How Much Does It Cost to Install or Replace a Faucet?

Estimating Faucet Installation and Replacement Costs

To come up with an estimate for replacing or installing a faucet that’s as accurate as possible, keep the following considerations in mind—all of which can affect your total project costs. 

Material Prices

Faucets for most residential needs come in a variety of finishes, such as stainless steel, brushed nickel, chrome, black, gold, or bronze. These finishes are laid over the underlying material, which is usually brass or stainless steel. Some manufacturers also offer products made of a zinc alloy. The specific combination of material and finish can impact the price of the faucet installation. 

Labor Costs 

The average cost of hiring a plumber ranges from $45 to $200 per hour, depending on the project. Your location will also affect the hourly rate your plumber will charge for faucet replacement or installation, with higher hourly rates being more common in larger urban areas. 

Permits 

In most cases, replacing an existing faucet in the same location will not require a permit. If you’re relocating an existing fixture, installing a new line, or doing any other work that involves moving your plumbing elements from one place to another, it may be deemed a remodel and require a licensed contractor to pull the appropriate permits. That may add anywhere from $50 to $500 to your total cost. 

Additional or Unexpected Costs

Although it’s unlikely that your faucet replacement or installation work will reveal previously undisclosed water damage, it’s not unheard of. If your plumber discovers the existence of water damage from a leaking pipe, you’ll want to repair that leak immediately. Waiting to take care of leaks simply leads to further damage and more expensive repair work. 

Average Faucet Installation Cost by Location 

The following are average costs to install or replace a new faucet across the U.S., including labor. High-end faucet designs or styles may add to these average costs. 

How Much Does It Cost to Replace a Faucet Yourself?

When you tackle a faucet installation yourself, you’ll save on labor costs for the project, which generally range from $50 to $200 per hour, depending on where you live. 

A simple replacement of an existing faucet will take approximately one hour, while a new installation requiring more complex plumbing work can take up to seven or eight hours. However, these time estimates assume an experienced pro is doing the work. It could take significantly more time if you’ve never installed a similar type of faucet. 

In addition to the new faucet, you’ll also need a variety of tools and materials, including: 

• Adjustable wrench: $10–$40

• Channel-locking pliers: $10–$30

• Basin wrench: $15–$20

• Tape measure: $5–$20

• Plumber's putty: $5–$10

• Flexible supply lines (if needed):  $3–$10

Hiring a local plumber would eliminate the above costs and most likely shorten the amount of time it takes to complete the installation. Additionally, when it comes to plumbing, these projects are best left to pros. Otherwise, incorrect installation can lead to costly repairs down the road. 

How Much Does It Cost to Replace a Faucet by Type? 

Faucets for different rooms serve different purposes. For example, kitchen faucets often come with a spray hose to clean down the sink before washing and bathroom faucets can feature top-shelf styling and design profiles. The cost of each type of faucet is listed below, not including the cost of labor. 

Kitchen Sink Faucet

The cost of replacing a kitchen sink faucet is approximately the same as the cost of installing a new one, except that you will also need to have the existing faucet removed. This should add no more than half an hour of labor to the total installation cost, which averages between $20 and $3,200. 

Bathroom Sink Faucet

A new bathroom sink faucet costs about $20 to $2,800—although in most cases, the average cost ranges from $100 to $150. The price of installation or replacement labor can vary depending on the state of the existing plumbing and connections. If any existing plumbing elements also need to be swapped out, this will add to both your materials and labor costs. 

Bathtub Faucets

The price of a brand-new bathtub faucet can run from $40 to $3,700, with the price depending primarily on the style and materials used. The cost to replace or repair a bathtub faucet is anywhere from $25 to $1,000. 

Outdoor Faucet

If you’d like to install a new hose bib, which is also called a spigot or outdoor faucet, expect to pay between $10 and $1,000. The cost to replace an outdoor faucet averages $175, or between $100 and $300. You can select from a few different types of outdoor faucets, such as a yard hydrant, frost-free spigot, or outdoor kitchen sink faucet for outdoor cooking use. 

The type you choose will also impact the price. For example, the frost-free variety is fairly inexpensive, ranging from $15 to $40—a small price to pay to prevent damage from freezing. 

What Factors Influence the Cost to Install or Replace a Faucet?

The type of faucet you select for installation, its location in your home, and additional features, affect the overall cost of your project.   

Style 

Home kitchen faucets are available in four general styles at different price points: 

• Pull-down: Styled with a faucet head that can be pulled away from the spout in a downward motion

• Pull-out: Similar to a pull-down except that the head can be pulled out from the faucet’s spout and maneuvered in a full 360-degree range of motion

• Single-handle: Equipped with a single handle, usually in a lever design, that controls temperature by maneuvering the handle from left to right, as well as the water pressure (bottom to top)

• Dual-handle: Comes with separate handles dedicated to controlling hot and cold water, with pressure dictated by how far the twist handle is pushed 

Bathroom sinks also come with various handle types and accompanying prices: 

• Knobs: Faucets with traditional knob handles are one of the most common handle types and typically cost between $100 and $150.

• Levers: Bathroom sinks with lever handles cost between $100 and $150 on average.

• Crosses: Providing a more contemporary design profile, faucets with cross-styled handles cost about $200.

• Joysticks: Faucets with a joystick handle use a single-handle fixture for hot and cold running water. The cost of joystick bathroom sink faucets averages between $400 and $600.

• Push buttons: Bathroom sink faucets that employ push-button technology to turn on and control water tend to involve more complex installation processes, so labor costs may increase if you choose this type. However, the cost of the faucet itself typically ranges from $200 to $400.

For bathtub faucets, expect to pay an average of $300 to $400, assuming the replacement doesn’t require swapping out existing plumbing for new hardware. They average slightly higher in cost since bathroom tub faucets must be capable of handling a much higher flow rate of about three gallons per minute. 

The costs of knob, lever, and cross-handle designs are roughly the same. Other styles of faucet handles, such as joysticks and touchless technology, aren’t commonly found in bathtub faucet designs. However, when you purchase a bathtub faucet kit, you’ll usually also get the accompanying showerhead. 

Features

In addition to the above basic faucet styles, you can select kitchen and bathroom fixtures with extra features like touchless technology for about $100 to $1,200. Faucets with pot-filler capabilities include extendable arms for reaching over cooking or prep surfaces and filling deep pots with water. These cost anywhere from around $80 to $1,700. 

Faucets also vary in terms of their flow rate. 

FAQs About Faucet Installations and Replacement

Should I install my own faucet or hire a plumber?

For installations of brand-new plumbing fixtures that involve work on your home’s plumbing, you should hire a licensed plumber in your area. In some cases, a state or municipality may require a licensed plumber to conduct specific kinds of faucet repair. Standard replacements of existing fixtures are better suited to a DIY approach. 

How long will it take me to replace a faucet?

If you have basic DIY home improvement skills, you should be able to complete a simple faucet replacement within one to two hours. For more complex or brand-new installations, you may need about seven to eight hours from start to finish. This includes prepping the area where you’re working to prevent water damage, taking out the old faucet, and installing new supply lines and the new faucet itself.

Can I hire a handyperson to install a faucet? 

If you’re merely replacing an existing faucet, a handyperson near you can probably handle the job. If there are any aspects of the job that will require modifying or working with pipes or other elements of your home’s plumbing system, you should hire a licensed plumber to take over.