Plumbing Cost Guide (2026)

Updated November 2026

Plumbing isn't one price — it's a trip charge, an hourly rate, and a per-job scope, and quotes mix all three. A simple visit runs $100–$400; a full sewer-line replacement runs $1,390–$5,320. This page prices each job on its own basis, per source, so a comparison stays honest.

Plumbing cost at a glance, by job

Job	What it costs	Basis & sources
Service call (simple fix)	$100–$400 · trip fee $50–$300	per visit (HomeAdvisor; This Old House adds ~$100/hr labor + minimum)
Hourly labor	$45–$200 · typical ~$100/hr	per hour, residential (HomeAdvisor; TOH journeyman $50–$100, master $75–$200)
Emergency / after-hours	~$150/hr + $100–$300 flat fee	after-hours visit (This Old House; HomeAdvisor premium $100–$300+)
Drain cleaning (per drain)	snake $100–$300 · hydro-jet $300–$600	per drain (Fixr; Thumbtack snaking avg $195, jetting $350–$600)
Toilet repair	$60–$300 · typical ~$150	per repair (Fixr avg $125; HomeAdvisor & This Old House $100–$300)
Toilet replacement	$224–$800 · typical ~$400	per toilet installed, standard swap (3-source agreement)
Sump pump install / replace	$645–$2,120 · typical ~$1,400	per pump installed (Fixr avg $1,400; HomeAdvisor avg $1,363)
Water softener install	$1,100–$3,000 · typical ~$2,500	per system installed (Fixr; This Old House wider $500–$6,000 band)
Gas line installation	$500–$2,000 · typical ~$800	per line run (Fixr avg $800; Homewyse $880–$1,079/run; Thumbtack $268–$841)
Sewer line replacement	$1,390–$5,320 · typical ~$3,320	per full replacement (This Old House + HomeAdvisor agree ~$3,320)
Whole-house repipe	$4,129–$7,477 · PEX $4,000–$10,000 · copper $8,000–$18,000	per house (CostTo.build avg $5,227; Fuse Service material tiers; TOH upper band $10,000–$20,000)

Every row keeps its pricing basis — per visit, per hour, per drain, per system — and publisher bands are never averaged into one number.

The three charges on a plumbing invoice

Trip / service-call fee — $50–$300. Charged just for showing up; some plumbers credit it against the repair if you proceed.
Labor — $45–$200/hr (national average ~$$100/hr), often with a minimum bill (frequently one hour) even for a five-minute fix.
The job itself. Simple repairs quote as flat rates ($100–$400 for a basic service call); bigger jobs (sewer, repipe, gas line) quote per linear foot or per system.

The comparison rule: a $150 toilet repair and a $400 toilet replacement are different jobs — before signing, make the quote name which one it is, whether the trip fee is credited, and what the minimum bill is.

The big-ticket jobs, in detail

Sewer line replacement — $1,390–$5,320. Open trench runs $50–$200/ft; trenchless $60–$250/ft (CIPP lining $90–$250/ft, pipe bursting $60–$200/ft) but avoids tearing up the yard. Add restoration: landscaping $1,200–$6,200 after a full install (HomeAdvisor), plus $400–$1,600 in connection permits. Spot repairs and unclogs ($200–$300) are a different scope.
Whole-house repipe — PEX $4,000–$10,000, copper $8,000–$18,000. Material per linear foot: PEX $0.40–$2, copper $2–$8, CPVC $0.50–$1. CostTo.build's calculator lands at $5,227 average for a 1,500-sq-ft, 8-fixture house; This Old House's upper-bound band runs $10,000–$20,000 for complex homes.
Gas line — $500–$2,000 (avg $$800). $10–$25/ft installed depending on run type; a 50-ft service line to the house runs $850–$1,100, an appliance hookup $220–$350, plus $50–$300 in permits (Fixr).
Water softener — $1,100–$3,000 installed (dual-tank ion exchange, 3–4 bedroom home; unit alone $300–$4,000).
Sump pump — $645–$2,120 installed (standard primary pump in an existing pit; complex drainage work pushes to $4,000).

