Repiping Cost Calculator 2026 — PEX vs Copper vs CPVC
Estimate a whole-house repipe by bathrooms, stories, pipe and foundation. A two-bath PEX repipe runs $4,000–$7,500 (Plumbing Price Guide, March 2026).
Whole-House Repiping Cost Calculator
Prices follow bathroom count; the square footage beside each option is the typical home size for it.
On a slab the new lines usually run through the attic and walls instead of under the floor.
Adjusts the labor share by local construction wages (BLS, May 2025).
homeprojectestimator.com · · https://homeprojectestimator.com/calculators/repiping-cost/
Estimated repiping cost
$6,000
Typical range $4,100 – $7,900
Cost per bathroom
$3,000.00
Where the money goes
- PEX repipe, 2 bathrooms, installed (materials + labor) Single-story house, full range$4,000 – $7,500
- Plumbing permit $100 – $400
National average. Pick your state and metro area to adjust the labor share (about 50% of this job) to local wages. Get three written quotes before you commit to a budget.
Installed prices by bathroom count from Plumbing Price Guide (March 2026), checked against Bob Vila (2025); slab premium and labor share from East Coast Plumbing.
How to use this calculator
A repipe replaces the water supply lines — the pressurized hot and cold pipes from the main shutoff to every fixture. Drain and sewer lines are a different job and are not included. The inputs follow what the sources price separately.
- Bathrooms. The number of bathrooms is the best proxy for how much pipe the job needs, because each one adds a branch to a toilet, a sink and a shower or tub. The square footage next to each option is the home size the source pairs with that bathroom count; if your house is larger than typical for its bathroom count, expect the upper end.
- Stories. A second floor means vertical runs inside walls and more openings to reach them. The source says multi-story layouts land toward the higher end of each range, so the calculator uses the upper half for two or more stories.
- Pipe material. PEX is flexible plastic tubing joined with crimp or expansion fittings. CPVC is rigid plastic joined with solvent cement. Copper is rigid metal joined by soldering. See the comparison below.
- Foundation. Over a crawlspace or unfinished basement the plumber can run the main lines under the floor. On a slab, lines usually go through the attic and drop down the walls, which adds labor and openings.
- Drywall repair. Tick it if the plumbing quote leaves the wall openings for someone else to close.
- Permit. Leave it on unless your building department says a repipe is exempt.
- State. Adjusts the labor part of the price to local construction wages.
Repiping cost in 2026
By bathrooms and pipe material
| Home | PEX | Copper |
|---|---|---|
| 1 bathroom (under 1,200 sq ft) | $2,500 – $5,000 | $4,500 – $8,000 |
| 2 bathrooms (1,200–1,800 sq ft) | $4,000 – $7,500 | $6,000 – $11,000 |
| 3 bathrooms (1,800–2,500 sq ft) | $6,000 – $10,000 | $8,000 – $15,000 |
| 4+ bathrooms (2,500+ sq ft) | $8,000 – $14,000 | $12,000 – $20,000+ |
Source: Plumbing Price Guide, Repiping Cost (2026 Pricing Guide), last updated March 2026.
Plumbing Price Guide puts whole-house CPVC at $4,500–$11,000 against $4,000–$10,000 for PEX, and East Coast Plumbing, a Pennsylvania contractor, says CPVC runs roughly 25% above PEX installed. The calculator prices CPVC at 10–25% above the PEX row for the same house. Family Handyman, by contrast, quotes a plumber who calls CPVC slightly cheaper than PEX in materials — the difference is small either way.
Cross-checks
| Source | Home | PEX | Copper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bob Vila, July 2025 | two-bath, 1,500 sq ft | $4,000 – $6,000 | $8,000 – $10,000 |
| PlumberCalc, 2026 | two-bath | $4,000 – $8,000 | $8,000 – $15,000 |
| Bob Vila, April 2023 | national, all homes | $1,500 – $15,000 (average $7,500) | — |
Sources: Bob Vila, PEX vs. Copper, updated July 23, 2025; PlumberCalc, Cost to Repipe a House (2026); Bob Vila, How Much Does It Cost to Repipe a House?, updated April 24, 2023.
