2026 U.S. Home Project Cost Index
One table, 59 home projects, every number traced to a published source. National low, typical, and high planning bands from our reviewed cost database, free to sort, download, and cite.
Want the big picture first? The ranked companion edition orders the full-project entries most expensive to least, for a quick read of where home projects really land.
301 source citations across 59 projects. Index generated 2026-10-18; each row shows the date its figure was last reviewed. Last updated: 2026-10-22.
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What the 2026 Cost Index shows
These findings are computed directly from the 59 records in this index, not from any outside survey. Whole-project figures use only the 33 records priced as a complete installed project, so per-unit rates never contaminate a project ranking. The full method is on the methodology page, and every figure below can be reproduced from the downloadable CSV.
Median full-project cost
$4,000
Half of the 33 whole-project records in the index land at or below this typical cost, and half land above it. The middle of the U.S. home-project market, in one number.
Where projects cluster
78.8%
of full projects sit in the $1,000 to $4,999 and $5,000 to $9,999 bands. Only 1 of 33 reaches $25,000 and up.
Median installed rate
$7.5 per sq ft
Across the 22 records priced per square foot, from Ceiling Painting Cost at $2 per sq ft to Quartz vs Granite Countertops Cost: Which Is Cheaper in 2026? at $80 per sq ft.
Most expensive full projects
- Kitchen Remodel$26,942 typical
- Bathroom Remodel$14,386 typical
- Septic Tank Installation Cost in 2026: What You'll Pay$10,000 typical
- Roof Replacement Cost$9,600 typical
- Tub to Shower Conversion$9,000 typical
Least expensive full projects
- Thermostat Installation Cost in 2026: What You Will Pay$250 typical
- Air Duct Cleaning Cost in 2026: Price per Vent$550 typical
- Bedroom Painting$600 typical
- Deck Staining$850 typical
- How Much Does Roof Repair Cost in 2026?$1,150 typical
Full projects by cost band
Share of the 33 whole-project records by typical installed cost.
Median typical cost by category
Whole-project records only. Flooring and windows have no whole-project records in the index, because those costs are tracked per square foot and per window; see the rate table below instead.
Median installed rates per square foot: Flooring $7 (13 records), Painting $2.75 (4 records), Kitchen $75 (3 records).
How wide is the estimate range?
The ratio between a record's high and low figures shows where quotes vary most. The widest range in the index is How Much Does Roof Repair Cost in 2026?: $150 to $8,000, a 53.33x spread, because a minor repair and a structural failure share one category. Next widest are Heat Pump Installation Cost in 2026: What You'll Pay (17.5x) and Septic Tank Installation Cost in 2026: What You'll Pay (16.67x), where system type and site conditions swing the price. The narrowest is Bathroom Remodel at 1.54x ($11,338 to $17,433), priced from a tightly defined scope. Rule of thumb from the data: the more a project's scope can change after walls open or soil is tested, the wider its band.
One deliberate omission: this page publishes no labor-versus- material ranking. Most records store no combined labor and material split, because the published component ranges do not nest inside the installed band; inventing one would fabricate a statistic. Where a source does publish a verified split, the linked guide quotes it verbatim. The methodology page explains the rule.
The full dataset
Every record in the index, sortable by project, category, and price band. Click a column heading to sort.
Showing 59 of 59 projects.
