This report aggregates the NailThePrice cost matrix — 91 home improvement projects across 289 U.S. cities (26,299 project-city price points in total) — into a single statistical overview. Numbers are derived from Bureau of Labor Statistics trade wage data, U.S. Census Bureau cost-of-living indices, NOAA climate zone classifications, and municipal permit schedules. Bloggers, journalists, and researchers are welcome to cite this page; a copy-ready citation appears at the bottom.
The headline numbers from this year's index. Each card links to the underlying project or city page.
Average project cost across all 90 projects, compared to the national mean. Click a city to see the full local pricing breakdown.
| Rank | City | State | Avg Project Cost | vs National |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | NY | $8,800 | +37.1% |
| 2 | San Francisco | CA | $8,600 | +33.8% |
| 3 | San Jose | CA | $8,500 | +32.7% |
| 4 | Honolulu | HI | $8,400 | +31.2% |
| 5 | Kailua | HI | $8,400 | +30.8% |
| 6 | Cambridge | MA | $8,400 | +30.5% |
| 7 | Pearl City | HI | $8,300 | +28.9% |
| 8 | Irvine | CA | $8,300 | +28.9% |
| 9 | Fremont | CA | $8,200 | +28.6% |
| 10 | Yonkers | NY | $8,200 | +28.2% |
The lowest-cost cities in our index for the same 90-project basket.
| Rank | City | State | Avg Project Cost | vs National |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huntington | WV | $5,400 | -15.6% |
| 2 | Fort Smith | AR | $5,500 | -14.2% |
| 3 | Jackson | MS | $5,500 | -14.2% |
| 4 | Gulfport | MS | $5,600 | -12.9% |
| 5 | Evansville | IN | $5,600 | -12.9% |
| 6 | Fort Wayne | IN | $5,600 | -12.9% |
| 7 | Charleston | WV | $5,600 | -12.9% |
| 8 | Southaven | MS | $5,600 | -12.8% |
| 9 | Topeka | KS | $5,600 | -12.8% |
| 10 | Springfield | MO | $5,600 | -12.8% |
Where you live matters most for these projects. Spread is the ratio of the most expensive city to the cheapest.
| Project | Cheapest City | Most Expensive City | Spread |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unclog a Main Sewer Line | Huntington, WV $360 | New York, NY $660 | 1.83x |
| Install an Electrical Outlet | Huntington, WV $170 | New York, NY $310 | 1.82x |
| Fix a Slab Leak | Huntington, WV $2,810 | New York, NY $5,100 | 1.81x |
| Refinish Hardwood Floors | Huntington, WV $2,250 | New York, NY $4,080 | 1.81x |
| Remove a Wall | Huntington, WV $2,010 | New York, NY $3,640 | 1.81x |
| Install an Outdoor Outlet | Huntington, WV $280 | New York, NY $500 | 1.79x |
| Paint a House Exterior | Huntington, WV $2,840 | New York, NY $5,040 | 1.77x |
| Wire a Hot Tub | Huntington, WV $1,460 | New York, NY $2,590 | 1.77x |
| Paint Interior Rooms | Huntington, WV $1,460 | New York, NY $2,590 | 1.77x |
| Rewire a House | Huntington, WV $6,900 | New York, NY $12,230 | 1.77x |
Average local cost across all 90 projects, grouped by climate. Cold-climate cities carry a labor and weather-window premium; freeze-protection and shorter build seasons drive the gap.
All 50 states ranked by the average project cost across cities we sample in that state.
