How much does an aircraft noise assessment cost?

By Nick Henrys, Principal Acoustic Consultant, Resonate Consultants · 14 October 2026 · 6 min read

An aircraft noise report for a new house typically costs between about $1,000 and $3,500, usually plus GST, based on the fees acoustic consultants publish. A QuietPath report starts at $899, and that includes GST. For many projects, though, the report is the smaller cost. If the house needs construction upgrades to meet the standard, those can cost a lot more.

What consultants charge

Most acoustic consultants quote each project separately and don't publish their fees. Of those that do, in October 2026:

• One lists $1,140 plus GST ($1,254 including GST) for a single-storey, three-bedroom house and $1,520 plus GST ($1,672) for a double-storey, five-bedroom house.
• One lists aircraft noise assessments from $1,000 plus GST ($1,100).
• One says most residential assessments cost between $1,500 and $3,500, without saying whether that includes GST.

Consultants usually quote fees plus GST, so check before comparing. QuietPath's prices include it.

Turnaround is usually given as one to two weeks once the consultant has the drawings. Larger developments, sites closer to the runway and reports that also cover road or rail noise are quoted separately by almost everyone.

What QuietPath charges

These prices are indicative and apply to typical homes on sites up to ANEF 30. When you send the drawings, QuietPath shows an estimate for your project, and we confirm the price once we've checked them.

We quote separately for sites in ANEF 30 or above, more than four dwellings, mixed-use developments, and reports that also need to cover road, rail or other noise. Sites that need custom treatments, such as those under a heritage overlay, may cost more. For dual occupancy, townhouses and units, sound insulation between the dwellings is a separate requirement of the National Construction Code (Volume Two H4P6 for attached houses and townhouses, Volume One Part F7 for units). It isn't included in these rates, but we can quote for it.

Why QuietPath costs less

Much of an aircraft noise assessment is the same from one house to the next: finding the site's ANEF band and the council's rules, working out the aircraft noise level from the runways and aircraft types, measuring each room from the drawings and writing it all up. We built QuietPath to do that work, so our engineers can spend their time deciding which rooms need upgrades and which constructions meet the requirement for the least cost.

Every report is prepared by a Resonate acoustic engineer, in the same format we use for our other consulting work. It includes the site's ANEF band and classification, the aircraft the design is based on, the requirement for each room, the constructions that meet it, and how the house will be ventilated with the windows closed. When we reviewed 105 aircraft noise reports from other consultants, many were missing at least one of these.

Because less of the work is manual, it's also quicker. Most reports are ready within days of receiving the drawings.

The upgrades can cost more than the report

The engineer works out whether the house can be built with standard construction or needs upgrades to meet the indoor noise levels in the Australian Standard, AS 2021. On sites with lower noise levels, standard construction is often enough. Closer to the runway or under the main flight paths, most houses need some combination of:

• thicker or laminated glass in acoustically rated windows and glazed doors
• solid-core external doors with acoustic seals
• heavier ceilings, with insulation in the roof space
• extra linings or insulation in lightweight walls
• mechanical ventilation or air conditioning with a fresh air supply, so the windows can stay shut.

Across a whole house, these upgrades can cost many times the price of the report. Acoustic windows and a fresh air system on their own can run to thousands of dollars, and the cost goes up with the noise level. There's more on each of them in our guide to noise insulation for homes under flight paths.

Keeping the cost of upgrades down

Two consultants can specify very different upgrades for the same house. The standard sets a target for each room, and there's usually more than one way to meet it. A good consultant compares what each option costs and recommends the cheapest one that meets the target. The consultant should:

• Work out the requirement room by room. A bedroom with a small window facing away from the flight path may need nothing extra, while a living room with a wall of glass facing the runway needs a lot. With one specification for every room, you usually pay for upgrades some rooms don't need.
• Count the insulation the standard construction already provides. Brick walls, or a tiled roof over a flat ceiling, may already exceed what the room needs, so the windows in that room can be lighter.
• Upgrade the cheapest element first. In some rooms, a thicker or sound-rated layer of plasterboard on the ceiling costs less than better glass and achieves the same result.
• Allow for the direction rooms face. Under the standard's detailed method, walls facing away from the flight path get a lighter requirement. Many consultants use a simpler approximation, with the same allowance for every wall.

QuietPath works out the requirement for each element in each room from the floor plans and checks each room as a whole, so the specification matches what the room needs. If you have a report from another consultant, ask whether it includes these calculations. Without them, the builder can't tell whether the upgrades are all needed, or look for a cheaper way to comply.

What affects the price of a report

• The ANEF band. Sites in ANEF 30 or above take more detailed design and are usually quoted separately.
• The number of bedrooms or dwellings, since there are more rooms to assess.
• Other noise. If the site is near a busy road or rail line, that noise may need assessing too.
• Heritage and other overlays, which can limit what can be changed on the windows, roof or walls.
• Design changes after the report is done, which may mean updating it.

Check whether you need one first

Not every site near an airport needs a report. It depends on the ANEF band and what your council asks for. There's more on this in our guide on when you need an aircraft noise assessment. QuietPath's free address check shows the ANEF band for any NSW address and whether a new home there is acceptable under the standard.