How Much Does Window Replacement Cost?

Window replacement costs $450 to $1,500 per window installed for a standard double- or single-hung window, and most homeowners pay about $800 per window ^[2][3][4]. A typical whole-house job of 10 to 20 windows runs $4,300 to $32,000 depending on product tier, and premium full-service brands can push past $40,000. Prices last verified November 9, 2026.

Prices per window installed. Sources: [1], [2], [3], [4], [6]

Prices per window installed. Sources: [2], [3]

Prices per project. Sources: [1], [4], [7], [8], [18]

Cost breakdown

The headline range comes from four national price guides and one manufacturer. They agree on the shape of the market but not on the exact numbers, mostly because some quote installed prices and some quote the unit only.

Why they disagree: This Old House’s $517 is an average of collected quotes, and its average project was only about seven windows ^[5]. Pella’s figures reflect its own dealer-installed product, which starts at $800 for vinyl ^[1]. The Cost vs. Value number is a fully specified upscale job (ten 3-by-5-foot double-hung windows with low-E glass, simulated divided-light grilles, a custom exterior color and exterior trim matched to the existing house), so it lands far above the others ^[9]. We treat $450 to $1,500 as the range for a normal replacement and $800 as typical, since three of the five averages fall between $750 and $900.

By frame material

The combined ranges in the table above the article take the median of each source’s low and high. Angi’s material figures are noticeably lower than the rest; they match Bob Vila’s table, which Bob Vila labels as materials only ^[20], so treat Angi’s low ends as unit prices rather than installed prices. No guide we checked publishes a generic “wood-clad” range, so we used HomeGuide’s installed prices for Andersen’s 200 and 400 Series, which are clad-wood windows, at $450 to $3,000 ^[6].

By window style

Pella notes that hung windows fall at the low end of its ranges, while casement, awning and sliding windows often cost more because of their hardware ^[1]. A fixed picture window is the baseline because it has no moving parts ^[21].

Insert vs. full-frame replacement

This choice moves the price more than most homeowners expect.

• Insert (pocket) replacement slides a new window into the existing frame. Interior trim and exterior siding stay put. Labor runs about $100 to $300 per window ^[4][20]. Retail “pocket frame replacement” units are sold for exactly this job; a JELD-WEN V-2500 double-hung vinyl pocket window (35.75 by 53.5 inches, low-E) listed at $284.10 at Home Depot on our check date ^[18].
• Full-frame replacement removes everything down to the rough opening, so the installer can inspect for rot and re-flash the opening ^[21]. Angi and Bob Vila both put full-frame work at $180 to $1,500 per window ^[4][20], and Pella says it costs more because of the added labor and materials ^[21].

Choose insert when the existing frames are square and solid. Choose full-frame when you see soft wood, water stains below the sill, or you want to change the window size. Changing the opening size also triggers a permit, which HomeGuide prices at $50 to $200 ^[3].

Labor vs. materials

Fixr estimates labor at about 30% of the total cost ^[2], while This Old House says labor can be almost half of a full-service brand’s price ^[23]. Window installers typically bill $50 to $65 per hour ^[4]. For context, carpenters, the BLS category closest to window installers, earned a median of $29.12 per hour in May 2025 ^[19]; the gap covers insurance, vehicles, overhead, and profit. Dividing Fixr’s $150 to $300 per-window labor figure ^[7] by Angi’s $50 to $65 hourly rate ^[4] implies about 2.3 to 6 billed labor hours per window, which matches a two-person crew doing a handful of insert windows a day.

Cost to install vinyl windows

Vinyl is the most common replacement frame, and it has the widest price spread. Fixr puts installed vinyl at $350 to $800 per window, averaging $575 ^[7]. Pella’s 2026 range for its vinyl lines is $800 to $1,600 ^[1], and HomeGuide’s runs $200 to $1,500 ^[3]. The difference is product tier and channel: a stock-size big-box unit with an independent installer sits at the bottom, a dealer-installed mid-grade vinyl in the middle, and custom-color, full-trim upscale vinyl at the top ($2,207 per window in the Cost vs. Value project) ^[8][9]. Fixr notes that custom sizes can cost up to 50% more than stock units ^[7].

Cost by brand tier

This Old House’s 2026 survey found Pella quotes averaged $556 per window and Champion $559, close to its $517 all-brand average ^[23]. Brand ranges overlap heavily because each brand sells several lines. Get the series name and the full spec sheet on every quote so you compare like with like.

Whole-house cost

Our tier figures come from cited inputs:

• Big-box vinyl insert, $434 to $784 per window: the $284 Home Depot unit ^[18] plus $100 to $300 insert labor ^[4] plus $50 to $200 disposal ^[7].
• Dealer vinyl or fiberglass, $800 to $1,600 per window: Pella’s vinyl range ^[1].
• Upscale vinyl, $2,207 per window: the 2025 Cost vs. Value national job cost of $22,073 divided by its 10 windows ^[8][9].

