Most locksmith jobs in New South Wales cost between $100 and $250 during business hours, including the call-out. The call-out fee on its own runs about $80 to $120 in metropolitan areas. That figure climbs once you call outside normal hours. Evening and weekend attendance commonly costs $150 to $200, and a call after midnight can reach $300 before anyone touches your lock.
On a job basis, rekeying a lock costs $35 to $45 per lock plus the call-out, replacing a standard residential lock runs $100 to $250 fitted, and a daytime house lockout costs $100 to $250. At Solus Locksmith, we agree a fixed price in writing before we start, we do not add after-hours loading to that price, and every installation and repair carries a 12-month workmanship warranty.
Three things drive the total. When you call, what the job actually is, and how far the van has to travel. A daytime rekey in Parramatta and a 2am lockout in the Blue Mountains sit at opposite ends of the range. This guide covers call-out fees, after-hours rates and the typical cost of the jobs we attend most across NSW. All figures include GST and reflect 2026 pricing.
NSW locksmith prices at a glance
| Job or service | Typical price (GST incl.) |
| Call-out or attendance, business hours | $80 to $120 |
| Call-out, evenings and weekends | $150 to $200 |
| Call-out, after midnight | Up to $300 |
| Standard job, business hours, all in | $100 to $250 |
| House lockout, business hours | $100 to $250 |
| House lockout, after hours | $150 to $350 |
| Rekey one standard lock | $35 to $45 per lock plus call-out |
| Rekey three to five locks to one key | $170 to $300 |
| Replace a standard door lock | $100 to $250 fitted |
| Supply and fit a quality deadbolt | $265 to $380 per door |
| Smart lock installation labour | From $249 |
| Smart lock supplied and installed | $250 to $400 |
| Car lockout, business hours | $150 to $250 |
| Broken key extraction | $90 to $180 |
| Car key replacement | $80 to $600 by key type |
| High-security lock, per door | $300 to $500 |
| Master key system, small office | $300 to $800 |
What is a locksmith call-out fee, and how much is it?
A call-out fee covers travel to your property and the first assessment, and in NSW it usually sits between $80 and $120 during business hours. It is charged whether or not you proceed with the work, and on most quotes it appears separately from labour and parts.
Locksmiths rarely charge an hourly rate the way plumbers and electricians do. Most NSW jobs are priced per task, so the quote is built from the call-out plus a set price for the lock work rather than from time on site.
Some locksmiths roll the call-out into the first hour of labour. Others add it on top, then charge for the work separately. Ask which applies before you book. On a $150 lockout, the answer is the difference between paying $150 and paying $250. It is also worth asking whether a minimum charge applies, since some operators bill a minimum block of time after midnight rather than the actual minutes worked.
Grouping small jobs into one visit is the simplest way to avoid paying attendance twice. If a back door lock is sticking and you also want a spare key cut, book them together.
How much more do after-hours and emergency locksmiths cost?
After-hours work in NSW roughly doubles the attendance cost. Most locksmiths price in three tiers. Business hours run to about 5pm, evening rates apply from then until midnight, and the highest rate applies after midnight. A regular-hours call-out of about $110 becomes $150 to $200 between 9pm and midnight, and up to $300 for calls after midnight. Weekend and public holiday jobs typically carry a premium of 10 to 50 percent on top of standard rates.
| Cost element | Business hours | After hours and emergency |
| Call-out or attendance | $80 to $120 | $150 to $300 |
| House lockout, total | $100 to $250 | $150 to $350 |
| Car lockout, total | $150 to $250 | $250 to $350 |
| Lock replacement, per lock | $100 to $250 | $150 to $300 |
If the situation is inconvenient rather than unsafe, waiting until morning usually saves $100 or more. A locked back door when you can still get inside the house is a morning job. A front door that will not lock at all, a broken key in the cylinder overnight, or a door damaged in a break-in is not something to leave until Monday. Whoever you call, ask what the price becomes after 5pm and again after midnight, because those two numbers are where most disputed invoices come from. At Solus Locksmith, we quote 24/7 emergency lockout work at one fixed rate regardless of the hour, which is one way of handling it, and plenty of locksmiths instead publish their after-hours tiers up front. Either approach is fine as long as you have the number before the van leaves.
