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A concrete driveway on the Central Coast typically runs from about $80 per square metre supplied and laid for plain grey, up to around $170 per square metre for a decorative finish like exposed aggregate. Those are indicative 2026 market ranges to help you read a quote, not a price from us. What your driveway actually costs comes down to the ground you are on, how much demolition and drainage it needs, and the access to your block.
These are typical 2026 supplied-and-laid ranges you will see quoted across the Central Coast. They are indicative market figures to help you read a quote, not a price from us. Every job needs a site visit before anyone can give you a real number.
A per-square-metre figure only gets you a ballpark. A small courtyard slab and a long curved driveway at the same rate are very different jobs once you add edges, joints, steel and the crossing. Use the table to sanity-check a quote, then let the site visit set the real number.
Two driveways of identical size on the same street can be quite different jobs. These are the things that move a concreting quote here:
Central Coast pricing sits broadly in line with Sydney's northern fringe. You are not paying a big-city premium, but you are not far below it either, and the biggest local swing factors are underfoot. The single largest one is base treatment, which changes with the ground. Down on the Peninsula at Umina, Ettalong and Woy Woy the driveway sits on loose coastal sand. Sand drains fast, which is good, but it has to be properly confined and compacted so the base does not spread sideways under a car, and that preparation costs money the finished slab hides completely.
Back in the hinterland and up around Kariong and Kincumber you are on reactive clay and shale. That ground swells when it is wet and shrinks back when it dries, so the base often has to be deeper and better drained, and that is one honest reason a hinterland quote can beat a flat-block quote for the same square metres. Near the lakes and Brisbane Water the water table sits high, so drainage falls and sometimes subsoil drainage get added to stop the slab sitting in a wet base half the year. Finally, the steep beachside blocks add pump and access cost, because a truck cannot always reach the pour and the concrete has to be pumped up or barrowed down. None of these are upsells. They are the difference between a driveway that lasts and one you repair in a few summers.
Most of the price gap between the rows on the table is the finish, and each one is a job in its own right. A plain concrete driveway is the cheapest and it does the job on a flat, sheltered block. Exposed aggregate washes back the surface to reveal the stone, which is why it costs more, but it gives grip on wet and sloped Coast driveways and copes well with salt near the water. If your existing slab is structurally sound and you just want it to look better, resurfacing is usually cheaper and faster than demolition and a fresh pour, so it is worth pricing before you commit to a full replacement.
The only number that matters is the one for your driveway, on your block, with your ground and access. Tell us the suburb and rough size and we will get a local concreter out to look at it. You can also send the details through our contact page and we will call you back.
As a rough guide, plain grey concrete runs about $80 to $120 per square metre supplied and laid, and decorative finishes like exposed aggregate sit higher at roughly $120 to $170. Those are indicative market ranges, not a quote. Ground conditions, demolition, drainage and access all move the final number, so every driveway needs a site visit.
Usually it is what is underneath. A sandy Peninsula block and a reactive clay block in the Gosford hinterland need different base treatment, and a low-lying block near the lakes may need extra drainage. Demolition of an old slab, access for the truck and the finish you choose also swing the price, so identical square metres can land at different numbers honestly.
Yes. The vehicular crossing where your driveway meets the road is Central Coast Council territory, it is priced separately from the slab on your land, and it needs council approval to their specification. If you are adding a new crossing or widening one, budget for it early because it can also hold up a start date.
Near the water many owners think so. Exposed aggregate gives grip on wet and sloped beachside driveways, hides marks and copes with salt-laden air. Plain grey is the cheapest option and does the job on a flat sheltered block. The base under both is the same, so spend on the finish only once the base is right.
More reading: all Central Coast concreting guides, or why concrete cracks on the Coast.
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