Guides › Concrete driveway cost
As an indicative guide, a plain grey concrete driveway supplied and laid tends to run around $80 to $120 per square metre across the Sunshine Coast in 2026, with coloured, stencilled and exposed aggregate finishes sitting higher. Those are market figures to help you read a quote, not a price from us, and the real number for your block depends on the ground, the access and the finish.
Concreting is one of those jobs where a per-square-metre rate on a website is close to useless on its own. Two driveways of identical size on the same street can be very different builds once you factor in what is underneath and how the truck gets to the pour. What follows is an honest breakdown of the ranges you will see quoted around the Coast, and the things that push a quote up or down.
Typical 2026 supplied-and-laid ranges you'll see quoted across the Sunshine Coast. These are indicative market figures to help you read a quote, not a price from us. Every job needs a site visit.
| Finish | Typical range (supplied & laid, per m²) |
|---|---|
| Plain grey concrete | $80–$120 |
| Coloured / through-colour | $100–$150 |
| Exposed aggregate | $120–$170 |
| Stencilled / stamped | $110–$160 |
Sunshine Coast pricing sits broadly in line with the wider South East Queensland metro market, so a driveway here is not dramatically dearer than one at Brisbane or Ipswich. What tends to push a local quote is the ground. Acid sulfate soils on the river flats and canal estates, and reactive clay and basalt up in the Blackall Range hinterland, both call for more attention to the base and to steel protection, and sloped hinterland blocks add access and concrete-pump cost. A flat, sheltered block on stable ground near the coast is the cheapest kind of driveway to lay; a steep Buderim or Nambour block, or a low Pelican Waters canal block, is not.
These are the things that move a driveway quote on the Coast, roughly in the order they matter:
The Coast hands concreters a wide spread of ground, and the ground is where a cheap quote and an honest one part ways. Down on the low river flats and canal estates near the Maroochy River, the Mooloolah River and Pelican Waters you often hit acid sulfate soils, where acidic groundwater attacks reinforcing steel unless the slab has proper cover and a mix chosen with that in mind. Back in the Blackall Range hinterland behind Nambour, Palmwoods and Maleny the reactive clay and basalt swell when wet and shrink when dry, which is hard on an under-built slab. Up on Buderim the deep red volcanic soil behaves differently again, and along the beaches the loose sand drains fast but has to be confined and compacted so it does not spread under a car.
None of that is exotic and none of it should scare you off. It simply means a quote that accounts for your actual ground will sometimes be higher than one that assumes a flat, stable block, and the higher quote is often the one that lasts. For the full picture of why slabs fail here, see our guide on why concrete cracks on the Sunshine Coast and how to prevent it.
Most of the range in the table comes down to the finish you pick, so it pays to know what you are actually buying. A plain concrete driveway is the cheapest and does the job on a sheltered flat block. Exposed aggregate costs more but grips better on wet, sloped driveways and around pools, and a lighter stone stays cooler underfoot in the Coast heat, which is why it is so common here. Coloured and stencilled decorative finishes sit in between. If you already have a sound slab that just looks tired, resurfacing can be cheaper than a full replacement and is worth pricing before you rip anything up.
The only way to turn these ranges into a real number is a site visit. Tell us your suburb, the rough size and what finish you are after, and we will get a local concreter out to look at the ground and the access and price the job properly. There is no cost and no obligation.
Call 0482 392 415 or send the details through the contact page and we will be in touch.
As an indicative guide, plain grey concrete supplied and laid tends to run around $80 to $120 per square metre across the Sunshine Coast, with coloured, stencilled and exposed aggregate finishes sitting higher. Those are market figures to help you read a quote, not a price from us. Every driveway needs a site visit before anyone can give you a real number.
Square metres set a baseline, but ground conditions, demolition, drainage, access and finish move the number a long way. A driveway on reactive Blackall Range clay or an acid sulfate river-flat block needs more base and steel protection than a flat sheltered block, so an honest quote for harder ground lands higher.
Yes. The vehicular crossing where your driveway meets the road is Sunshine Coast Council territory (Noosa Council in the Noosa Shire), gets priced separately, and needs approval. If you are putting in a new crossing or widening one, budget for it and sort the approval early.
Many Coast homeowners think so. Exposed aggregate grips better on wet subtropical driveways and around pools, a lighter stone stays cooler underfoot in the heat, and it suits the coastal look. It costs more than plain grey but the same base has to go in underneath either way.
Local concreters, priced after a proper look at your block.
📞 Call 0482 392 415