What should you actually pay for a tutor in Australia?
An honest, source-cited answer — synthesized from 9 published platform aggregates plus ASX disclosures. Range: $30–$190/hr. Typical band: $55–$130/hr. Median estimate: $70/hr.
Rate estimator
Pick subject, city, level, and tutor qualification. Get a fair-market rate band.
By qualification
Uni-student → experienced → registered teacher → subject specialist. Four bands.
By city
Sydney vs Melbourne vs Brisbane vs Perth vs Adelaide. Where you pay more.
By subject
Primary maths to VCE Specialist. Subject complexity drives rate.
The four-tier framework
Every published platform breakdown — Learnmate, KIS Academics, Cluey, Superprof — converges on roughly four tutor qualification tiers. They use slightly different labels, but the bands are surprisingly consistent.
| Tier | Typical rate | Range | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| University-student tutor | $60/hr | $45–$85 | Best value for foundation work and student-relatable peer mentoring. |
| Experienced graduate tutor | $80/hr | $65–$95 | Strong on exam technique and consistent results. |
| Qualified registered teacher | $110/hr | $85–$160 | Best on syllabus depth, marking conventions, and high-stakes course work. |
| Subject specialist | $140/hr | $95–$190 | Best for top-band students chasing the last 5 ATAR points, scholarship preparation, or competition coaching. |
Synthesised across Learnmate, KIS Academics, Cluey, Superprof, Tutorfinder, and Tutero. See methodology.
Three things that change the rate
1. Delivery format — online vs in-person
In-person tutoring typically charges ~22% more than online for the same tutor. Learnmate's 2025 booking data has online in the $55–95/hr band and in-person in the $75–130/hr band. The premium covers travel time, not better tutoring (the academic outcomes are similar — see our guide).
2. City — Sydney pays more, regional pays less
Tutor density and household income drive city premiums. Sydney runs roughly 12% above national average; Melbourne 8% above; Brisbane and Perth at or slightly below; regional areas 10–15% below. See by-city breakdown.
3. Subject complexity
VCE Specialist Maths, HSC Maths Ext 2, and university coding subjects sit at the top of the rate curve because the pool of qualified tutors is small. VCE Specialist routinely commands 20–25% more than VCE Methods at the same tutor tier. See by-subject breakdown.
Where the data comes from
Tutoring.net.au does not scrape individual tutor profiles. Every rate figure on this site comes from one of three categories of source:
- Platform-published aggregate reports (e.g., Tutorfinder's "Tutor Rates by Subject & Region", Learnmate's flagship cost article).
- ASX disclosures from listed tutoring companies (e.g., Cluey Learning, ASX:CLU).
- First-party survey data — submissions to our rate form, manually verified.
Every figure is traceable. We disclose which source informs which number, including sample sizes. See all sources and methodology.
The rate analysis on this page is currently derived entirely from published platform aggregates (Tutorfinder, Learnmate, Cluey, Superprof, KIS, Tutero) plus ABS and ASX data. We are collecting first-party submissions to add a non-platform layer.
If you tutor in Australia, submit your rate — it takes ~60 seconds, your rate is published only as part of aggregate statistics, and your contribution materially improves the accuracy of these numbers for every parent who reads them next.