Plumbing Costs (2026)
Water heater, drain, and repipe costs by city — the national average adjusted to your local labor, materials, and permit rules.
Nationally, drain cleaning averages $300, and water heater installation averages $1,800, and whole-house repipe averages $6,000 — but a national average is the wrong number to budget with. The same water heater installation costs about $2,080 in San Francisco, CA and $1,550 in McAllen, TX, a 34% difference for identical work driven by local labor rates, code requirements, and climate. Every price here starts from a researched national base and is adjusted with the federal government's own regional price data for your metro, across 100 US markets.
Plumbing costs at a glance
National averages before local adjustment. Year-over-year change is anchored to the BLS Producer Price Index for the materials and equipment in each project.
| Project | National average | Typical range | YoY |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Heater Installation | $1,800 | $1,200 – $3,500 | ▲ up 9.4% |
| Drain Cleaning | $300 | $150 – $800 | ▲ up 4.0% |
| Whole-House Repipe | $6,000 | $3,000 – $15,000 | ▲ up 8.5% |
What drives plumbing costs
Access dominates plumbing pricing. The same repipe is straightforward in a house with a full basement, awkward in a crawlspace, and expensive under a slab, where the work may mean rerouting through walls and ceilings rather than cutting concrete. Material choice — PEX versus copper — moves both labor hours and parts cost. On water heaters, fuel type and venting matter as much as the tank: switching to tankless or a heat-pump unit often requires new gas line, venting, or a dedicated circuit. Code upgrades ride along with most permitted work (expansion tanks, drain pans, seismic strapping). And emergency calls cost more than scheduled ones — a failed water heater on a Sunday is the most expensive way to buy one.
Where water heater installation costs the most — and the least
Across the 100 metros we cover, using the same national base cost adjusted by each metro's BEA price factor.
| Most expensive | Avg. water heater installation | Least expensive | Avg. water heater installation |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco, CA | $2,080 | McAllen, TX | $1,550 |
| Miami, FL | $2,060 | Jackson, MS | $1,600 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $2,040 | Wichita, KS | $1,600 |
| New York, NY | $2,030 | Little Rock, AR | $1,610 |
| San Diego, CA | $2,010 | Tulsa, OK | $1,610 |
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Frequently asked questions
- How much does a plumbing project cost in 2026?
- It depends on the job. Water Heater Installation averages $1,800 nationally ($1,200 – $3,500); Drain Cleaning averages $300 nationally ($150 – $800); Whole-House Repipe averages $6,000 nationally ($3,000 – $15,000). Those are national figures — your city's price will differ, often by thousands.
- Why does water heater installation cost more in some cities than others?
- Because labor rates, code requirements, permit fees, and climate differ by metro. We apply the BEA Regional Price Parity for your metro to a researched national base cost, so water heater installation runs about $2,080 in San Francisco and $1,550 in McAllen. The work is the same; the local price level is not.
- Which cities are most and least expensive for water heater installation?
- Of the 100 metros we track, San Francisco, CA is the most expensive at about $2,080, and McAllen, TX the least at about $1,550. The full city list is below.
- Are water heater installation prices going up?
- Yes — water heater installation is up roughly 9.4% year over year nationally, based on the BLS Producer Price Index for the relevant materials and equipment plus skilled-trade wage growth. Full trajectories are on our cost-trends page.
- How many quotes should I get?
- At least three written quotes from licensed local contractors, compared line by line rather than on the bottom-line number. Check what each includes — permits, disposal, cleanup, and warranty terms vary between bids and are where apparent bargains usually come from. Our figures are informational estimates to help you sanity-check those bids, not quotes.
Cost factors from the BEA Regional Price Parities; trade wages from BLS OEWS; trends from the BLS Producer Price Index. Full method on How We Estimate. Figures are informational estimates, not quotes.
