11 min read
Split, multi-head or ducted: which suits your home?
Short answer
In 2026 a split system costs about $1,500 to $4,800 installed per room and ducted reverse cycle about $7,500 to $18,000 for a typical house, on a standard install. Splits are cheaper to buy and cheaper to run room by room; ducted wins when you want the whole house even, quiet and hidden, or you are replacing gas ducted heating.
Prices are estimates, not quotes (how we estimate them). Rebate rules checked September 2026.
Compare 3 quotes for my houseIf the lounge is the only room you sit in after work, buy one good split and stop. That is the sentence that stops people buying a roof full of ducts they will not use.
A quality split, installed in 2026, usually lands between $1,500 and $4,800 on a standard install. A good installer is in and out in a day. You get heat in winter as well if you buy reverse cycle, which you should.
Multi-head is the middle child. One outdoor compressor. Two to five indoor heads. Budget $4,500 to $12,000, more if the pipe run has to sneak through a two storey cavity. It is the right call in double brick or apartments where the roof is not yours to cut.
Ducted reverse cycle is the whole-home job. $7,500 to $18,000 for a typical suburban house. More if the roof is tight or you want serious zoning. It is quieter inside. It is nicer to live with. It is also the only option that replaces gas ducted heating properly, which is why Victoria pays you to do it.
A useful test. If you currently freeze one room and roast another, look at ducted or multi. If you live in the lounge and sleep with a window cracked, buy one excellent split. You can always add a bedroom unit later. You cannot easily unbuy a roof full of ducts.
Split system vs ducted: the side-by-side
Both are reverse cycle heat pumps. Both have an outdoor unit with a compressor, and both heat and cool. The difference is where the indoor end lives. A split puts a head on the wall of each room. Ducted puts one big fan coil in the roof and pushes air through flexible ducts to ceiling outlets in every room you pay to connect.
Here is how they line up on the things people actually argue about at the kitchen table.
| Single split | Multi-head split | Ducted reverse cycle | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Installed price | $1,500 to $4,800 per room | $4,500 to $12,000 (2 to 4 heads) | $7,500 to $18,000 typical house |
| Running cost per hour | About 15c to 50c (2.5 to 7.1 kW) | Each head adds its own share | About 70c to $1.10, depending on zones open |
| Noise inside | Quiet head on the wall, you can hear it at night on high fan | Same as a split, per room | Quietest inside; the fan is in the roof |
| Room control | Every room is its own zone | Every head is its own zone | Zones by motorised dampers; usually 2 to 8 |
| Install disruption | Half a day to a day per unit | One to two days | Two to four days, roof access needed |
| What you see | A white box on each wall | A box on each wall, one outdoor unit | Ceiling grilles and a wall controller |
| Resale appeal | Expected, rarely a selling point | Neutral | Listed as a feature; buyers ask for it |
| Best for | Open living area, bedrooms added over time | Double brick, apartments, no roof space | Whole house, gas ducted replacement, families |
Which is cheaper to run, ducted or split?
Per room conditioned, a split is cheaper to run. The federal energy.gov.au guidance says it plainly: ducted systems are less efficient than wall units because they use a bigger fan and lose energy through the ductwork. The official YourHome guide calls fixed inverter splits the most efficient domestic air conditioners you can buy.
Per house conditioned, it is closer than people think. Heating five rooms with five splits and heating five rooms with one zoned ducted system land in the same neighbourhood. The ducted system loses a bit through the ducts. The splits each carry their own fan and standby draw.
The real difference is behaviour. A split family heats the lounge and nobody touches the bedroom units until bedtime. A ducted family turns on the controller, leaves every zone open, and heats a guest room nobody has slept in since Easter. That habit is where the "ducted is expensive to run" story comes from.
| System | What it is doing | Approx. cost per hour |
|---|---|---|
| 3.5 kW split | Bedroom or small lounge | 15c to 25c |
| 7.1 kW split | Large open living area | 35c to 50c |
| Ducted, one or two zones open | Living zone only | Towards the low end of 70c to $1.10 |
| Ducted, every zone open | Whole house on a hot afternoon | Up to about $1.10 |
If running cost is the main worry, zoning is the lever. A ducted system that only runs the living zone during the day costs a fraction of one conditioning the whole footprint. Put the thermostat in the living area, not the hallway.
How much more does ducted cost upfront?
A single split for a living room is $2,100 to $3,900 installed for a 5 to 7 kW unit. Add two bedroom splits at $1,500 to $2,500 each and you are at roughly $5,100 to $8,900 for three rooms. A zoned ducted system for a single storey three bedroom house is $9,000 to $16,000. Two storey or a tight roof pushes it to $13,000 to $20,000 or more.
If you are doing the whole house anyway, ducted and a houseful of splits land in similar territory. Against the one living-room split you might actually need, ducted is two to six times the price. That is the honest comparison.
The full breakdown by home size is in the ducted air conditioning cost guide. Split prices by kilowatt are in the split system cost guide. The quickest way to see both for your own floor plan is to get up to three local quotes that price each option.
| Scenario | Splits | Multi-head | Ducted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Living area only | $2,100 to $3,900 (one 5 to 7 kW split) | Not needed | Overkill |
| Living plus master bedroom | $3,600 to $6,400 (two splits) | $4,500 to $7,500 (two heads) | Rarely worth it |
| Single storey, 3 bed, whole house | About $6,600 to $11,400 (four splits) | $8,000 to $12,000 (four heads) | $9,000 to $16,000 |
| Two storey or tight roof | Pipe runs get awkward | Possible, more labour | $13,000 to $20,000 or more |
Is ducted air conditioning worth it?
