I'm not going to give you a single number here, because anyone who does for a switchboard upgrade sight-unseen is either guessing or planning to revise it once they actually see your board. What I can do is tell you exactly what moves the price, so you know what you're actually being quoted for.
The Big Variable: What's Already There
A straightforward swap — old fuse board out, similarly-sized modern board in, same number of circuits — is the cheapest version of this job. The moment the new board needs more circuits than the old one, or the existing wiring needs work to connect properly to a modern board, the price moves. This is the single biggest driver, and it's exactly why a phone quote for this job is close to meaningless.
Circuit Count and Capacity
More circuits, more safety switches, more breakers — more parts, more labour, higher price. If you're adding capacity for something specific (an EV charger, ducted air conditioning, a home battery down the track), that's worth mentioning upfront, because sizing the board for future load is a different job to matching what's already there.
Access and Location
A switchboard that's easy to get to costs less to work on than one crammed into an awkward meter box, up a ladder, or requiring extra work to reach safely. Not the most exciting cost driver, but a real one.
Compliance Work Beyond the Board Itself
Occasionally an upgrade reveals something else that needs addressing — old wiring that doesn't meet current standards, earthing that needs updating. This isn't upselling, it's the kind of thing a proper inspection is supposed to catch, and it's worth asking to see photos or a clear explanation if it comes up.
What a Genuinely Honest Quote Looks Like
It names the board type going in, the number of circuits and safety switches, whether the Certificate of Electrical Safety is included, and it's given after someone's actually looked at your board — not before. If a quote skips straight to a number without any of that, it's not really a quote yet.
Our Switchboard Upgrades page has a public starting price for exactly this reason — but "from" is doing real work in that sentence. Get a proper quote once we've actually seen what you're working with.