How much does home staging cost in Melbourne?

Published prices start at about $2,000 for a one-bedroom home. Most three-bedroom homes are $2,300 to $4,500 for a 6-week hire, and premium homes can cost $6,000 to $30,000 or more (October 2026).

Is virtual staging cheaper than real staging?

Much cheaper. Melbourne studios charge $40 to $50 a photo, so five rooms come to about $140 to $200 + GST, against $2,000 or more for furniture hire. The trade-off is that buyers see empty rooms at the inspection.

How long does staging furniture stay in the house?

Most Melbourne stylists include 6 weeks, enough for a 4-week campaign plus a buffer. Some include 8. After that you pay an extension, so ask for the rate up front.

Can you stage a house that's still lived in?

Yes. Partial styling adds art, rugs, linen and a few pieces of furniture to what's already there, and is quoted per job. Virtual staging of a furnished room costs more, because the existing furniture has to be removed digitally first.

Do virtually staged photos need to be labelled in Victoria?

Victoria has no rule that names virtual staging, but Consumer Affairs Victoria says listing photos must not give the wrong impression of a property. A “Virtually staged” label on the image, with the unstaged original alongside, is the safe way to meet that.

Home staging vs virtual staging: what each costs in Melbourne

Stylists quote furniture hire for the campaign. Virtual staging studios quote per photo. So the two rarely get compared. These are the prices Melbourne businesses publish on their own sites, side by side, and when each one is worth paying for.

Updated 29 October 2026 · 5 min read

Key takeaways

Published Melbourne staging prices start at about $2,000 for a one-bedroom home. Three-bedroom homes run $2,300 to $4,500 for a standard 6-week hire.
Premium styling costs more: Residence Melbourne says its projects typically range from $6,000 to $30,000+.
Virtual staging costs $40 to $50 a photo in Melbourne, so five rooms come to about $140 to $200 + GST.
Physical staging works in the photos and at the open. Virtual staging only changes the photos, so label every staged image and include the original.

What home staging costs in Melbourne

Home staging and property styling mean the same thing here: a stylist brings in furniture, art, rugs and linen for the sales campaign, then collects it. Partial styling adds pieces to a home that's still lived in. Most Melbourne stylists quote after a walkthrough, so only a few publish numbers. These are the ones that did, as of October 2026.

Published Melbourne staging prices, October 2026. Prices change, so check each stylist's site.
Stylist	Published price	Hire period	GST
House Staging 4 Less (Viewbank)	1 bed $1,997, 2 bed $2,497, 3 bed $2,797, 4 bed $2,997 (shown as sale prices). Each covers the bedrooms plus one living, dining and kitchen area	8 weeks under a current offer, instead of 6	Included
Decor 2 Sell (Derrimut)	1 bed from $2,000. Most 3 to 4 bed houses $2,300 to $2,600. Outdoor areas and studies added to the package	6 weeks (a 4-week campaign plus 2 weeks)	Not stated
The VM Style Group (Moorabbin)	1 bed $2,000 to $3,000; 2 bed $2,500 to $3,500; 3 bed $3,000 to $4,500; 4 bed $3,500 to $6,500; 5 bed $6,500+	6 weeks	Included
Residence Melbourne	Projects typically $6,000 to $30,000+	Typically 6 to 8 weeks	Not stated

If you have the furniture and just want advice, some stylists sell a consultation on its own: Center Staged charges $250 for about an hour in metropolitan Melbourne, and The VM Style Group charges $165 including GST for up to an hour. Decor 2 Sell and STYLD Melbourne quote after a free walkthrough.

Check what the package covers before comparing. House Staging 4 Less lists delivery, styling, insurance, hire and pack-up in its price. VM Style Group's quotes include transport, removal, insurance and picture hanging. Decor 2 Sell includes furniture, art, rugs, linen, delivery, styling and collection.

What virtual staging costs

Virtual staging adds furniture to photos of empty rooms. Nothing changes in the home itself. It's priced per photo or per room, and it needs no extra visit if the rooms are already photographed.

