A freelance social media manager working 10 to 20 hours a month costs a Sydney business about $490 to $1,780. A full-time in-house manager costs around $7,800 a month once super is added. Godspeed Digital's retainers, which include shooting and editing the content, start from $2,500 a month, excluding GST.
What you pay depends mostly on how much content gets made, especially video, not on how many posts go out. We make social media and video for businesses across Sydney and the Sutherland Shire: clinics, gyms, trades and hospitality venues. This guide sets out what each option costs, what you get for it, and how to work out which one fits your business.
The three ways to pay for it
| Option | Typical cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Freelancer | $49 to $89 an hour, or $392 to $722 a day, ex GST | One or two channels, with the photos and video supplied by you |
| In-house manager | About $83,000 a year in Sydney, plus 12% super | Businesses posting every day across several channels who want someone on staff |
| Agency | Varies with scope. Godspeed Digital starts from $2,500 a month ex GST | Businesses that need the content made, not just posted |
What a freelance social media manager costs
Cemoh's 2026 rate guide for Australian social media managers puts the average freelance rate at $69 an hour, with 68% of rates between $49 and $89 an hour. The average day rate is $557, and most fall between $392 and $722. All of these exclude GST. Cemoh sells marketing services itself, but it is the most specific current Australian rate guide we could find.
At those rates, for example:
- 10 hours a month (captions and scheduling for one or two channels): about $490 to $890
- 20 hours a month (planning, captions, replies to comments and a monthly report): about $980 to $1,780
Check whether those hours include making the content. Writing and scheduling posts is a different job from shooting and editing video, and it is often quoted separately. If you already have a steady supply of good photos and video, a freelancer can be the cheapest sensible option.
What an in-house social media manager costs
Indeed puts the average social media manager salary at $78,795 a year across Australia and $83,330 a year in Sydney. Both were updated on 10 September 2026, and the Sydney figure comes from 23 reported salaries, so treat it as a guide.
On top of salary, budget for:
- Superannuation at 12% of ordinary earnings, the super guarantee rate since 1 July 2025
- Software for scheduling, design and editing
- Gear if they shoot content: a camera, lenses, audio and lighting
- Leave cover, because posting stops when they go on holiday
A Sydney hire at $83,330 costs about $93,300 a year once super is added, or roughly $7,800 a month, before software and gear. The upside is someone who knows your business and can react on the day. The catch is that strategy, shooting, editing, design and community management are five different skills, and one person rarely covers them all equally well.
What a social media agency costs
There is no independent survey of what Australian agencies charge. Most published price guides are written by agencies selling the service, and their ranges are wide because "social media management" means very different things from one agency to the next. So compare scope, not the headline price. On any quote, ask:
- How many pieces of original content you get each month, and how many of them are video
- Who shoots and edits it, and whether shoots cost extra
- Which channels are covered
- Whether replying to comments and messages is included
- Whether ads are managed, and whether the ad spend sits on top
- How long the contract runs, and what happens if you want to stop
Ad spend itself is paid to the platform, on top of any management fee. None of the prices below include ad spend.
What Godspeed Digital charges
These are the starting prices in the quote builder on our site. The final price depends on scope.
| Engagement | Starts from |
|---|---|
| Monthly retainer, one or two services | $2,500 a month |
| Monthly retainer, three or four services | $4,500 a month |
| Monthly retainer, all five services | $7,500 a month |
| One-off project | $2,500 |
| Any website build | $4,500 |
| Consulting | $750 to $1,200 a day |
The five services are Social, Content & Video, Design, Websites and Email. Retainers are month to month, with no lock-in on either side.
Social with Content & Video is two services, so it starts from $2,500 a month. Social covers a rolling content calendar, captions written for each post, and posts scheduled and monitored all week. Content & Video covers the shoots, and the videos and photos we make from them.
For Flow Physio, a physio and exercise physiology practice with clinics in Sutherland and Woolooware, we shoot in the clinic with the clinicians on camera. In the 90 days we made their videos, Flow's account reached more than 177,000 people, and our best reel passed 53,000 views. For Sunday Road Brewing, we rebuilt the website and the content, and their socials reached 785,000 organic impressions with no paid spend.
What changes the price
- How much video gets made. Shooting and editing take more time than writing and scheduling, so the number of shoots and videos each month moves the price most.
- How many channels. Instagram and Facebook can share most content. Adding TikTok, LinkedIn or YouTube means more formats and more time.
- Community management. Replying to comments and messages every day is ongoing work, and someone has to be paid for it.
- What else is in scope. Design, websites and email all add to a retainer. In our quote builder, three or four services start from $4,500 a month, and all five from $7,500. All Godspeed prices in this guide exclude GST.
How to work out your budget
Start with what you need made, not with a posting target.
- List the content you already have. If you have a steady supply of good photos and video, you mostly need someone to plan, write and post. That is freelancer territory.
- List what is missing. If the gap is video, you need someone to shoot and edit it, which points to an agency or a bigger in-house budget.
- Decide who replies. If you can handle comments and messages yourself, you save money on every option.
- Get two or three quotes for the same scope. Ask each one how much original content you get a month, who shoots it, and what happens if you want to stop.
If you want a number for your business, our quote builder gives a rough estimate in about 20 seconds.
Common questions
How much does a social media manager cost per month in Sydney?
A freelancer working 10 to 20 hours a month costs about $490 to $1,780, based on Australian rates of $49 to $89 an hour. A full-time manager on the Sydney average salary costs about $7,800 a month once super is added, before software and gear.
How much do social media agencies charge?
There is no independent survey of Australian agency prices, and quotes vary mostly with how much original content is made, especially video. Compare quotes on the same scope. Godspeed Digital's retainers start from $2,500 a month, excluding GST.
Is social media marketing worth it for a small business?
It is worth it when the content gives people a real reason to follow, and when you measure it against something you care about, such as bookings, memberships or sales. Start small, run it for three to six months, and judge it on those numbers rather than likes.
Should I hire a freelancer or an agency?
Hire a freelancer if you already have good photos and video and mainly need someone to plan, write and post. Choose an agency if you need the content made as well, because shooting, editing and design are separate skills a single freelancer rarely covers.
Does the cost of social media marketing include ads?
Usually not. Ad spend is paid to the platform on top of any management fee, and none of Godspeed Digital's published prices include ad spend.
Sources
- Cemoh, 2026 Australian Social Media Manager Rates
- Indeed, Social media manager salary in Australia and in Sydney NSW, updated 10 September 2026
- Australian Taxation Office, Super guarantee
Third-party figures were read on 28 September 2026 and will change over time.
