Home lift, stairlift or moving: what to do when the stairs get hard
There are six options, and a home lift is one of them. A stairlift suits one person who can get on and off a seat, on a straight or gently curved stair. A home lift suits walkers, wheelchairs, a carer riding along, or a long stay in a multi-level house. A downstairs bedroom and bathroom can be the better buy when the floor plan allows it, and moving makes sense when the house itself is the problem. If this is for a parent, start with an occupational therapist.
By Liam, founder of Rise Lifts, who has installed 142+ home lifts around Melbourne. Checked October 2026. Updated 1 November 2026. Victoria.
What are the options when the stairs get hard?
On owner forums the answers include a downstairs bedroom and moving earlier. Lift companies rarely mention either, so they're in the table too.
| Option | Suits | Space and building work | Cost in Australia | The wrong answer for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stairlift | One person who can get onto a seat; a straight or gently curved stair | A rail on the stair treads and no building work. The stair stays narrower for everyone else. | About $10,000 to $20,000 (our trade estimate; no supplier publishes a price). Curved rails cost more | Wheelchairs, two people, or a tight winder stair |
| Platform lift | A short rise: a split level, a few steps, a porch | An open platform, automatic to about 1 m of rise | About $20,000 to $50,000 by rise and type (our trade estimate) | Floor to floor in a two-storey house |
| Shaftless or vacuum lift | An existing home with a spot for a floor opening; one or two people | A hole through the floor, with no shaft and no pit | Vacuum: around $60,000 and up (our trade estimate) | Wheelchairs, or a floor you can't cut |
| Home lift, built in or a tower | Walkers, wheelchairs, a carer alongside; two to five levels; a long stay | A builder's shaft inside the walls, or a tower that stands on its own | About $25,000 to $120,000 installed (published ranges, October 2026) | Nobody will need it for ten years, or there's no spot without losing a room |
| Downstairs bedroom and bathroom | A home with the land and a floor plan that allows it | A building project in its own right, with plumbing and permits | Get a builder's estimate | A narrow block, a heritage overlay, or when upstairs holds the only living space |
| Moving to a single-level home | When the house itself is the problem | None, but single-level homes are scarce in tightly held suburbs | About $78,500 to $105,000 to sell and buy at $1.0 million (worked example) | When you love the street, or the sums below say stay |
Which option fits your situation?
- One person, steady enough to sit and stand, on one straight flight
- A stairlift is usually the cheapest answer. A tight winder stair can rule it out, so have it measured before anything is ordered.
- A walker, a wheelchair, or a carer who rides along
- A home lift. A stairlift carries one seated person, and most shaftless and vacuum lifts are too small for a wheelchair.
- A few steps, a split level or a porch
- A platform lift. It suits a short rise and isn't made to go floor to floor in a two-storey house.
- Room downstairs, or the land to extend
- Price a downstairs bedroom and bathroom first. A lift wins only if it costs less or keeps a room you need.
- The house is too big, too far from family, or wrong in other ways
- Moving. Work out what it costs first, because selling and buying is dearer than most people expect.
- Nobody needs it yet, but you're building or renovating
- Build the space in now (stacked cupboards, a pit, a wall for the rails and the power) and add the lift later.
How much does a stairlift cost?
About $10,000 to $20,000, in our trade estimate. No Australian stairlift supplier we checked publishes a price, so that's the range we see, and yours comes on a quote for your stair. Curved rails cost more than straight ones.
A stairlift is the cheapest way up the stairs for one person who can sit and stand. It costs less than a home lift, house lift, residential lift or home elevator because there's no shaft and no building work, and it carries one seated person for the same reason.
| Option | Typical cost | Carries |
|---|---|---|
| Stairlift | About $10,000 to $20,000 (our trade estimate) | One seated person, on the stair you have |
| Platform lift | About $20,000 to $50,000 by rise and type (our trade estimate) | A wheelchair up a short rise |
| Home lift | About $25,000 to $120,000 installed, plus the building work | Walkers, wheelchairs, a carer, floor to floor |
What to get in writing on a stairlift quote
- A written quote after someone has measured your stair, straight or curved
- What's in the price: the rail, the chair, installation, and any first service
- What servicing costs each year after the first, and the call-out fee
- The warranty, and what voids it
- Whether it can be supplied GST-free for the person who'll use it
Stairlifts are on the GST Act's list of medical aids, and Support at Home names stair lifts as an example of a home modification it can fund, through an OT. Then do the ten-year sum for the stairlift as well as the lift, with servicing and call-outs, so you compare ten years with ten years.
If you're sorting this out for Mum or Dad
Falls were the leading cause of injury hospitalisation in Australia in 2024-25. People over 65 were hospitalised for falls 12 times more often than adults aged 25 to 44, and stairs and steps accounted for 16,596 admissions.
Signs it's time to decide
- Someone finds the stairs hard every day.
- The main bedroom and a bathroom are both upstairs.
- A walker or wheelchair is likely in the next few years.
- There's been a fall, or a near miss, on the stairs.
- Making a downstairs bedroom and bathroom would need an extension, or can't be done.
Where to start
Book an occupational therapist (OT). An OT assesses the person and the house, and every funding route needs one. My Aged Care (1800 200 422) can arrange an assessment under Support at Home.
