What it really costs to enter the Australian market
A realistic first-year budget for a lean B2B entry sits between AUD 250k and AUD 750k once you include an entity, one local hire, compliance, marketing and working capital.
Overview
Australian market entry is not cheap, but the costs are predictable. Here's a realistic first-year breakdown for a lean B2B entry.
Entity and compliance (AUD 15k–40k)
Pty Ltd registration with ASIC costs about AUD 600, plus AUD 320 annual review fee. Add legal setup for standard terms and privacy policy (AUD 8k–20k), an accountant to handle BAS and payroll tax (AUD 3k–8k), business insurance (AUD 5k–15k), and workers compensation (varies by state and industry).
People (AUD 180k–350k)
The single biggest line item. A senior country manager or head of sales costs AUD 180k–250k fully loaded including 11.5% super. A mid-level engineer or CSM adds another AUD 130k–180k. Contractors and fractional leadership are 20–40% more per hour but let you scale up and down.
Office and infrastructure (AUD 15k–60k)
A serviced office in Sydney or Melbourne costs AUD 1k–3k per desk per month. Fully-fledged commercial leases start around AUD 800/m² per year in most CBDs. Most early-stage entries use co-working (WeWork, Hub Australia, Stone & Chalk) until headcount justifies a lease.
Go-to-market (AUD 40k–200k)
Localisation of website, collateral and pricing (AUD 10k–30k). Digital advertising, events and PR (AUD 30k–150k in year one). Industry association memberships and sponsorships (AUD 5k–25k).
Working capital
Australian enterprise buyers pay on 30–60 day terms and sometimes longer. Budget 6–9 months of runway on top of everything above.
Generate a cost-of-entry breakdown tailored to your sector and target region.
Related Guides
Localising your product, pricing and marketing for Australian buyers
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How to choose the right market entry strategy for Australia
Exporting, licensing, a local subsidiary, a joint venture or an acquisition each carry different capital, control and speed trade-offs when entering Australia. This guide walks through when each makes sense.
How to decide whether Australia or New Zealand is your first ANZ market
Australia is roughly five times the GDP of New Zealand, but NZ is often faster, cheaper and more forgiving as a proving ground before an east-coast Australian launch.