Are cloth nappies cheaper than disposables?
How much do cloth nappies cost?
How much will I save using cloth nappies?
Are cloth nappies cheaper than disposables when you factor in washing, drying, and detergent?
Aside from environmental benefits, these are some major considerations for parents when choosing reusable nappies.
We break down the cost of reusable nappies vs disposables to help give you the complete picture.
Cloth vs Disposable Nappy Cost Calculator AUD
Adjust the inputs to match your family. The calculator estimates total cost per year and per child, including washing. Defaults suit an average Aussie household.
Cloth — cost per year
Disposables — cost per year
Total over your nappy years
Estimated savings
- Cloth setup is depreciated over all children and years (minus resale value).
- Loads/week × 52 accounts for hot cycles and maintenance washes.
- Disposables assume the same nappies/day as "Family & Usage".
How much do cloth nappies cost?
Some people initially hesitate when they realise the upfront cost of buying a stash of cloth nappies. It might seem like a lot compared to a large pack of disposable nappies that costs around $35. However, as you’ll see from our calculations below, cloth nappies are definitely more affordable in the long run.
Cost estimates can vary significantly depending on the style and brand of disposable and reusable nappies. In this article, we’ve aimed to provide a comparison based on some average figures. If you want more detail based on different price points, our table below offers additional data.
Disposable nappies usually cost. between 25c and about $1 each, depending on the brand, style, and how many you buy. For instance, pull-ups, night nappies, and swim nappies often cost $1 or more. Reusable nappy prices also vary widely based on the type, brand, and materials used. Traditional terry towelling flats or pre-folds can start from just a fewonversely, modern cloth nappies can range from around $7 online up to about $37 each for the more premium boutique brands, many of which are designed in Australia. You may be able to get cheaper deals through sales (think Black Friday, EOFY sales) and bundle deals etc, purchasing secondhand or hiring.
The cost of cloth nappies vs disposable nappies
For the sake of comparison let’s say that disposables cost 30c each, and reusables around $35. Taking the average usage of 4000 to 6000 nappies per child until toilet training, you will spend around $1200 – $1800 on disposables.
Compare this with purchasing a stash of around 20 – 25 nappies for full-time use at a higher price end of $35 per nappy, and you’ll pay around $700 – $875. As mentioned earlier, this could, however, be as little as a few hundred dollars for cheaper brands or even under $100 for terry towelling or pre-folds.
Use our calculator to estimate your family’s savings.
For my first son, I purchased quite a large nappy stash of newborn nappies, fitted nappies, and night nappies by buying both new and second-hand for around $1000. I definitely could have gotten away with fewer nappies, but I wanted to try a few different brands and styles. I also landed some excellent bulk second-hand deals that had barely been used.
Another huge factor is that the savings multiply for every child you use cloth on. When my second son was born, I already had all the nappies I needed (I must admit it didn’t stop me from purchasing a couple of extra cute prints though)!
My eldest toilet trained at around 2.5 years but still wears a night nappy, and my youngest (1 year old at the time of writing) will probably be in nappies for another 1.5 – 2 years. Not only have I avoided contributing somewhere in the realm of 8000 – 12,000 nappies to landfill, but our family has saved somewhere between $1400 – $2600.
How much will I save using cloth wipes?
Another huge saving that many people don’t initially factor in is cloth wipes! These can be extremely affordable to set up (or even free if you repurpose old cloth or use old face washers!). Let’s say you spend $50 buying two packs of bamboo wipes, supplemented with some cheap face washers from Kmart.
Compare this with disposable baby wipes. From experience, you might go through one pack of 100 wipes per week. Again, prices of wipes vary hugely between brands, starting around $2.50 per pack (buying bulk) up to $17 for premium water wipes or fragrant-free versions. This equals somewhere between $325 to a whopping $2,210 spent on disposable wipes.
So there you go – you could save somewhere between $275 to $2160 using cloth wipes! Plus it’s super easy to pop them in the washing with your nappies, addressing another major landfill issue.
What are the cheapest cloth nappy options?
Even after doing the math on the savings, it can still seem a lot to fork out upfront when you are probably also purchasing several other big-ticket baby items. If you are concerned about costs, terry towelling flats or prefolds can be a cheap way to get started. You can pick them up very cheap at Big W, for example. There are also other options such as buying secondhand nappies or hiring from a cloth nappy library.
While you may have the cash and are tempted to go all-in on a full-time pack with one brand, it can be worth purchasing a variety of brands and styles until you work out which ones you like and which best suit your bub. Many brands offer trial packs that include different styles of nappies. Several cloth nappy retailers also stock a variety of brands, allowing you to mix and match.
Some hiring service also offer bundles so you can ‘try before you buy’.
How much does it cost to wash and dry cloth nappies?
Electricity, water, and detergent usage are really the main additional costs associated with washing reusable nappies. Therefore, in order to provide accurate comparisons, it is only fair to include these costs in the calculations.
However, even after factoring these costs in, you will still be far ahead in terms of savings.
Our calculator enables you to adjust these inputs and obtain an accurate representation of costs.
There have been studies that calculate additional electricity, water, and detergent costs. These factors can vary greatly depending on where you live, the type of energy and water systems you have installed, your energy providers, and the detergent you use. Ballpark figures estimate an extra cost of around $100 per year, give or take. There are also ways to reduce these expenses, such as:
• waiting until you have a full load to wash (you can also add clothing and other items to your main wash)
• using a front-loader washing machine
• drying your nappies on a washing line instead of using a dryer.
From my personal experience, our 7.5kg front-loader washing machine uses rainwater, and we have solar power to offset our electricity bills. We also line dry our nappies outside most of the year in Queensland (inside when it’s raining). Regarding extra washing, I do an additional 2-3 loads of pre-washing each week, as I add the boys’ clothes and other baby items to my main load. I honestly haven’t noticed any difference in our hot water or electricity bills since starting cloth.
So, there you go! As this article has demonstrated, we need to think about several factors when working out costs. Hopefully, we’ve given enough information to help you estimate your savings depending on the option you pick. Ultimately, you can make cloth nappies as affordable or costly as you like, but most likely you’ll save hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars over time.
Cloth vs Disposable Nappy Cost – FAQs (Australia)
How much do cloth nappies save in Australia?
Australian families can save hundreds to thousands of dollars using cloth instead of disposables. Use the calculator to estimate yearly and total savings based on your child’s age, nappies per day, and washing costs.
Does the calculator include washing costs?
Yes. It factors in detergent, electricity, water, and optional dryer use so you get a realistic picture of the true cost of cloth nappies in Australia.
Are council cloth nappy rebates included?
Not automatically. Some councils offer rebates which can reduce your upfront cost. Check your local council’s website and subtract the rebate from your setup total. (We can add a rebate field if you’d like.)
How accurate is the cloth vs disposable calculator?
It’s an estimate using average Australian prices. For the best accuracy, enter your actual electricity, water and nappy prices.
What about break-even time?
The calculator estimates break-even in weeks based on your inputs. If disposables cost more per week than cloth (including washing), you’ll see an approximate week count to recoup your setup.
Can I use this for multiple children?
Yes. Set the number of children and years in nappies. The tool spreads the stash cost across all children and years, and applies any resale value at the end.
Completly updated September 2025.