Published Melbourne virtual staging prices, October 2026.
Studio	Published price	GST
Element Media	1 room $40, 2 rooms $80, 3 rooms $120, 4 to 6 rooms $140, 6 to 10 rooms $180	Not stated
Real Estate Photos Melbourne	$50 a photo for fewer than 4, $40 a photo for more than 4	Excluded
Aspect Pro	12 edited photos plus 3 virtually furnished rooms, $220	Excluded

Staging a room that's already furnished costs more, because the existing furniture has to be removed digitally first. Element, for example, lists removing items from a room at $25.

Side by side: a vacant three-bedroom home

Based on the published prices above.
	Physical staging	Virtual staging (5 rooms)
Price	$2,300 to $4,500	About $140 to $200 + GST
Buyers online see	Furnished rooms	Furnished rooms, labelled as virtually staged
Buyers at the open see	Furnished rooms	Empty rooms
Lead time	Decor 2 Sell says it can usually install within 3 days of booking	No visit. Aspect delivers its photo and staging bundle the next business day
How long it lasts	The hire period, then extension fees	No hire period

Virtual staging costs less than a tenth of physical staging here. The trade-off is the inspection: a buyer who fell for the furnished living room online walks into an empty one on Saturday.

What changes the price of staging

Vacant or lived in. A vacant home needs every room furnished. Partial styling works with the owner's furniture: STYLD Melbourne says it's often cheaper, and Decor 2 Sell quotes it per job. Residence Melbourne warns that mixing owned and hired furniture is harder to get right.
Bedrooms and living zones. Published prices step up with each bedroom. Studies, alfresco areas and extra living rooms add to the package.
Hire period. Most packages cover 6 weeks (Decor 2 Sell, VM Style Group, STYLD Melbourne). Staged Homes' standard hire is 8 weeks. If the campaign runs over, you pay an extension, so ask for the weekly rate before you sign.
The home's price bracket. The furniture has to suit the home. Residence Melbourne's $6,000 to $30,000+ range reflects premium homes where buyers expect more.
Access. Stairs, lifts that need booking and long carries from the street add install time and cost.

When each one pays off

Staging is a small share of the sale. On a $900,000 house, a $3,000 package is a third of one per cent of the price. The question is whether the home needs it, not whether the number is big.

Physical staging makes most sense when

the home is vacant and the campaign runs to an auction or Saturday opens, where buyers walk through every room;
the home sits in a price bracket where buyers expect a finished look;
rooms are an odd shape or size, and buyers need to see that furniture fits.

Virtual staging makes most sense when

the home is vacant and the budget is tight, or it's a rental;
you only need one or two key rooms furnished, like the living room and main bedroom;
the photos are already taken and furniture can't arrive in time.

Styling a house for sale yourself

If the home is lived in and well furnished, you may not need either. Declutter and clean first, then put your effort into the rooms buyers judge first: living, dining, the main bedroom and the outdoor area. Our checklist for preparing a home for photos goes room by room.

Timing it with the campaign

Get stylist quotes as soon as the agent sets the photo date. Most quote after a walkthrough or from the floor plan.
Book the install for the day before the photos, or that morning. Decor 2 Sell says styling takes 30 minutes to 2 hours on site.
Shoot photos, video and any twilight shots while everything is in place.
Keep the furniture through the campaign. A 6-week hire covers a 4-week campaign with a buffer.
Arrange collection when the home sells or the hire ends, and check the extension rate if the campaign runs long.

For virtual staging, the order is simpler: photograph the empty rooms, choose the rooms to stage, and allow time for the edits before the listing goes live. See what the rest of the campaign costs in our guide to property marketing costs in Victoria.

Labelling virtual staging in Victoria

Consumer Affairs Victoria tells estate agents: “You should not use photographs that give the wrong impression of a property.” That includes photos “digitally or otherwise enhanced to hide undesirable features or promote other features”. It also says an offence can occur whether or not anyone intended to mislead.

Virtual staging is fine when buyers know it's there. Put a “Virtually staged” label on the image itself, run the unstaged original alongside it, keep the furniture to a realistic scale, and never place a rug or plant over damage. Read the full rules for editing and staging listing photos in Victoria.

Virtual staging with Zavora

We stage empty rooms for agents and owners anywhere in Australia, including photos someone else took. Every staged photo carries a “Virtually staged” label and comes with the unstaged original, and staged photos are delivered within two business days. You get a fixed quote within 24 hours.

Using a stylist instead? Book our photos for after the install so the furniture is in every shot. See virtual staging or get a quote.

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