How much do common locksmith jobs cost in NSW?
Getting locked out of your house
A house lockout during business hours costs $100 to $250 in total, covering attendance and the entry itself. After hours, the same job runs $150 to $350. Averaged across all hours, industry pricing guides put a typical home lockout at $200 to $350, because most lockout calls come in outside business hours.
The method matters as much as the timing. Non-destructive entry, where the locksmith picks or bypasses the lock and leaves it working, is the cheapest outcome. Drilling costs more because you pay for the extra labour and then for a replacement cylinder or lockset. Ask any locksmith on the phone whether they open non-destructively first. A quote that assumes drilling on a standard residential lock is a quote to be careful with.
Rekeying an existing lock
Rekeying changes the pins inside a lock so old keys stop working and a new key takes over. The hardware stays on the door. In NSW, rekeying costs $35 to $45 per single-cylinder lock and $40 to $60 for a double-sided lock, plus the call-out. A one or two lock job usually lands between $100 and $250 all in. Rekeying a full set of three to five external locks to one key typically comes to $170 to $300.
| Approach | Typical cost per lock | What you get |
| Rekey an existing lock | $35 to $60 plus call-out | New key, existing hardware, old keys stop working |
| Replace the lockset | $200 to $400 hardware plus $65 to $80 labour | New hardware, new keys, upgraded security if you choose it |
Rekeying is four to ten times cheaper per lock than replacement, so it is the right answer far more often than people expect. It is the standard move after moving into a new home, after a housemate or tenant moves out, or after a set of keys goes missing. Replacement only makes sense when the hardware is worn, damaged, or too weak for the door. When we quote a rekey, repair or replacement, we say which of the two the door actually needs and why.
Replacing a door lock
Replacing a standard residential lock, such as a cylinder knob set or a basic deadbolt, costs $100 to $250 in total including parts and labour. Quality deadbolt hardware runs $200 to $300 on its own, with installation labour of $65 to $80 per lock, so a good deadbolt supplied and fitted lands around $265 to $380 per door.
Itemised quotes make this easier to compare. A locksmith might quote “lock hardware $220 plus labour $80 equals $300”, which tells you exactly where your money is going. Costs rise when the door frame is out of square, when the existing mortice does not match the new hardware, or when a timber door has swollen and needs work before anything will latch cleanly.
Installing a smart or digital lock
Smart locks cost more to fit than mechanical locks because the hardware is more expensive and the door prep is fussier. Hardware ranges from about $150 for entry-level keypads to $500 and above for premium models. Professional installation is commonly advertised from $249 per door lock, so budget $250 to $400 for a mid-range smart lock supplied and installed.
Non-standard doors add to that. Glass sliding doors, narrow-stile aluminium doors, and doors that need new holes drilled for a spindle or cable run all take longer. DIY installation is possible on some models, but a misaligned latch or a strike plate that does not line up will chew through the battery and eventually fail. When we fit deadbolts and smart locks, most of the time on site goes into squaring up the latch and strike plate. The electronics are usually the quick part.
Car lockouts and broken keys
Automotive locksmiths generally charge $150 to $250 for an on-site car lockout during business hours. Published service fees sit around $165 to $275 plus a call-out fee of about $90, and night or weekend work adds another $50 to $100. Almost every mobile auto locksmith charges a travel fee of $80 to $120, because the equipment comes to you.
Broken key extraction, where part of a key snaps off in a door lock or ignition, costs $90 to $180 depending on how deep the break is and whether the cylinder has to come out. Ignition repair or replacement is more involved and typically starts around $200. European and luxury vehicles usually run $50 to $100 higher than mainstream brands because of specialised parts and programming.