| Rank | State | Abbr. | Avg Project Cost | Cities Sampled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawaii | HI | $8,300 | 3 |
| 2 | District of Columbia | DC | $8,000 | 1 |
| 3 | Alaska | AK | $8,000 | 3 |
| 4 | California | CA | $7,600 | 18 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | MA | $7,400 | 5 |
| 6 | New Jersey | NJ | $7,400 | 5 |
| 7 | Washington | WA | $7,300 | 9 |
| 8 | Maryland | MD | $7,300 | 5 |
| 9 | Connecticut | CT | $7,000 | 4 |
| 10 | New York | NY | $6,900 | 6 |
| 11 | Colorado | CO | $6,800 | 8 |
| 12 | Oregon | OR | $6,700 | 7 |
| 13 | Virginia | VA | $6,700 | 7 |
| 14 | Vermont | VT | $6,700 | 2 |
| 15 | New Hampshire | NH | $6,700 | 3 |
| 16 | Rhode Island | RI | $6,700 | 3 |
| 17 | Minnesota | MN | $6,500 | 24 |
| 18 | Illinois | IL | $6,500 | 9 |
| 19 | Georgia | GA | $6,500 | 8 |
| 20 | Nevada | NV | $6,500 | 4 |
| 21 | Florida | FL | $6,400 | 15 |
| 22 | Delaware | DE | $6,400 | 3 |
| 23 | Arizona | AZ | $6,400 | 11 |
| 24 | Utah | UT | $6,300 | 5 |
| 25 | Maine | ME | $6,300 | 3 |
| 26 | New Mexico | NM | $6,300 | 2 |
| 27 | Pennsylvania | PA | $6,200 | 5 |
| 28 | Idaho | ID | $6,200 | 4 |
| 29 | Texas | TX | $6,200 | 20 |
| 30 | North Carolina | NC | $6,200 | 8 |
| 31 | Wisconsin | WI | $6,100 | 5 |
| 32 | Montana | MT | $6,100 | 3 |
| 33 | South Carolina | SC | $6,100 | 3 |
| 34 | Michigan | MI | $6,100 | 9 |
| 35 | Wyoming | WY | $6,000 | 2 |
| 36 | Indiana | IN | $6,000 | 5 |
| 37 | Kentucky | KY | $6,000 | 2 |
| 38 | Kansas | KS | $5,900 | 4 |
| 39 | Tennessee | TN | $5,900 | 6 |
| 40 | South Dakota | SD | $5,900 | 2 |
| 41 | Louisiana | LA | $5,900 | 4 |
| 42 | Missouri | MO | $5,900 | 4 |
| 43 | North Dakota | ND | $5,900 | 3 |
| 44 | Nebraska | NE | $5,900 | 2 |
| 45 | Ohio | OH | $5,800 | 6 |
| 46 | Iowa | IA | $5,800 | 3 |
| 47 | Oklahoma | OK | $5,800 | 3 |
| 48 | Alabama | AL | $5,800 | 5 |
| 49 | Arkansas | AR | $5,700 | 3 |
| 50 | Mississippi | MS | $5,500 | 3 |
| 51 | West Virginia | WV | $5,500 | 2 |
Top 10 cities by average permit cost across permit-required projects. Cities flagged in red have permits that exceed 10% of average project cost.
| Rank | City | State | Avg Permit Cost | Permit % of Project |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | NY | $500 | 2.9% |
| 2 | San Jose | CA | $400 | 2.9% |
| 3 | San Francisco | CA | $400 | 2.9% |
| 4 | Honolulu | HI | $400 | 2.9% |
| 5 | Kailua | HI | $400 | 2.9% |
| 6 | Cambridge | MA | $400 | 2.8% |
| 7 | Pearl City | HI | $400 | 2.9% |
| 8 | Irvine | CA | $400 | 2.9% |
| 9 | Fremont | CA | $400 | 2.9% |
| 10 | Los Angeles | CA | $400 | 2.8% |
Labor rates are derived from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics for the relevant trades — electricians, plumbers, HVAC mechanics, carpenters, roofers, and general construction laborers. Each city carries a labor multiplier indexed against the national mean wage for those occupations in that metro area.
Cost-of-living indices are derived from U.S. Census Bureau data on regional price parities and metro-level housing and goods costs. We apply this index to the material side of every project (with a 30% material-side scaling), which reflects how local goods, fuel, and disposal costs flow through to a real installed price.
Climate zone classifications follow NOAA climate region groupings (cold / hot / mild / semi-arid). Permit fees are scaled per-city using the cost-of-living index against published municipal permit schedules we maintain in data/permit_data.json. For the full data dictionary, source list, and update cadence, see /methodology/.
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