Concrete patio installation costs $6–$20 per square foot in the US, £80–£160 per square metre in the UK, AUD $50–$120 per square metre in Australia, and CAD $8–$20 per square foot in Canada for a standard 4-inch / 100 mm plain or broom-finish slab. Stamped concrete, coloured pours, or exposed aggregate add $5–$15/sqft or £50–£100/m² to those figures. A typical 300 sqft / 28 m² patio in the US costs $1,800–$6,000 installed, with most mid-range projects landing around $3,500–$4,500 for a plain finish.
Before getting quotes, calculate your volume and material cost with the concrete patio calculator — it outputs cubic yards/metres, bag requirements, and a material cost range based on your dimensions.
2026 Concrete Patio Prices by Country
These figures represent contractor-installed pricing including site preparation, formwork, ready-mix delivery, placing, finishing, and basic curing. They exclude demolition of existing surfaces, drainage work, or decorative features unless stated.
| Country | Plain Finish (per sqft/m²) | Stamped/Decorative | Typical 300 sqft / 28 m² Total |
| United States | $6–$12/sqft | $12–$20/sqft | $1,800–$6,000 |
| United Kingdom | £80–£130/m² | £130–£220/m² | £2,240–$6,160 |
| Australia | AUD $50–$90/m² | AUD $90–$160/m² | AUD $1,400–$4,480 |
| Canada | CAD $8–$14/sqft | CAD $14–$22/sqft | CAD $2,400–$6,600 |
Note: UK prices converted to GBP per m²; the pound-per-sqft metric is not commonly used in the UK market. AUD prices reflect national averages — capital city markets (Sydney, Melbourne) sit 15–25% above these ranges.
What Does Patio Size Do to the Final Bill?
Per-unit pricing drops as surface area increases because mobilisation costs, formwork setup, and minimum delivery charges are spread across more square footage. A 100 sqft / 9.3 m² patio almost always costs more per unit than a 400 sqft / 37 m² patio from the same contractor.
| Patio Size | US Total (plain) | UK Total (plain) | AU Total (plain) |
| 100 sqft / 9.3 m² | $900–$1,500 | £740–£1,210 | AUD $465–$840 |
| 200 sqft / 18.6 m² | $1,500–$2,800 | £1,490–£2,420 | AUD $930–$1,670 |
| 300 sqft / 27.9 m² | $1,800–$3,600 | £2,230–£3,630 | AUD $1,395–$2,510 |
| 500 sqft / 46.5 m² | $2,500–$5,000 | £3,720–£6,045 | AUD $2,325–$4,185 |
Plain vs Stamped vs Exposed Aggregate: Which Finish Is Worth the Premium?
Plain broom finish is the cheapest, produces a slip-resistant surface, and is practically maintenance-free. It has no visual interest but holds up as well as any other finish. This is the correct choice for utility patios, side yards, and budget projects.
Stamped concrete involves pressing patterns into the surface before it cures. It can replicate stone, slate, brick, or wood plank appearances. The labour premium is real — $5–$10/sqft (USD) over plain — because timing is critical and mistakes cannot be undone once the concrete sets. Colouring and annual resealing are required to maintain appearance; the reseal cost runs $0.50–$1.50/sqft every 2–4 years.
Exposed aggregate involves washing the surface shortly after pour to reveal the stone or gravel within the mix. It offers a textured, slip-resistant finish with more visual character than a plain slab at a lower premium than stamped — typically $2–$5/sqft over plain. Popular in Australia and increasingly common in the UK. The aggregate choices (river pebble, crushed granite, basalt) significantly affect final appearance.
Use the stamped concrete calculator if you are pricing a decorative patio — it factors in the higher material and labour costs for coloured, stamped, or textured pours.
Common Mistakes That Cost More Than They Should
Skipping drainage planning. A patio slab poured without adequate slope away from the house foundation causes water pooling and long-term drainage problems that are expensive to fix after the fact. The correct slope is 1/8 to 1/4 inch per foot (1–2%) away from any structure. Verify this is in the contractor’s scope, not an afterthought.
Under-specifying mix design for the climate. In Canada, the northern US, and the UK, a patio slab exposed to freeze-thaw cycling needs a minimum 4,000 PSI / 27.5 MPa mix with air entrainment (4–7% air). Patios poured with standard 3,000 PSI / 20.5 MPa mixes in these climates will surface-scale within a few winters. In Australia’s hot climates, a low water-cement ratio is more important than air entrainment for durability.
Pouring without control joints. Patio slabs thicker than 3 inches / 75 mm need saw-cut or hand-tooled control joints every 8–10 feet / 2.4–3 m to manage shrinkage cracking. Without them, random cracking appears within the first year. A contractor who does not include joint placement in the quote description is missing a critical step.
Accepting verbal quotes without written specs. Concrete work involves too many variables — mix design, thickness, reinforcement, finish type, sub-base work, joint placement, curing method — for a verbal quote to be meaningful. Get the PSI spec, slab thickness, sub-base depth, and included/excluded items in writing before any work starts.
Related Calculators You Might Need
Start with the concrete patio calculator for volume and material estimates. If you are deciding between ready-mix delivery and on-site mixing for a smaller patio, the ready-mix vs bagged concrete cost calculator shows the break-even point in cubic yards. For decorative pours, the concrete pigment and colour calculator helps size pigment quantities. Once you have a volume figure, the concrete cost calculator gives a full installed cost estimate with labour included.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a 20×20 concrete patio cost?
A 20×20 foot / 6×6 metre patio (400 sqft / 37 m²) costs roughly $2,400–$6,000 in the US for a plain broom finish, or $4,800–$10,000 for stamped. In the UK, expect £3,000–£5,200 for plain and £5,200–£8,800 for decorative. In Australia, AUD $1,850–$3,330 for a plain pour. These are installed costs — use the concrete patio calculator for a more precise estimate based on your local material pricing.
Is a concrete patio cheaper than pavers?
Concrete is consistently cheaper to install than individual pavers — often by 30–50% per square foot. Pavers offer easier repair (swap individual units) and no cracking risk from shrinkage, but the material and labour premium is significant. A poured concrete patio with proper joint placement and sealing performs comparably over its lifespan for most residential uses.
How long does a concrete patio last?
A properly installed concrete patio with correct mix design, adequate sub-base, control joints, and periodic sealing lasts 25–40 years in most climates. Failure modes are almost always tied to under-spec mix design (wrong PSI or missing air entrainment), absent control joints, or inadequate drainage causing pooling and freeze-thaw damage.
Can I pour a concrete patio myself to save money?
DIY is viable for small patios under 200 sqft / 18.6 m² if you have experience with concrete work. The main risks are incorrect mix water ratio (too wet = weaker slab), poor joint placement, and inadequate curing. For larger pours, the logistics of coordinating a ready-mix truck delivery with adequate labour to place and finish the concrete before it sets makes DIY significantly harder. Most DIY mistakes are unfixable after the concrete cures.
Does a concrete patio add value to a home?
In most markets, a well-executed concrete patio adds usable outdoor living space and is viewed positively by buyers, but the return-on-investment is not dollar-for-dollar. US remodelling surveys consistently show outdoor concrete work returning 50–70% of project cost in resale value. The return is higher in climates where outdoor living is year-round and lower where the patio season is short.