The copper figures disagree more than the PEX figures: Bob Vila's two-bath copper range starts at $8,000, while Plumbing Price Guide's starts at $6,000. For a two-bath, one-story house the calculator's copper estimate is about $8,750, inside both.
Pipe prices per foot
| Material | Per linear foot |
|---|---|
| PEX | $0.40 – $2 |
| CPVC | $0.50 – $1 |
| Copper | $2 – $8 |
Source: Bob Vila, How Much Does It Cost to Repipe a House?, updated April 24, 2023.
Pipe itself is a small part of a repipe. East Coast Plumbing puts installed copper at $5–$10 per linear foot against $1.50–$3.50 for PEX — the gap is mostly labor.
What drives the price
- Number of fixtures. Every bathroom, kitchen, laundry and hose bib is another branch. East Coast Plumbing prices fixture connections at $150–$350 each.
- Material. Copper costs roughly twice what PEX does for the same house on Bob Vila's figures, because each joint is soldered and rigid pipe needs more fittings.
- Foundation and access. A slab adds $2,000–$4,000 on a 1,500 sq ft home (East Coast Plumbing); an unfinished basement is the cheapest layout to repipe and a finished basement adds openings in the ceiling.
- Stories. Vertical runs through finished walls on a second floor push a quote toward the top of its range.
- Wall finish. Plaster is slower to open and patch than drywall; drywall repair alone is $1,000–$3,000 according to Plumbing Price Guide.
- Labor rates. Labor is 40–60% of most repipe quotes (East Coast Plumbing). This Old House puts the national average plumber rate at about $100 an hour.
Cost breakdown
- Repipe, installed (materials + labor). New supply lines from the main shutoff to each fixture, shutoff valves at fixtures, connections to the water heater, pressure testing and removal or abandonment of the old lines. The sources price this as one installed figure, so the calculator does not split it into materials and labor.
- Slab rerouting — only for slab foundations.
- Drywall repair and paint — only when ticked.
- Plumbing permit — $100–$400.
Not included: a new water heater, the main service line from the street to the house, drain and vent pipes, fixture replacement, and any mold or water-damage repair found behind walls. This Old House lists slab leak repair at $500–$4,000 and water damage repair at $1,000 to over $10,000 — costs that sometimes prompt a repipe but are separate jobs.
Prices by state and metro area
The calculator treats half of the cost as labor (the middle of East Coast Plumbing's 40–60%) and scales that half by the state's construction wage index from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Pipe and fittings stay at national prices.
For the default job — two bathrooms, one story, PEX, crawlspace, permit, no drywall — the national estimate is about $6,000:
| State | Wage index | Adjustment | Typical estimate |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | 1.23 | +11.5% | about $6,700 |
| California | 1.20 | +10% | about $6,600 |
| Texas | 0.84 | −8% | about $5,500 |
| Mississippi | 0.78 | −11% | about $5,350 |
Metro areas spread wider than states. With the default settings, this estimate is $6,000 at the national average, $6,800 in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area and $5,550 in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL (BLS construction wage index 1.26 and 0.85). Pick your metro area under the state to use the local figure.
Signs you need a repipe
- Galvanized steel supply lines, typical of older houses, which corrode from the inside and narrow over time.
- Polybutylene (gray plastic) supply pipe.
- Repeated pinhole leaks in copper — one repair is a repair; a pattern is a repipe.
- Low pressure at every fixture, not just one.
- Rusty or discolored water when a tap is first opened.
Our plumbing cost guide covers individual repairs, water heaters and sewer work if a full repipe is more than you need.
Repair or repipe?
A single leak in otherwise sound pipe is a repair. The case for a repipe builds when leaks recur in different places, when the pipe material itself is the problem (galvanized, polybutylene), or when you are already opening walls for a remodel. Doing the repipe during a kitchen or bathroom renovation removes most of the drywall line, because the walls are open anyway.
PEX, CPVC or copper?
- PEX is the cheapest installed and the fastest to run, uses fewer joints, and tolerates freezing better than copper because it can expand (Bob Vila).
