
An itemised invoice shows what goes into the cost of installing a split system. This one, shared publicly by a homeowner for a 2.5kW job, totalled $1,664 including GST. Its main lines were:
Item | Charge |
Labour, 2 tradespeople for 4 hours at $150 per hour | ~$600 |
In-line drain pump | ~$325 |
Copper pipe, 14m at $10 per metre | ~$140 |
Stainless steel bracket | ~$135 |
Weatherproof isolator | ~$55 |
RCBO | ~$45 |
Power Cable | ~$2.50 per metre |
The drain pump and long pipe run added $465 between them. Neither would appear in a headline price, and neither is unreasonable once you can see why it’s there.
Why does air conditioner installation cost vary?
Quotes vary because installers price different scopes and some leave the extras out until later. Ask two installers how much to install a split system in the same room and the answers can sit far apart. In South East Queensland, one homeowner was quoted $1,500 to $2,400 to install a 2.5kW unit while others reported paying $550 to $900 for the same size.
Get each split system installation quote in writing, then compare these lines:
- Unit brand, model and kW
- Metres of pipe included, and the rate beyond that
- Electrical work, with any new circuit shown separately
- Bracket or mounting type
- Drainage
- Removal of the old unit
- Whether GST is included
A verbal figure isn’t a price. One technician said $800 to $900 on site, then the office sent a quote for $1,500.
Fixed retail offers deserve the same scrutiny, since a $499 offer can rise once the extras are added. One went to $699 and settled at $549 on the day. A cheap split system installation can still be a fair one, provided it comes with a licence number and someone who’ll answer the phone when a warranty problem comes up.
Check the licences before you compare prices. Refrigerant work requires an Australian Refrigeration Council licence, and the electrical side requires a Queensland electrical work licence. A restricted electrical licence doesn’t cover installing electrical equipment.
Is it cheaper to replace a split system?
Sometimes, and the old pipework usually decides the split system replacement cost. Published advice disagrees: one Melbourne installer says a replacement is $200 to $300 cheaper than a new install, while another says it costs about the same plus around $250 for removal.
Both can be true. Reusable pipework and a sound circuit bring the cost to replace a split system down. Nobody can judge old pipework over the phone. It has to be inspected. Some new units’ warranties rule out reused pipe altogether.
What is the multi-head split system installation cost?
Four-head systems are published from about $3,900, though one Melbourne four-room quote reached $13,332 before a rebate of $2,380. That quote charged electrical work and brackets per unit on top of the hardware.
Once you’re past two rooms, get a multi-head price beside the price of separate units. Multi-head can work out cheaper, but one outdoor unit failing takes every room with it. Refrigerant work on these systems also needs a full refrigeration and air conditioning licence, because the restricted split system licence stops at single-head units.
Are there rebates for split systems in Queensland?
Queensland’s Climate Smart Energy Savers rebate has closed. The main offer left is PeakSmart cashback through Energex: $200 for a unit from 4kW up to 10kW, and $400 at 10kW or more.
Smaller bedroom units don’t qualify, and the air conditioner needs to be PeakSmart-capable and activated at installation. The rebate you may have read about from VEU is a Victorian program, so its figures don’t apply here.
Request a free quote
Your home affects split system installation cost as much as the unit does, so a good quote prices the pipe run, mounting and electrical work up front.
Our electricians have been working in Brisbane homes since 2007, and every quote is free and fixed. Send us the room size and a photo of the wall and your switchboard, then contact our team or call 07 3324 1447 to arrange a time.
Split system installation FAQs
Four to eight hours for a typical single unit. Long pipe runs, a new circuit or difficult access can add to that.
No. Refrigerant handling needs an ARC licence, and the fixed electrical connection needs a licensed electrician.
Many do, and the manufacturer’s warranty may require one. Read the installation conditions for your model before you accept a quote that connects to an existing circuit. Some extended warranties also ask for a service every two years, which is easy to miss until a claim is declined.
Expect more than the table above once ceilings, shared walls or height come into it. One Canberra apartment owner was quoted $5,000 to piggyback a unit, because the only path for the pipework ran through the ceilings. Get body corporate approval for the outdoor unit position before paying for anything.
Before December. One installer reported being booked until the end of January by the time December arrived, and customers with little choice paid a premium.
Start with the hole through the wall. A poorly sealed one lets in draughts for as long as the unit is there. Drainage and pipe covers come next. Ask about noise when the outdoor unit is going high on a wall, since vibration can carry indoors.
For one or two rooms, yes, by a wide margin. Ducted needs ductwork through the roof space and usually only pays off when most of the house needs conditioning.
