Australian Dental Cost Index 2026: first edition baseline

What the index is

The Australian Dental Cost Index is an annual, independently compiled table of indicative median prices for common dental treatments in each capital city. It exists because Australia has no public, city-level dental price data. The Australian Dental Association runs a members-only fee survey every two years, comparison sites publish national ranges, and individual practices publish what they choose. The index pulls those threads together into one table that can be tracked year on year.

This is the first edition, published November 2026, and it is a baseline. There is no year-on-year movement to report yet. The second edition, due November 2027, will show change against these figures.

Headline table: indicative medians by city

All figures are Australian dollars, for a general dentist, before any health fund rebate. Where a source published a range, the median shown is the midpoint of that range. Where the only source was a single practice price, that price is shown. Where we found no published city-level figure we show n/p rather than an estimate.

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Key findings from the first edition

• Sydney is the most expensive capital for routine and restorative dentistry, about 20 per cent above Hobart and Adelaide on a check-up, a filling, a crown and an implant.
• Adelaide and Hobart are the cheapest, consistent with the ADA survey’s finding that South Australia and Western Australia carry the lowest fees across most items. Tasmania was the dearest state for fillings in the 2022 survey, which our Hobart range does not reflect, so we flag that as a point to test in 2027.
• Melbourne and Canberra sit together on every routine item in the published city ranges, roughly 10 per cent above Brisbane and Perth.
• The spread widens with the size of the treatment. A check-up differs by about $55 between the cheapest and dearest city; a single implant differs by about $1,275.
• Cosmetic prices do not follow the same pattern. Melbourne’s published in-chair whitening price ($475) is the lowest of the big four cities despite Melbourne’s higher routine fees, which reflects competition among CBD cosmetic practices rather than underlying cost.
• City-level data for cosmetic and surgical work is thin. We found no published Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide, Canberra, Hobart or Darwin veneer prices and no published Canberra, Hobart or Darwin whitening prices. Those cells will fill as practices publish fees.

Methodology

Treatments

We chose eight treatments that account for most private dental spending and that readers search for: a check-up, scale and clean with X-rays (ADA items 011 or 012, 114, 022); a one-surface composite filling (items 521–535); a simple extraction (item 311); root canal treatment per tooth (items 415–419); a porcelain or zirconia crown (items 613 or 615); a single implant with abutment and crown (items 688, 661, 672); in-chair whitening; and a single porcelain veneer (item 556).

Cities

The eight state and territory capitals. Regional centres and the Gold Coast will be considered for the 2027 edition once there is enough published data.

Sources and tiering

For each cell we used the highest-tier source with a city-level figure. Routine and restorative items came from published 2026 city ranges that themselves draw on the ADA survey and clinic price lists. Extractions came from ADA 2022 state averages, with the national average substituted where no state figure is public. Whitening and veneers, which have no public survey data, came from practice and health-fund price pages collected in October and November 2026.

Calculating the median

Where a source gave a low-to-high range, we report the midpoint and call it the indicative median. Where a source gave a single price, we report that. Where two practice prices were found in one city, we report their midpoint. We did not adjust 2022 survey figures for inflation; they are shown as published and labelled with their year.

Review and independence

Figures were collected and checked by our editorial team. The index may carry a title sponsor; sponsorship does not influence which sources are used or what the table shows, and sponsors see the index at the same time as readers. No practice pays to appear, and no practice figure is weighted above another.

Limitations

• These are not survey medians. The ADA does not publish city-level fees and its full survey is members-only. Our medians are midpoints of published ranges and practice prices, and are best read as a guide to relative cost between cities rather than a precise figure.
• City ranges share a method. The routine-item ranges come from one published guide series that applies consistent sources across cities, which makes cross-city comparison fair but means an error in that method would be repeated in every city.
• Cosmetic prices are promotional. Whitening offers from large groups often require a recent check-up and are time-limited. They are real prices people pay, but not necessarily standard fees.
• Survey age. ADA 2022 figures reflect fees at 1 July 2022. The ADA reported a 3.7 per cent average rise between its 2020 and 2022 surveys; 2026 fees are higher again.
• Specialists are excluded. All figures are for general dentists. Specialist fees run 25–60 per cent higher on the same items.

Every figure on this page is indicative. For your own treatment, ask a registered dentist for a written quote with item numbers and check your policy before assuming any health fund rebate.

How to cite the index

Journalists, researchers and practices are welcome to quote the index with attribution. Suggested citation: Australian Dental Cost Index 2026, first edition baseline, published November 2026, with a link to this page. Please quote figures as indicative medians and name the city and treatment. If you reproduce the full table, keep the source note attached. For interviews or the underlying workings, use our contact page.

Download the data

The headline table is available as a CSV file (one row per city and treatment, with source and source date for each cell) for non-commercial use with attribution. The CSV is updated with each edition and the previous edition’s file remains available so year-on-year change can be reproduced. A link to the current CSV sits beneath the headline table on this page.

For plain-language guides to each treatment, see our dental cost guides, starting with the overview of dental costs in Australia. To estimate your own likely bill, try the cost calculator.

Common questions