Replacing a lost car key
Car key cost is set mainly by what is inside the key rather than the badge on the car. Basic metal keys are cut mechanically. Anything with a chip or a remote also has to be programmed to the vehicle.
| Car key type | Features | Typical replacement cost |
| Traditional metal key | No electronics, simply cut | $80 to $150 |
| Basic remote key or fob | Key plus battery-powered lock fob | $120 to $220 |
| Transponder key with chip | Immobiliser chip, may include remote | $150 to $300 |
| Flip key, folding remote | Folding blade integrated into a fob | $180 to $350 |
| Smart key, proximity | Keyless entry and push-button start | $250 to $600 and up |
Dealer quotes usually run higher than locksmith quotes for the same key, and the gap widens on newer models. Published Sydney pricing for MG key programming runs from $220 to $720 depending on the model, which shows how wide the spread can be inside a single brand. Have your VIN ready when you call, because car keys and remotes are quoted off the exact build, and a VIN turns a rough estimate into a firm price.
High-security and restricted key locks
Upgrading to high-security hardware costs $300 to $500 or more per door, hardware plus fitting. A premium deadbolt or electronic lock is $200 to $300 for the lockset alone, with installation labour of $65 to $80 per door and more if the door is metal or needs drilling.
Restricted key systems add a different kind of cost. The keys are cut to a patented profile, so nobody can copy them at a hardware counter without authorisation. You typically pay a design or setup fee plus a per-key charge, which is why restricted systems suit strata buildings, offices and rental properties more than a single front door.
Master key systems for businesses
A master key system lets one key open every door while individual keys open only their own. Pricing depends on the number of cylinders, the number of key levels, and whether existing hardware can be rekeyed into the scheme.
- Rekeying existing cylinders into a master system: roughly $50 to $100 per lock plus the call-out
- New keyed-alike hardware: several hundred dollars per cylinder, depending on the lock
- A small office with 5 to 10 doors: about $300 to $800 for a single master key change
- Grand master systems for large buildings with multiple key levels: often several thousand dollars
There is no fixed rate for this work, so locksmiths quote each site individually. When we scope a commercial master key system, the questions that change the price most are how many doors need separate keys, who needs access to what, and whether the existing cylinders are worth keeping.
Break-in repairs and emergency securing
NSW police recorded 17,999 break and enter dwelling incidents in the 12 months to March 2026, a rate of 212.3 per 100,000 people. The NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research records that trend as stable over the past two years, and down an average of 5.3 percent a year across the past decade.
Repair costs after a forced entry are essentially lock replacement costs, at $100 to $300 per lock plus labour, and often more if the door or frame was damaged. Emergency securing, such as temporary boarding or a temporary lock so the property can be closed up overnight, is usually priced like an emergency call-out at $150 to $300.
Two things are worth doing before the repair. Get a police event number, because most insurers ask for one. Then check your policy, since many home insurance policies cover locksmith work to repair or replace locks that were broken during a crime. Keep every receipt from the break-in repair and photograph the damage before anything is fixed.
What makes one locksmith quote higher than another?
Four factors explain most of the gap between two quotes for the same job:
- Timing. After-hours, weekend and public holiday attendance can double the call-out component.
- Location and travel. Sydney metro jobs are quoted tighter than jobs in the Blue Mountains, the Hawkesbury or regional centres such as Bathurst, Orange and Wagga Wagga, where a single call can mean an hour of driving each way.
- Hardware quality. A $60 builder-grade deadbolt and a $280 high-security one both take the same hour to fit.
- Method. Picking a lock open and replacing a drilled cylinder are different invoices for the same locked door.
Two quotes that look far apart are often quoting different work. One may be opening the door. The other may be opening it, replacing the cylinder, and rekeying the back door to match.
Why are some locksmith quotes suspiciously cheap?
A headline price of $49 or $59 for a lockout almost always covers attendance only. Labour, the lock work itself, after-hours loading and parts are added once someone is standing at your door, and the final invoice can land three or four times higher than the advertised number.
