What Should I Charge for Window Installation? (2026 Contractor Pricing Guide)
Short answer
Most window installers charge about $630 to $1,170 per window to supply and install a standard vinyl replacement window, roughly $950 to $1,760 for a full-frame new-construction install, and $1,070 to $2,000 for wood or fiberglass, before trim and disposal. Materials are most of the price; a sliding patio door runs about $1,800 to $3,300 installed.
Window Installation unit prices by work item
Enter a ZIP code to adjust every row to local cost levels. Rates start from a national baseline of 1.00 and scale by the published city cost index for that area.
Showing national baseline rates.
| Work item | Unit | Material | Labor | What to charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Vinyl replacement window, double-hung, insert Size, glass package (low-E, argon), and second-story access change it most. | window | $450 | $250 | $629 to $1,169 |
Full-frame or new-construction window Removing the old frame and re-flashing the opening is where the hours go. | window | $600 | $450 | $947 to $1,759 |
Wood or fiberglass replacement window Brand tier, interior finish, and custom sizes drive the material cost. | window | $900 | $300 | $1,074 to $1,995 |
Sliding patio door, supplied and installed Width, sill rot, and interior trim work push this up. | each | $1,400 | $600 | $1,794 to $3,332 |
Exterior trim capping, per opening Aluminum coil bending versus PVC trim, and opening size. | window | $40.00 | $90.00 | $119 to $220 |
Remove and dispose of old window Steel or aluminum frames and lead-safe work practices add time. | window | $10.00 | $60.00 | $59.70 to $124 |
Material and labor columns are bare cost per unit before markup. The charge column applies +15% materials, +20% labor, then +10% overhead and profit, and shows a realistic range rather than one false-precision number.
How this number is built
There is no proprietary data feed here and nothing is hidden. Every figure above comes from four visible steps, which is exactly how your own price book should work:
- 1Start from bare material and bare labor cost per unit, at a national baseline.
- 2Multiply both by your local cost factor, from the ZIP table below.
- 3Add markup: 15% on materials, 20% on labor. This covers waste, procurement and supervision.
- 4Add 10% overhead and profit on the marked-up subtotal, then show a range rather than one number.
Regional cost factors
A national average is close to useless on its own. The same window installation job prices very differently across markets. These are the multipliers applied above, against a 1.00 national baseline.
| Metro | Factor | Vinyl replacement window, double-hung, insert (window) |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco, CA | 1.38x | $869 to $1,613 |
| New York, NY | 1.32x | $831 to $1,543 |
| Boston, MA | 1.24x | $781 to $1,450 |
| Los Angeles, CA | 1.22x | $768 to $1,426 |
| Seattle, WA | 1.20x | $755 to $1,403 |
| Chicago, IL | 1.18x | $743 to $1,379 |
| Washington, DC | 1.15x | $724 to $1,344 |
| Denver, CO | 1.08x | $680 to $1,263 |
| Austin, TX | 1.04x | $655 to $1,216 |
| Phoenix, AZ | 1.02x | $642 to $1,192 |
| Atlanta, GA | 1.00x | $629 to $1,169 |
| Houston, TX | 0.98x | $617 to $1,146 |
Before you send this number to a client
Worth doing
- Walk the actual site before committing to a fixed price.
- Itemize disposal, permits and prep as their own lines.
- Write down what is excluded, not only what is included.
- Compare these rates against your own last three invoices.
Where bids go wrong
- Using a national average as if it were a local quote.
- Forgetting that overhead is a real cost, not profit.
- Absorbing prep and access problems instead of pricing them.
- Quoting from memory when material prices moved.
Frequently asked questions
How much should I charge to install a window?
A standard vinyl replacement window usually prices at about $630 to $1,170 supplied and installed, a full-frame install about $950 to $1,760, and wood or fiberglass about $1,070 to $2,000. Labor-only installs of client-supplied windows run far less, usually a few hundred dollars per opening.
Should I charge per window or per hour?
Per window. Homeowners compare quotes per opening, and a per-window price with adders for size, story and trim is easy to defend. Keep an hourly rate for repairs to rotted sills and framing found once the old window is out.
Is disposal included in a window quote?
List it. Removing and hauling the old unit is about $60 to $125 per window, more for older homes that need lead-safe practices. Showing it as a line prevents the client from thinking it was free.
What makes window installation cost more?
Upper-story access, custom sizes, full-frame tear-outs, rot repair and interior trim replacement. Specialty shapes and egress-code openings add both material and labor.
Other trades
Turn these rates into a sent proposal
A table is a starting point. Describe the job in plain words and Takeoff Convert prices it with cited starting prices (government wage data for labor, live supplier prices for materials where it can find them) that learn your own as you win jobs, then produces an itemized proposal your client can e-sign.
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