Talk it through with them at the kitchen table, and go through the options together before anyone books a quote. In the family forums we read, parents often turned down a stairlift because it looked medical, and the families who waited wished they'd decided sooner.
Is a home lift cheaper than moving house?
Selling a $1.0 million Melbourne home and buying another at the same price costs about $78,500 to $105,000 in agent fees, stamp duty, conveyancing and the removalist. At $2.4 million it's about $182,000 to $227,000. Buying somewhere cheaper cuts the duty, and a pensioner or concession card holder pays no duty up to $600,000 and less to $750,000, once.
In our worked example a two-level home lift comes to about $65,000 with the building and electrical work, plus servicing each year. The line-by-line figures are on our home lift cost page.
We found no independent Australian study showing a lift adds a fixed amount to a sale price, so weigh it on the years you'll live with it.
When is a lift the wrong answer?
- Nobody will need it for ten years, and you'd rather not pay to service it in the meantime.
- There's no spot for it without losing a room you need.
- You plan to move within five years.
- A downstairs bedroom and bathroom would cost less and do the job.
If you're building now and nobody needs a lift yet, build the space in and wait. It's cheap to do during a build and dear to do later. What it takes to add one to an existing house.
Free 24-page Straight-Up Guide
Will it fit? What will it cost? Who can you trust?
Everyone asks me these three things about home lifts. This guide has my answers, and worksheets to work them out for your own house. Use it on any lift company, including us.
- Where a lift fits, and the eight numbers that decide it
- The all-in cost worksheet, and ten years of owning one
- 15 questions to ask any lift company, including us
- Who can help pay, and when a lift isn't the answer
It's yours.
Print it, grab a tape measure and work through it at the kitchen table. We've emailed you the link too.
Download the Straight-Up GuidePDF, 24 pages, 4 MB. Ready to talk? Book my free assessment
Want a figure first? Get my instant price
Noted. The next emails will fit your situation.
Lift, stairlift or move: questions
Is a stairlift or a home lift better?
It depends who's using it. A stairlift suits one person who can get on and off a seat, on a straight or gently curved stair, and it needs no building work. A home lift suits walkers, wheelchairs, a carer riding along, two to five levels and a long stay, and it needs a shaft or a tower.
How much does a stairlift cost in Australia?
About $10,000 to $20,000, in our trade estimate, since no Australian stairlift supplier we checked publishes a price. They quote per staircase, and curved rails cost more than straight ones. Ask whether installation and the first service are in the price.
Is a stairlift cheaper than a home lift?
Yes. A stairlift costs about $10,000 to $20,000 (our trade estimate) and needs no building work, while a home lift costs about $25,000 to $120,000 installed plus the builder and electrician. A stairlift carries one seated person, though, so for a walker, a wheelchair or a carer riding along, a home lift is the one that works.
Can a stairlift carry a wheelchair?
No. A stairlift carries one seated person. For a wheelchair you need a platform lift for a short rise, or a home lift between floors.
Is a home lift cheaper than moving house?
It can be, at Melbourne prices. Selling a $1.0 million home and buying another at the same price costs about $78,500 to $105,000 in agent fees, stamp duty, conveyancing and the removalist. In our worked example a two-level home lift comes to about $65,000 with the building and electrical work. Your figures will differ.
My parent can't manage the stairs any more. What are the options?
Six: a stairlift, a platform lift, a shaftless or vacuum lift, a home lift, a downstairs bedroom and bathroom, or moving. Start with an occupational therapist (OT), who assesses the person and the house. Every funding route needs one, and My Aged Care (1800 200 422) can arrange it.
Is there funding for a stairlift or home lift in Victoria?
Every route runs through an OT: Support at Home, the NDIS, DVA and Victoria's SWEP.
Does Rise Lifts sell stairlifts?
No. Rise Lifts supplies, installs and services the RISE 300 home lift in Victoria. If a stairlift or a downstairs bedroom suits your house better, we'll tell you.
More straight answers
- The Straight-Up Guide Every answer in one place, the readiness scorecard and the glossary.
- How much does a home lift cost in Melbourne? Every line of the job, the ten-year cost, GST and funding.
- How do you choose the best home lift company? The 15 questions to ask, the red flags, and five lift types compared.
- How is a home lift installed? Every step, who does it, how long it usually takes, and the sign-offs.
- Platform lift or home lift? The difference, the standards, the cost, and which one you need.
- How much space does a home lift need? Shaft sizes, the smallest lifts, pit, headroom and the eight measurements.
- What does a home lift quote leave out? The missing lines, what each costs, and the checklist for every quote.
- What does a home lift cost to run each year? Servicing, call-outs, parts that wear, and ten years of running costs.
- Is there funding for a home lift in Victoria? Support at Home, DVA, the NDIS and SWEP: what each covers and how to start.
- Do you need a permit for a home lift in Victoria? The building permit, planning permit, certificates and contracts.
- Can you put a lift in an existing house? Where it goes, what to check, and the eight measurements.
- The RISE 300 Series Our lift, our price, and what's in it.
General information for Victorian homeowners. It isn't a quote, or medical, financial, legal or building advice. Prices and programs change. Stairlift, platform lift and vacuum lift prices are our trade estimates, since no supplier publishes one.
Not sure which one suits your house?
One visit, then a written lift plan with a fixed price, and a straight answer if a lift isn't the right call.