Ask for the total, not the starting price. A trustworthy answer sounds like “$165 all up for a standard front door lockout during business hours, and I will confirm on site before I start.” A vague answer that avoids a number until arrival is the pattern worth walking away from. The consumer guarantees under Australian Consumer Law require services to be carried out with due care and skill, and they apply whether or not you got the price in writing, although a written price makes any dispute far simpler.
How do you check a locksmith is licensed in NSW?
Locksmiths in New South Wales must hold a Class 2C security licence issued under the Security Industry Act, and the business they work for needs a master licence. NSW Police administer both through the Security Licensing and Enforcement Directorate.
You can verify a security licence against the NSW public register in about a minute. Ask for the number before work starts, particularly on a job involving restricted keys or a master key system, where whoever cuts your keys holds long-term access to your building. Industry membership, such as the Master Locksmiths Association of Australasia, is a useful secondary signal, but the licence check is the one that carries legal weight in NSW.
How do you get an accurate locksmith quote?
Give enough detail on the phone for a real price rather than a range. A useful call includes:
- What has happened, and whether you are locked out right now
- The door type and lock type, with a photo if you can send one
- The address, so travel is priced in rather than added later
- For car work, the make, model, year and VIN
- Whether the job is urgent or can wait for a business-hours booking
Then ask three questions: what is the total including the call-out, does that price change after hours, and is the price fixed or an estimate. Getting the answer in writing by text or email costs nothing and settles most disagreements before they start. For a large job such as a master key system or a full hardware upgrade, three quotes is reasonable. For a $150 lockout at 9pm, chasing three quotes costs more in time than it saves.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to be let into your house in NSW?
A house lockout costs $100 to $250 during business hours and $150 to $350 after hours, including the call-out. Non-destructive entry keeps the price at the lower end because no lock has to be replaced afterwards.
Is it cheaper to rekey or replace a lock?
Rekeying is cheaper, usually by four to ten times per lock. Rekeying costs $35 to $60 per lock plus the call-out, while a replacement lockset costs $200 to $400 in hardware before labour.
How much does a locksmith charge to cut a key?
A basic key cut is a few dollars of hardware and a couple of minutes of work, so the call-out is the real cost if a locksmith comes to you. Bring the lock or the original key to a locksmith during business hours and you avoid the attendance fee altogether.
Do locksmiths charge more on weekends and public holidays?
Yes. Weekend and public holiday jobs typically carry a 10 to 50 percent premium, and attendance after midnight can cost up to $300 on its own. Ask for the after-hours figure when you book, since some locksmiths, ourselves included, hold one rate around the clock.
Will my insurance cover a locksmith after a break-in?
Many home insurance policies cover repairing or replacing locks that were broken during a crime. Check your product disclosure statement, get a police event number, and keep the invoice, because insurers usually require all three.
How much does a car key replacement cost in NSW?
Between $80 and $150 for a basic metal key, $150 to $300 for a transponder key, and $250 to $600 or more for a proximity smart key. A locksmith is generally cheaper than a dealership for the same key.
Are locksmith prices different in regional NSW?
Labour rates in regional centres are often lower than inner Sydney, but travel distances are longer, so call-out fees can be higher. On a small job the two effects roughly cancel each other out.
Where do these figures come from?
The prices in this guide are 2026 estimates drawn from Australian locksmith pricing guides and industry data, and they include GST. Actual quotes vary with location, timing and access. If you are comparing states, our guide to locksmith costs in Melbourne covers the same jobs at Victorian rates, and our guide to choosing a locksmith sets out the questions worth asking before you book one.
Get a fixed price before the work starts
Budget $100 to $250 for most locksmith jobs in New South Wales during business hours, including an $80 to $120 call-out, and expect after-hours attendance to add roughly $70 to $180 on top. For anything larger than a lockout, ask for the total in writing and check that both quotes cover the same scope of work.
If you want a fixed price before anyone touches your lock, our locksmiths across New South Wales are available 24 hours a day with same-day attendance on most jobs. Call Solus Locksmith on 1300 730 896 or request a quote and we will give you the number before we start.