These line up with the aggregators: HomeGuide shows $4,500 to $15,000 for 10 windows and $9,000 to $30,000 for 20 ^[3], and Fixr shows $4,950 to $24,000 for 11 to 20 windows ^[2]. Angi’s tighter bands ($6,000 to $9,000 for 8 to 12 windows) reflect its lower per-window average ^[4].

Regional differences

The Cost vs. Value report prices the same 10-window upscale vinyl job in each metro. Comparing each city’s job cost to the $22,073 national figure gives a usable cost index, which we applied to the $800 typical per-window price.

Each city page lists three job-cost figures without column labels; the last always equals the national average, and we read the first as the city figure. Coastal hurricane zones are a separate case: impact windows run $400 to $1,200 each per HomeGuide ^[3], while Angi says a simple impact single-hung in Florida starts around $1,200 to $1,500 ^[4]. Expect the higher figure for code-compliant impact units.

Energy savings and payback

ENERGY STAR modeled a 2,376 sq ft two-story house with window area equal to 15% of floor area and found these annual savings from replacing every window with Version 7.0 certified units ^[14][15]:

ENERGY STAR’s consumer page summarizes this as average savings of up to 13% when replacing single-pane windows ^[22].

Our payback calculation. Fifteen percent of 2,376 sq ft is about 356 sq ft of glass. At 15 sq ft per window (the 3-by-5-foot size in the Cost vs. Value project ^[9]), that is about 24 windows. Simple payback equals whole-house cost divided by annual savings:

The $610 big-box figure is the midpoint of our $434 to $784 tier; $1,200 is the midpoint of Pella’s vinyl range ^[1]. This ignores energy price inflation, which would shorten payback somewhat.

Adding resale value changes the picture. The 2025 Cost vs. Value report says the 10-window vinyl job recoups $16,657 of its $22,073 cost at sale, 75.5%, leaving a net cost of $5,416 ^[8]. Ten 15 sq ft windows are about 42% of the model home’s 356 sq ft of glass, so we scale ENERGY STAR’s savings by 0.42. Against $239 a year (Northern, single-pane), the net cost pays back in about 23 years; against $119 a year (Northern, double-pane), about 46 years. The takeaway: replace windows that are failing, drafty, rotted or single-pane, and treat energy savings as a bonus rather than the reason.

Federal tax credit status for 2026

The Section 25C Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit no longer applies. The IRS states that under the 2025 budget law (Public Law 119-21), “the credit will not be allowed for any property placed in service after December 31, 2025” ^[16]. Windows installed in 2026 do not qualify, regardless of their ENERGY STAR rating.

If your windows were installed by December 31, 2025, you can still claim the credit on your 2025 return: 30% of the cost, capped at $600 a year for windows and skylights, and the windows had to meet ENERGY STAR Most Efficient requirements ^[17]. Be wary of any 2026 sales pitch that promises a federal window tax credit. Local utility rebates are a separate matter, so check your utility’s website before you sign.

Hidden costs to budget for

• Rot repair under the sill, found once the old window comes out. Full-frame jobs expose more of it ^[21].
• Siding and drywall patching after full-frame work: Bob Vila cites $214 to $1,468 for siding repair and $250 to $765 for drywall ^[20]. If siding is due anyway, coordinate with a siding replacement so the new windows are flashed into the new wall.
• Screens, grilles and color upgrades. Screens run $70 to $200 per window when not included ^[20].
• Lead-safe work practices in pre-1978 homes. Ask whether the crew is EPA RRP certified; containment adds time.
• Upper-story access that needs ladders or lifts, which Pella says raises labor estimates ^[21].

Ways to save

1. Replace in batches. Mobilization is a fixed cost, and NerdWallet notes that replacing at least five windows can cut the per-window installation cost substantially ^[24].
2. Choose insert installs where frames are sound. That alone can save several hundred dollars per window ^[4].
3. Stick to stock sizes and white vinyl. Custom sizes can cost up to 50% more ^[7].
4. Skip the glass package you do not need. In mild southern climates, the ENERGY STAR data show smaller savings from replacing double-pane windows, so triple-pane rarely pays ^[14].
5. Get three quotes across tiers, including one big-box installer and one local dealer, before talking to a full-service brand.

How to compare quotes

A good quote names the manufacturer and series, frame material, glass package (U-factor and SHGC), install method (insert or full-frame), interior and exterior trim work, disposal, permit, and both the product warranty and the installer’s labor warranty. Ask whether the price is per window or per opening; a bay or mulled pair can count as one opening but cost as much as three windows. Be cautious of in-home presentations with “today only” discounts; compare the final per-window price against the tier table above. If a door is also on your list, see our sliding patio door replacement cost guide, since many installers will bundle the two.