What would be the average costs to build a 3 bed home , 2bed apartment say in Brisbane and surrounds not one already built !

Here's a current breakdown based on 2026 data for Brisbane and surrounds. Note that I'm not a financial advisor and these are estimates — always get quotes from registered builders.

3-Bedroom House — Build Cost Only (excluding land)

Building a house in Brisbane costs between $1,900 and $5,500 per square metre for a standard new build. OJ Pippin For a typical 3 bedroom home of around 150-180sqm that works out roughly like this:

2-Bedroom Apartment — Build Cost Only

A medium-finish one or two-bedroom apartment with no balcony or lift starts at around $1,580 per square metre in Brisbane. Prime Capital A typical 2-bedroom apartment is around 80-100sqm so roughly:

Keep in mind, apartments are rarely built as a single dwelling — these costs are per unit in a larger development. Building a single standalone apartment is impractical or cost-effective.

Then add the land

This is where it gets painful. The average cost of land in Brisbane is $716,000 as of the December 2024 quarter. The average across South East Queensland is lower at around $385,000, covering Brisbane, Gold Coast, Moreton Bay, Logan and Ipswich. McCarthy Homes

More affordable areas include Ipswich and Logan, with median land prices of $445,900 and $420,500 respectively. OJ Pippin

Other costs to budget for on top of build + land

These catch a lot of people out:

1. Council fees and approvals — $10,000 to $30,000
2. Site costs — earthworks, levelling, soil tests — $10,000 to $50,000+ on a sloped block
3. Connections — water, sewer, power, NBN — $5,000 to $20,000
4. Landscaping and fencing — $15,000 to $40,000
5. Stamp duty — on the land only when building new, which is a saving over buying established

One silver lining — in Queensland, you only pay stamp duty on the cost of the land when building a new house, which could save you tens of thousands compared to buying an established home. OJ Pippin

The honest bottom line

A realistic all-in budget for a 3-bedroom house in Brisbane surrounds including land, build, and extras is currently somewhere between $900,000 and $1,400,000 depending on location and finish. In outer areas like Ipswich or Logan, you could get closer to $750,000 if you're disciplined with your build spec. It's a sobering number that goes directly to the housing affordability conversation we were just having.