| Unit | Reviewed | Guide | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Duct Cleaning Cost in 2026: Price per Vent | HVAC | $200 | $550 | $1,500 | project | 2026-10-10 | Guide |
| Attic Insulation Cost in 2026: Price per Sq Ft | Insulation | $500 | $2,100 | $6,000 | project | 2026-10-10 | Guide |
| Basement Flooring Cost in 2026: What You'll Pay | Flooring | $2 | $6 | $15 | per sq ft | 2026-10-11 | Guide |
| Bathroom Remodel | Bathroom | $11,338 | $14,386 | $17,433 | per project | 2026-09-29 | Guide |
| Bathtub Replacement | Bathroom | $2,101 | $5,923 | $9,747 | per project | 2026-10-04 | Guide |
| Bedroom Painting | Painting | $240 | $600 | $1,240 | per room | 2026-09-30 | Guide |
| Boiler Installation Cost in 2026: Prices by Fuel Type | HVAC | $3,000 | $5,800 | $9,000 | per project | 2026-10-11 | Guide |
| Cabinet Refacing vs Replacement Cost: 2026 Comparison | Kitchen | $4,500 | $7,250 | $10,500 | per project (average kitchen) | 2026-10-04 | Guide |
| Carpet to Hardwood Replacement Cost | Flooring | $12 | $20 | $30 | per sq ft | 2026-10-06 | Guide |
| Ceiling Painting Cost | Painting | $1 | $2 | $3 | per sq ft | 2026-10-10 | Guide |
| Central AC Installation Cost in 2026: What You'll Pay | HVAC | $3,500 | $6,000 | $14,000 | project | 2026-10-10 | Guide |
| Cost to Paint a 2000 Sq Ft House Interior | Painting | $4,000 | $8,000 | $12,000 | project | 2026-10-06 | Guide |
| Deck Refinishing vs Resurfacing vs Replacing | Painting | $2 | $3 | $4 | per sq ft | 2026-10-06 | Guide |
| Deck Staining | Painting | $100 | $850 | $1,465 | per project | 2026-09-30 | Guide |
| Ductless Mini Split Installation Cost in 2026: Prices by Zone | HVAC | $2,500 | $5,000 | $15,000 | project | 2026-10-11 | Guide |
| Ductwork Replacement Cost in 2026: Prices by House Size | HVAC | $1,400 | $3,500 | $8,000 | project | 2026-10-12 | Guide |
| Engineered vs Solid Hardwood Flooring Cost | Flooring | $9 | $16 | $25 | per sq ft | 2026-10-06 | Guide |
| Epoxy Garage Floor Coating Cost | Flooring | $3 | $7 | $12 | per sq ft | 2026-10-08 | Guide |
| Exterior House Painting | Painting | $1.5 | $2.75 | $4 | sq ft of paintable exterior surface area | 2026-09-29 | Guide |
| Flooring Removal and Subfloor Repair | Flooring | $1 | $3.5 | $6 | per sq ft | 2026-09-30 | Guide |
| Furnace Installation Cost | HVAC | $2,000 | $5,500 | $12,000 | project | 2026-10-10 | Guide |
| Furnace vs Heat Pump Cost in 2026: Which Is Cheaper? | HVAC | $3,500 | $8,000 | $13,000 | per project | 2026-10-12 | Guide |
| Gutter Installation Cost in 2026: Price per Linear Foot | Gutters | $600 | $1,800 | $4,500 | project | 2026-10-10 | Guide |
| Hardwood Floor Installation | Flooring | $11 | $18 | $25 | sq ft | 2026-09-29 | Guide |
| Heat Pump Installation Cost in 2026: What You'll Pay | HVAC | $2,000 | $8,500 | $35,000 | project | 2026-10-10 | Guide |
| How Much Do Kitchen Countertops Cost in 2026? | Kitchen | $40 | $75 | $150 | per sq ft | 2026-10-04 | Guide |
| How Much Does Bathroom Tile Installation Cost in 2026? | Bathroom | $8 | $17 | $30 | per sq ft | 2026-10-06 | Guide |
| How Much Does Carpet Installation Cost in 2026? | Flooring | $3 | $6 | $11 | per sq ft | 2026-10-04 | Guide |
| How Much Does Hardwood Floor Refinishing Cost in 2026? | Flooring | $3 | $5 | $8 | per sq ft | 2026-10-06 | Guide |
| How Much Does It Cost to Install Gutter Guards? | Gutters | $650 | $1,500 | $9,000 | per project | 2026-10-13 | Guide |
| How Much Does It Cost to Replace a Sewer Line in 2026? | Plumbing | $1,500 | $5,000 | $15,000 | per project | 2026-10-12 | Guide |
| How Much Does Kitchen Backsplash Installation Cost in 2026? | Kitchen | $15 | $28 | $40 | per sq ft | 2026-10-06 | Guide |
| How Much Does Luxury Vinyl Plank Flooring Cost in 2026? | Flooring | $3 | $7 | $16 | per sq ft | 2026-10-04 | Guide |
| How Much Does Roof Repair Cost in 2026? | Roofing | $150 | $1,150 | $8,000 | per project | 2026-10-13 | Guide |
| How Much Does Tile Flooring Installation Cost in 2026? | Flooring | $8 | $17 | $30 | per sq ft | 2026-10-04 | Guide |
| Interior Painting | Painting | $2 | $2.75 | $6 | sq-ft | 2026-09-24 | Guide |
| Kitchen Cabinet Painting | Kitchen | $2,000 | $4,000 | $6,500 | per project | 2026-09-30 | Guide |
| Kitchen Remodel | Kitchen | $14,588 | $26,942 | $41,555 | per project | 2026-09-29 | Guide |
| Laminate Flooring Installation | Flooring | $3 | $8 | $13 | per sq ft | 2026-09-30 | Guide |
| Laminate vs Vinyl Plank Flooring Cost: Which Is Cheaper in 2026? | Flooring | $3 | $8 | $13 | per sq ft | 2026-10-06 | Guide |