Ducted is worth it in four situations. You want every room comfortable at once, most evenings. You are replacing gas ducted heating and already have the habit of whole-house warmth. You hate the look of wall units. Or you are renovating and the ceiling is coming down anyway.
It is not worth it if two rooms do all the living. It is not worth it in a house with no usable roof space, or in double brick where every run means a chase through masonry. And it is not worth it if the budget only stretches to a cheap, unzoned system with one thermostat in the hallway. A good split beats a bad ducted install every time.
In Victoria the sums shift. Replacing gas ducted heating with efficient ducted reverse cycle can attract a Victorian Energy Upgrades discount at the point of sale. The Victorian rebate page has the current rules. Everywhere else, budget the full price, and get up to three local quotes before you decide, because roof access and zoning move ducted prices more than brand does.
Multi-split vs ducted
Multi-head splits run two to five indoor units off one outdoor compressor. You get room-by-room control like splits and one outdoor box like ducted. It is the usual answer in apartments, heritage homes and double brick, where cutting a roof or ceiling is either not allowed or not sensible.
The catch is that every head shares one compressor. If the outdoor unit dies, every room goes quiet together. And a two-head system is not always cheaper than two separate splits, because multi outdoor units cost more per kilowatt.
Compared with ducted, multi-split is usually cheaper for two to three rooms and similar for four. Ducted pulls ahead on looks, even airflow and quiet. Multi pulls ahead where there is no roof to work in. Prices by head count are in the multi-split cost guide. If you are torn between the two, ask for a local quote on both; an installer who has seen the roof can tell you in ten minutes whether ducted is even practical.
What are the disadvantages of each?
- Split: a visible head on every wall, a pipe run and drain to hide, and one outdoor unit per room cluttering the side path.
- Split: a big open-plan area can outgrow one unit, and two units fighting each other is a common Sunday argument.
- Multi-head: one compressor failure takes out every room, and the outdoor unit is bigger than a single split's.
- Ducted: the highest upfront cost, two to four days of roof work, and duct losses if the ducts are undersized or poorly insulated. YourHome recommends ducts insulated to at least R1.5.
- Ducted: the return air grille and filter need regular cleaning, and a single fan coil means a single point of failure for the whole house.
- Ducted: zoning is only as good as the design. Too few zones, or zones grouped badly, and you are heating the study to warm the kids' rooms.
Split or ducted: a quick way to decide
- One or two rooms get used, the rest are bedrooms you sleep in with a fan: splits.
- Double brick, an apartment, or no roof space: splits or multi-head.
- You heat with gas ducted now and want off gas: ducted reverse cycle, and check the rebate on your postcode.
- Whole family home, rooms used at different times of day, and you can afford proper zoning: ducted.
- You want to spread the cost: splits, one at a time, starting with the living area.
- Not sure how big: run the size calculator before anyone quotes you a kilowatt number.
Whatever you choose, get two itemised quotes for the same scope. Our checklist for what a good quote includes shows what to line up. When you are ready for real numbers, get up to three local quotes from licensed installers near you.
Want a number for your house? Check the rebate on your postcode. No name required. Check the rebate on your postcode.
Or do the sums yourself first: what size you need and what it costs to run.
Sources
FAQ
Common questions
Which is cheaper to run, ducted or split?
A split is cheaper per room. A 3.5 kW split costs roughly 15c to 25c an hour once the room is at temperature, while ducted runs about 70c to $1.10 an hour depending on how many zones are open. Ducted narrows the gap if you only run one or two zones.
Which type of air conditioning is better, ducted or split?
Neither is better across the board. Splits suit homes where one or two rooms do the living and are cheaper to buy and run. Ducted suits whole-house comfort, quiet operation and gas ducted replacement, at two to six times the price of a single living-room split.
Is ducted air conditioning worth it?
It is worth it if you condition most of the house most days, are replacing gas ducted heating, or are renovating anyway. It is rarely worth it for a household that lives in one room. Budget $7,500 to $18,000 for a typical house in 2026.
Does ducted air conditioning add value to a home?
Buyers treat it as a feature and agents list it, so it helps a home sell. There is no reliable figure for how much it adds, and it rarely returns its full cost at sale. Buy it for living in, not for resale.
What is the disadvantage of a split system?
Each room needs its own indoor head, pipe run and usually its own outdoor unit, so the house ends up with several boxes on walls and side paths. One split also struggles to reach every corner of a large or L-shaped open-plan area.
Is a multi-split better than ducted?
Multi-split is better where there is no roof space, in double brick or apartments, and for two to three rooms. Ducted is better for a whole house, even airflow and hidden equipment. Multi-split runs $4,500 to $12,000 for two to four heads.
Is central air better than a split system?
Central air is the American name for ducted. In Australia it is almost always ducted reverse cycle, which heats as well as cools. The same trade-offs apply: better whole-house comfort, higher upfront and running cost than a single split.
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