- CPVC is rigid and glued, needs no flame, and some solvent joints need hours to cure before the system is pressurized (Family Handyman).
- Copper has the longest track record — 50–70 years on Bob Vila's figures, 70–100 on Plumbing Price Guide's — and costs the most.
How to compare repipe quotes
- Confirm the quote covers every fixture and the water heater connections.
- Ask whether drywall patching is included, and to what finish.
- Ask how they will route lines on a slab — attic, walls, or under the slab.
- Check who pulls the permit and whether the pressure test is inspected.
- Compare quotes on the same material; a copper bid and a PEX bid are not comparable.
Sources
- Plumbing Price Guide, Repiping Cost (2026 Pricing Guide) — installed repipe by bathroom count for PEX and copper, CPVC whole-house range, drywall $1,000–$3,000, permit $100–$400, multi-story at the high end, lifespans (last updated March 2026). link
- Bob Vila, PEX vs. Copper: Which Pipes Are Best for Your Plumbing Project? — two-bath, 1,500 sq ft repipe totals, lifespans, freezing (updated July 23, 2025). link
- Bob Vila, How Much Does It Cost to Repipe a House? — national range $1,500–$15,000, per-foot pipe prices, plumbing permits $50–$500 (updated April 24, 2023). link
- East Coast Plumbing, Whole-House Repiping Cost: What Drives the Price in PA Homes — slab premium $2,000–$4,000, CPVC about 25% above PEX, labor 40–60%, per-connection and per-foot installed prices (contractor page, Pennsylvania). link
- PlumberCalc, Cost to Repipe a House (2026) — two-bath PEX and copper ranges, drywall $1,000–$3,000. link
- Family Handyman, What Is CPVC Pipe? Everything to Know — CPVC cost relative to PEX, lifespan, glue cure time (updated June 6, 2024). link
- This Old House, Plumbing Cost Guide — plumber rate about $100 an hour, slab leak and water damage ranges (updated June 6, 2026). link
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 — state construction wage index. link
Related
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to repipe a house in 2026?
Most whole-house repipes cost $2,500–$20,000, and bathroom count is the best single predictor. Plumbing Price Guide (March 2026) puts PEX at $2,500–$5,000 for one bathroom, $4,000–$7,500 for two, $6,000–$10,000 for three and $8,000–$14,000 for four or more. With a permit, this calculator's two-bath PEX default comes to about $6,000.
Is PEX or copper cheaper for repiping?
PEX, by a wide margin. Bob Vila prices an average two-bath, 1,500 sq ft home at $4,000–$6,000 with PEX against $8,000–$10,000 with copper (July 2025). PEX runs in long flexible lengths with few joints; copper needs a soldered fitting at every turn, which is where most of the extra labor goes.
Does a slab foundation make repiping more expensive?
Yes. Under a slab there is no crawlspace or basement to run pipe through, so a repipe normally reroutes the supply lines through the attic and down the walls. East Coast Plumbing estimates a slab repipe on a 1,500 sq ft home at $2,000–$4,000 more than the same job over a basement or crawlspace.
Is drywall repair included in a repipe quote?
Often not. Plumbers cut openings to reach fixtures and close them only roughly, if at all. Plumbing Price Guide says to budget $1,000–$3,000 for a drywall contractor and notes the work is almost always billed separately; PlumberCalc gives the same $1,000–$3,000 for patch, texture and paint. Ask every bidder whether patching is in the price.
How long do PEX, copper and CPVC pipes last?
Sources disagree. Bob Vila gives copper 50–70 years and PEX 30–50 years, saying copper outlasts PEX by about 20 years. Plumbing Price Guide gives PEX 40–50+ years, copper 70–100 years and CPVC 25–40 years, while Family Handyman expects 50–70 years from CPVC. Water chemistry and installation quality matter more than any single figure.
Do I need a permit to repipe my house?
In most places, yes — replacing the water distribution system is plumbing work that building departments inspect. Plumbing Price Guide puts whole-house repipe permits at $100–$400 depending on the jurisdiction; Bob Vila gives a wider $50–$500 for plumbing permits generally. A permitted repipe also leaves a record that helps when the house is sold.