Fence Installation Cost Calculator
Fence Installation costs $4,450 to $6,725 for a typical 150 linear ft job in 2026, against a national benchmark of $5,425. Labor runs 19.8 crew hours at $40.06 an hour. Enter a ZIP code to apply that area's measured wages for this work and its regional price level.
What makes up the price
Cost by size
National averages, before any local adjustment. Computed from the same model as the calculator above, so the two always agree.
| Length of fence | Linear feet | Typical | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 80 linear ft | 80 | $3,200 | $2,625 to $3,975 |
| 120 linear ft | 120 | $4,475 | $3,675 to $5,550 |
| 150 linear ft | 150 | $5,425 | $4,450 to $6,725 |
| 200 linear ft | 200 | $7,000 | $5,750 to $8,675 |
| 260 linear ft | 260 | $8,900 | $7,300 to $11,025 |
What a fence actually costs by material
The run is measured in linear feet, and all four materials are built the same way: a hole every eight feet, two bags of concrete, a post that has to be plumb and in line with the one before it. What differs is what gets stretched between them, and how fast it goes up.
| Material | Typical installed | Lasts | Upkeep |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chain link | $25 / ft | 20–30 years | None to speak of |
| Wood | $36 / ft | 15–20 years | Stain or seal every 2–3 years |
| Vinyl | $50 / ft | 25–30 years | Wash it occasionally |
| Aluminum | $57 / ft | 30+ years | None |
Those are for a 150 foot run on flat ground with one gate. A shorter run costs more per foot — layout, utility locating and getting the first post right happen once, so 60 feet of the same fence comes to around $43 a foot.
Wood
The default, and the one most people picture. Pressure-treated pine is cheap, it can be built to any height and line, and it is the only one of the four a homeowner can repair a section of with a trip to the hardware store.
The cost is upkeep. Left alone it goes gray and then it goes soft, and boards start cupping and splitting within a few seasons. Staining or sealing every two to three years is what makes the difference between fifteen years and twenty-five, and almost nobody does it on schedule.
Cedar costs roughly 50% more than pressure-treated pine and lasts longer without treatment. If the fence is going somewhere visible, it is usually the better buy.
Vinyl
Around 40% more than wood, and it genuinely never needs painting. The things to know: cheap vinyl becomes brittle in cold and chalky in sun, a cracked panel cannot be patched the way a board can, and it depends on the posts being set precisely because the panels drop into routed slots rather than being fastened wherever they land.
Over twenty years it is usually the cheaper fence. Over five it is not.
Chain link
The cheapest by a wide margin and the most honest about what it is: a boundary and a barrier, not a screen. It needs no maintenance, it lasts decades, and nobody has ever liked looking at it.
Worth knowing that galvanized and vinyl-coated are different products — the coated version costs around 30% more, is far less visually obtrusive in black or green, and is what most residential chain link should be.
Aluminum
Ornamental fence for pools, front yards and anywhere the view matters more than the privacy. It will not rust, it needs nothing doing to it, and most residential pool codes are written around what it provides.
It gives no privacy at all, which is the whole point and also the limitation.
The ground is what moves the quote
A contractor quoting from a photograph is quoting flat soil. The two things that change the job most are what the auger hits and which way the land runs.
- Flat and clear. The baseline. An auger goes through it.
- Sloped. Panels are either stepped down in stages, leaving triangular gaps underneath, or racked to follow the ground, which costs more and only works with some materials. Around 15% more.
- Rocky, or steep enough to need hand digging. Around 30% more, and it is the one honest reason a quote comes in high.
Buried services are the other one. Call 811 before anybody digs — it is free, it is the law in every state, and hitting a gas line or a fiber run with a post auger is a very expensive afternoon.
Where the line goes
This is the section worth reading twice, because it is the mistake that cannot be undone cheaply.
Find the property line before you build. Not the old fence, not the hedge, not where the neighbor says it is. A fence built even a foot over the line can be ordered removed years later, and the cost of being wrong is the whole fence plus a lawsuit. A survey is $400 to $800 and it is the cheapest insurance on this page.
Then:
- Check the setback. Many jurisdictions require a fence to sit a few inches to a few feet inside the line.
- Check the height limit. Six feet in a back yard and four at the front is common, and front-yard limits are enforced.
- Check the HOA before the city. They are often stricter, and approval takes weeks.
