Water heater cost calculator
A standard tank water heater costs $600 to $3,100 installed and a tankless unit $1,400 to $5,600, on HomeGuide’s published ranges. This calculator narrows those bands to your own size, fuel and job, with every figure sourced.
This page is general information, not professional advice. It cannot see your house, your venting or your local code, and the only number that counts is a written quote from a licensed plumber who has looked at the job.
One line worth confirming rather than assuming: HomeGuide prices removal and disposal of the old unit at $75 to $500 and says most plumbers include it in the replacement estimate. Make sure yours does, in writing.
| Tank size | Installed cost |
|---|---|
| 30 gallon | $500 – $1,900 |
| 40 gallon | $600 – $3,000 |
| 50 gallon | $700 – $3,100 |
| 65 gallon | $900 – $3,400 |
| 75 gallon | $1,100 – $3,600 |
| 80 gallon | $1,200 – $4,000 |
Source: HomeGuide.
Figures last read from their sources on August 20, 2026.
Where every price on this page comes from
HomeGuide supplies the tank-size table, the add-on lines and the permit band; its companion HomeGuide labor guide supplies the type-and-fuel bands and the labor slices. NerdWallet is the second reading — including the Home Depot listed averages it reports — and Fixr is the third reading on tankless. Each was read first-hand on the date stamped above, and each is linked next to the figure it produced.
They do not agree exactly, and that is printed rather than smoothed over. On a tankless installation HomeGuide’s band tops out at $5,600, NerdWallet reads $1,400 to $3,900, and the Home Depot average it reports sits at $4,300. Averaging those into one number would invent a figure nobody published, so the tool shows the readings side by side instead.
Why there is no region slider
Because nobody publishes regional labor multipliers for this work, and a dropdown that quietly scaled your number by metro would be a made-up figure wearing a control’s clothing. What HomeGuide does publish is what each complication adds — code updates at $75 to $500, relocation at $500 to $2,500— so the tool prices the job’s shape and lets your local quotes place you inside the band. That is also why the bands are wide: they are national, honestly.
Tank or tankless, in one honest paragraph
The tank is cheaper today; the tankless unit lives longer and burns less energy. HomeGuide puts a tank’s life at 8 to 12years — up to 15 with maintenance — and a tankless unit’s at 15 to 20. On running costs it prices a gas tank at $250 to $420 a year against $220 to $480 for gas tankless, and an electric tank at $530 to $600 against $340 to $540for electric tankless. The bigger the household’s hot water appetite, the better the tankless arithmetic gets.
The permit is real, and it is local
HomeGuide prices water heater permits at $50 to $200 and NerdWallet at $25 to $300, but the real fee is set by your city’s building department — and so are the rules about who may pull it.
The deeper pages behind this tool: what four city permit offices actually publish, water heater repair costs by part, the tankless installation number itemized and whether to repair or replace at all.
Questions people ask about this
- How much should it cost to replace a water heater?
- HomeGuide publishes $600 to $3,100 installed for a standard tank and $1,400 to $5,600 for a tankless unit. NerdWallet reads $600 to $2,500 and $1,400 to $3,900 for the same jobs, and reports Home Depot's listed averages at $1,950 and $4,300. Your size, fuel and the job's complications decide where inside those bands you land — which is what this calculator prices.
- How much is a 50 gallon water heater installed?
- HomeGuide publishes $700 to $3,100 installed for a 50 gallon tank, the size it matches to a family of 3 to 4 people. The unit alone is $500 to $2,100 on its table; the rest is labor and materials.
- Why is a gas water heater more expensive to install than electric?
- The gas connection and the combustion venting. HomeGuide's labor table prices a gas tank job at $900 to $3,100 installed against $600 to $1,800 for electric, and first-time venting at $500 to $1,500 where a house needs it.
- Do I need a permit to replace a water heater?
- Commonly yes. HomeGuide prices the permit at $50 to $200 and NerdWallet at $25 to $300; the exact fee and rules are your city's. We wrote a full page on what four big-city permit offices actually publish.
- Does this calculator give me a quote?
- No. It gives you the published ranges for your configuration and shows what each add-on line does to them. Only a licensed plumber who has seen your house can quote your job, and you should get three of those in writing.
When you are ready for those three written quotes, these are the plumbers AI assistants actually name when homeowners ask. Nobody can pay to be on these lists.
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