Planning Tool
What a water heater actually costs
Pick the type, the household size, and the kind of job. You will get a realistic installed range in a few seconds — plus the specific things about your setup that would move the number.
Estimated installed range
$2,000 – $3,050
Gas tank · 50 gallon
This is a planning ballpark, not a quote. What actually moves the number is the condition of the existing connections, venting, gas or electrical capacity, and code requirements where you live. We give you a firm price before any work starts.
What moves the number
A water heater is one of the few jobs where the box on the truck is the cheap part. Almost all of the spread between a low quote and a high one comes from these five things — which is why an honest price comes from someone standing in your basement, not from a form.
- The condition of what is already there
- Corroded shutoffs, undersized supply lines, and a flue that no longer meets code all get corrected during a replacement. On an older install that is a real share of the labor.
- Gas and electrical capacity
- A tankless unit typically needs a larger gas line than a tank did, and a hybrid needs a dedicated circuit with the right breaker. Neither is exotic, but both are priced on what your house actually has.
- Venting
- Switching between atmospheric, power-vent, and direct-vent equipment changes the venting path. This is the single most common reason two quotes for "the same" water heater differ.
- Code and permits
- Expansion tanks, drain pans, sediment traps, and seismic or seal requirements vary by jurisdiction. We pull the permit where one is required.
- Water quality
- Hard water scales a tank bottom or a tankless heat exchanger and is the reason a lot of units die early. Worth solving at the same time rather than twice.
No hot water right now?
Skip the estimator and call. Dispatch is live 24 hours a day and there is no extra charge for nights, weekends, or holidays.