- Talk to the neighbor. You are not obliged to, and it costs nothing. Some states have fence laws that let a shared boundary fence be split; most disputes start with a surprise.
Which side faces out
Convention — and in some places, code — puts the finished side facing your neighbor and the posts and rails facing you. Shadowbox or board-on-board fencing looks the same from both sides and costs around 20% more, which is often worth it on a boundary you both look at.
Gates
A gate is the moving part in something otherwise static, and it is the part that fails first. It needs heavier posts either side, diagonal bracing, and hardware that will take a few thousand cycles.
A walk gate adds around 6% to a 150 foot fence and a drive gate more. It is worth asking what hinges and latch are included: the difference between $15 hardware and $60 hardware is a gate that still closes properly in three years.
Questions worth asking
- Is the permit included, and who pulls it?
- How deep are the posts set, and in what? Below the frost line, in concrete, is the answer you want.
- Is 811 being called, and when?
- Which way does the finished side face?
- What happens where the ground slopes — stepped or racked?
- Is removal of the old fence and disposal included?
- What hardware is on the gate?
Common questions
How much does a fence cost to install?
Around $36 a linear foot for a 6 ft wood privacy fence, so about $5,425 for a 150 foot run, with most jobs falling between $4,450 and $6,725. Chain link is around $25 a foot, vinyl $50 and aluminum $57. Sloping or rocky ground adds 15 to 30%.
What is the cheapest type of fence?
Chain link, by a wide margin — around $25 a linear foot installed against $36 for wood. It needs no maintenance and lasts decades. What it does not do is provide any privacy or look like anything, which is why most people who can afford wood buy wood.
Is vinyl fencing worth the extra cost?
Over twenty years, usually. It is around 40% more than wood up front and then needs nothing beyond occasional washing, where wood needs staining every two to three years to reach its full life. Over five years it is not worth it. The things to check are that the vinyl is not the brittle cheap grade, and that the installer sets posts precisely — panels drop into routed slots rather than being fastened where they land.
How much does a fence cost per linear foot?
On a 150 foot run: $25 for chain link, $36 for wood, $50 for vinyl and $57 for aluminum. Shorter runs cost more per foot — layout, utility locating and setting the first post happen once, so 60 feet of the same wood fence is around $43 a foot.
Do I need a permit to build a fence?
In most jurisdictions yes, commonly $50 to $400 depending on height. Check the HOA before the city, since they are often stricter and slower. Height limits — typically six feet at the back and four at the front — are enforced, and a fence built over them can be ordered cut down.
How do I know where my property line is?
A survey, which costs $400 to $800 and is the cheapest insurance on this page. Not the old fence, not the hedge, and not where a neighbor says it is. A fence built a foot over the line can be ordered removed years later, and the cost of being wrong is the whole fence plus a dispute.
Which side of the fence faces the neighbor?
Convention, and in some places code, puts the finished side outward — the posts and rails face you. Shadowbox or board-on-board fencing looks the same from both sides and costs around 20% more, which is often worth it on a boundary you both have to look at.
How deep should fence posts be set?
A third of the post length and below the local frost line, in concrete, with gravel underneath for drainage. In most of the US that means a hole two to three feet deep. Posts that are too shallow heave in the first hard winter and the fence starts leaning, which cannot be fixed without digging them out again.
Why does sloping ground cost more?
Because the fence has to be either stepped down in stages — which leaves triangular gaps underneath — or racked to follow the ground, which takes longer and only works with some materials. It adds around 15%, and rock or a slope steep enough to need hand digging adds about 30%.
How long does a fence last?
Chain link and vinyl 25 to 30 years, aluminum 30 or more, and wood 15 to 20 — but wood's number depends almost entirely on whether it gets stained or sealed every two to three years. Left alone it goes gray, then soft, and the boards cup and split. Almost nobody does it on schedule, which is why most wood fences land at the bottom of that range.
Where these numbers come from
Nothing here is copied from a contractor directory. Labor is priced from what the trades are actually paid, materials from published producer prices, and both are adjusted to your area using federal cost-of-living data.
- All other specialty trade contractors, United States: $40.06/hour, August 2026 (BLS CES CES2023899003)
- Pressure-treated wood fence: $14.00 per linear foot (price recorded October 2026, not index-adjusted)
- Concrete, gravel and fixings: $2.20 per linear foot (price recorded October 2026, not index-adjusted)