| Paint vs Reface vs Replace Kitchen Cabinets: Cost Compared | Kitchen | $2,000 | $7,000 | $25,000 | project | 2026-10-06 | Guide |
| Quartz vs Granite Countertops Cost: Which Is Cheaper in 2026? | Kitchen | $35 | $80 | $150 | per sq ft | 2026-10-06 | Guide |
| Radiant Floor Heating Cost in 2026: Prices per Square Foot | HVAC | $6 | $11 | $20 | per sq ft | 2026-10-11 | Guide |
| Refinishing vs Replacing Hardwood Floors Cost | Flooring | $3 | $5 | $8 | per sq ft | 2026-10-06 | Guide |
| Roof Replacement Cost | Roofing | $5,900 | $9,600 | $13,400 | project | 2026-10-10 | Guide |
| Septic Tank Installation Cost in 2026: What You'll Pay | Plumbing | $3,000 | $10,000 | $50,000 | project | 2026-10-10 | Guide |
| Shower Tiling | Bathroom | $1,800 | $2,700 | $5,000 | project | 2026-10-06 | Guide |
| Spray Foam Insulation Cost in 2026: What You Will Pay | Insulation | $1,000 | $2,888 | $9,000 | per project | 2026-10-13 | Guide |
| Staircase Refinishing Cost in 2026: Price Per Step | Flooring | $25 | $75 | $140 | per step | 2026-10-12 | Guide |
| Sump Pump Installation Cost in 2026: What You'll Pay | Plumbing | $450 | $1,200 | $4,000 | project | 2026-10-10 | Guide |
| Tankless Water Heater Installation Cost in 2026: Prices by Fuel Type and Scenario | Plumbing | $1,400 | $2,800 | $5,600 | per project | 2026-10-12 | Guide |
| Thermostat Installation Cost in 2026: What You Will Pay | HVAC | $85 | $250 | $625 | per project | 2026-10-12 | Guide |
| Tub to Shower Conversion | Bathroom | $1,200 | $9,000 | $12,000 | project | 2026-10-06 | Guide |
| Walk-In Shower Remodel | Bathroom | $6,000 | $9,000 | $12,000 | per project | 2026-10-04 | Guide |
| Walk-In Tub Installation Cost | Bathroom | $3,500 | $7,000 | $15,000 | project | 2026-10-08 | Guide |
| Water Heater Installation Cost | Plumbing | $600 | $1,700 | $3,100 | project | 2026-10-10 | Guide |
| Water Softener Installation Cost in 2026: What You Will Pay | Plumbing | $800 | $1,500 | $3,000 | per project | 2026-10-13 | Guide |
| Whole House Fan Installation Cost in 2026: What You Will Pay | HVAC | $900 | $1,700 | $2,400 | per project | 2026-10-13 | Guide |
| Window Replacement Cost | Windows | $300 | $800 | $3,000 | per window | 2026-10-10 | Guide |
Units differ by project, so sort with care: per-sq-ft rows and per-project rows are not directly comparable. Open the linked guide for the full scope, labor and material split, and every cited source.
How this index works
One row per project
Each row is the headline verified cost record of a published cost guide: the national low, typical, and high planning band for a standard scope, reviewed against published contractor and industry sources.
Full provenance
No survey was fabricated and no figure was invented. Every band cites the published sources it was built from, listed on the methodology page and in full on each linked guide.
Cite this table
Journalists and researchers: download the CSV, or copy the embed code for the rows you are viewing. Please link back to this page as the source.
Methodology in brief
Each record is built by an editor from published contractor pricing, manufacturer data, and industry cost references. The reported ranges are normalized to one unit and one standard scope per project; the low, typical, and high band then brackets the normalized figures rather than copying any single source. Records are re-reviewed when a cited source republishes its pricing, and the review date travels with every row. The full method, including how disagreements between sources are handled and why some records carry no labor and material split, is on the methodology page.
Limitations
- These are national planning figures compiled from cited published sources. They are not contractor quotes, and a local quote can land outside the band when scope, region, or conditions differ.
- Rows priced per unit (per square foot, per window, per step) describe rates, not projects. They are never ranked or averaged together with whole-project rows anywhere in this index.
- The index reflects the standard scope named in each record. Premium materials, structural surprises, and permit or code work can push a real project above the high figure; the linked guide lists what is excluded.
- Figures are reviewed on the date shown per row, not all on one day, so two rows can carry different review dates.
Planning a specific project? The cost guides break every band into labor and material splits with line-item detail, and the calculators turn the national bands into an estimate for your home. Read the full methodology