What drives the bill

Access — under-slab or behind-tile work multiplies labor; a five-minute access fix is a service call.
Timing — after-hours emergencies carry the flat premium plus a higher rate.
Scope basis — per-visit repairs vs per-foot mains vs per-system installs price completely differently.
Material choice — copper repipes roughly double PEX; cast-iron sewer pipe ($50/ft) dwarfs PVC ($4.50/ft).
Permits & inspection — sewer connection permits ($400–$1,600) and gas-line permits ($50–$300) are real line items.
Region — labor markets swing hourly rates; all bands here are national, not a metro quote.

How to read a plumbing quote

Name the basis — is the number a trip fee, an hourly estimate, or a fixed-price job?
Ask what's included — parts, permit, drywall/plaster patch-back, and haul-away are common exclusions.
Get the diagnostic in writing before approving work above the service-call amount.
For mains and repipes, get 2–3 bids — a $1,390–$5,320 job can vary by thousands between honest contractors on method and restoration scope.

Related cost guides

Well & sump pump systems — well pump and sump pump installed cost, replacement bands and the water-systems calculator.
Water heaters — tank, tankless and heat-pump water heater replacement cost by fuel and capacity.
HVAC — condensate lines, gas furnaces and the HVAC jobs that share the mechanical room with your plumbing.
Bathroom remodels — what the fixture swap costs when the plumbing rough-in comes with a remodel.

FAQ

How much does a plumber cost per hour?

Residential plumbers bill $45–$200 per hour (HomeAdvisor), with a national average around $100/hr once you average experience levels — journeymen run $50–$100, master plumbers $75–$200 (This Old House). Most visits also carry a service-call or minimum charge on top.

How much is a plumber service call?

Flat rates for simple service calls (unclogging a drain, fixing a faucet or toilet) run $100–$400 (HomeAdvisor), with separate trip fees of $50–$300 that can stack with labor.

Why is an emergency plumber so much more?

After-hours calls add a flat emergency fee of $100–$300 on top of a higher hourly rate — usually around $150/hr after hours (This Old House; HomeAdvisor puts the premium at $100–$300+).

How much does it cost to replace a toilet?

A standard swap runs $224–$800, typically about $400 — three-source agreement (HomeAdvisor $224–$533 avg $374; Fixr $250–$800 avg $450; This Old House $300–$800). Rough-in changes price separately.

How much does it cost to replace a sewer line?

$1,390–$5,320 for a full replacement (avg ~$3,320, This Old House + HomeAdvisor), at roughly $50–$250 per linear foot depending on open-trench vs trenchless method — plus $400–$1,600 in connection permits (HomeAdvisor).

Sources

Fixr - Gas Line Installation Cost — retrieved October 4, 2026.
Homewyse - Cost to Install a Gas Line — retrieved October 4, 2026.
Thumbtack - Gas Line Installation Cost — retrieved October 4, 2026.
This Old House - Sewer Line Replacement Cost — retrieved October 4, 2026.
HomeAdvisor - Install a Sewer Main — retrieved October 4, 2026.
HomeAdvisor - Repair a Sewer Main (replacement) — retrieved October 4, 2026.
Fixr - Unclog Main Sewer Line (section replacement) — retrieved October 4, 2026.
HomeAdvisor - How Much Does a Plumber Cost — retrieved October 4, 2026.
This Old House - Plumbing Cost — retrieved October 4, 2026.
Fixr - Toilet Installation Cost — retrieved October 4, 2026.
HomeAdvisor - Install a Toilet — retrieved October 4, 2026.
Fixr - Toilet Repair Cost — retrieved October 4, 2026.
Fixr - Water Softener Installation Cost — retrieved October 4, 2026.
Fixr - Sump Pump Installation Cost — retrieved October 4, 2026.
HomeAdvisor - Sump Pump Replacement Cost — retrieved October 4, 2026.
CostTo.build - Repiping Cost — retrieved October 4, 2026.
Fuse Service - Cost to Repipe a House — retrieved October 4, 2026.
Benjamin Franklin (Birmingham) - Cost to Repipe a House — retrieved October 4, 2026.
Fixr - Sewer Line Cleaning Cost — retrieved October 4, 2026.
Fixr - Unclog a Kitchen Sink Cost — retrieved October 4, 2026.
Thumbtack - Drain Cleaning Cost — retrieved October 4, 2026.

Publisher bands are kept separate and never averaged. Estimate only — get local written quotes; licensed-plumber work and permits vary by jurisdiction.