Faucet Installation Cost Calculator
Faucet Installation costs $280 to $425 for a typical 2 fixtures job in 2026, against a national benchmark of $345. Labor runs 3 crew hours at $42.44 an hour. Enter a ZIP code to apply that area's measured wages for this work and its regional price level.
What makes up the price
Cost by size
National averages, before any local adjustment. Computed from the same model as the calculator above, so the two always agree.
| How many | Fixtures | Typical | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 fixtures | 1 | $255 | $205 to $315 |
| 2 fixtures | 2 | $345 | $280 to $425 |
| 3 fixtures | 3 | $435 | $355 to $550 |
Before you replace it: is it the cartridge?
The most useful thing on this page, and it is the opposite of what a page about faucet installation is supposed to say.
A faucet that drips, is stiff to turn, whistles, or has gone weak on one side usually does not need replacing. It needs a cartridge — the valve inside the handle — which is $10 to $30, is held in with one screw and one clip, and takes fifteen minutes.
- Moen, Delta, Kohler, American Standard and every other major brand stock cartridges for decades-old models, often free under a lifetime warranty if you call them with the model number.
- A weak flow on one tap only is usually the aerator or the supply line screen, not the faucet at all. Unscrew the aerator and look.
- A puddle under the sink is more often a supply line or a drain connection than the faucet body.
Replace a faucet because you want a different one, because the finish has gone, or because the body itself is cracked or the threads are stripped. Those are good reasons. A drip is not.
What it costs
| Total | Each | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 faucet | $255 | $255 |
| 2 faucets | $345 | $173 |
| 3 faucets | $435 | $145 |
| 4 faucets | $525 | $131 |
That is the plumber's time plus braided stainless supply lines and sealant. The faucet is not in it — a bathroom faucet is $80 to $300 and a kitchen faucet $100 to $600, so all-in for two bathroom faucets is around $500 to $950.
The page opens on two because the call-out is $75 of a $255 single-faucet visit. If the kitchen and both bathrooms are all tired, one visit is materially cheaper than three.
Two measurements decide whether it fits
The number of holes in the deck. Look at the sink or counter the faucet mounts through:
- One hole takes a single-hole faucet, and a widespread will not fit.
- Three holes at 4 inches center to center is a centerset — the common bathroom arrangement, where the faucet is one unit with the handles attached.
- Three holes at 8 inches or more is a widespread, with separate handles.
- A deck plate (escutcheon) lets a single-hole faucet cover three holes, which is how most mismatches get solved. It does not work the other way round.
The clearance underneath. A tall kitchen faucet needs headroom above the sink, and more importantly the mounting nut needs reach underneath — behind a deep farmhouse sink, inside a vanity with a drawer back in the way, or against a wall, there may be no room for a hand and a basin wrench. That is where an hour becomes three.
Also check the hole size: 1 3/8 inches is standard, and some older sinks are smaller.
Why a quick job becomes a long one
The work itself is twenty minutes. Everything that makes it longer is underneath, and this is why plumbers charge a call-out:
- The shutoff valve will not seal. A multi-turn angle stop untouched for twenty years frequently will not close again once it has been turned. Allow for replacing them — it is the +20% on this page — rather than discovering it with the water off.
- The old nuts are seized. Thirty years of hard water on a brass nut in a space you can reach with two fingers. This is what a basin wrench is for, and sometimes what an angle grinder is for.
- The old faucet is sealed to the deck with mineral deposits and dried putty that have to be scraped and cleaned before the new one will sit flat.
- The supply lines are not reusable. Rigid chrome risers rarely survive being disturbed, and the plastic lines that come in some faucet boxes should not be used at all — a burst supply line is among the most common insurance claims in a house. Braided stainless, every time.
What to buy
Three things worth knowing, and none of them is the finish.
Ceramic disc or cartridge valves, which every reputable brand now uses, last far longer than the rubber compression washers in old faucets. This is why a modern faucet does not drip.
Brass body, not zinc. Zinc-bodied faucets at the bottom of the range corrode from the inside and cannot be rebuilt. A solid brass body with a ceramic cartridge is the specification that makes a faucet last twenty years, and it starts at about $120.
Parts availability. The cartridge will eventually fail. A major brand means a $15 part off a shelf in ten years; a sale-priced import means a new faucet.
On finishes: chrome is the most durable and the easiest to clean. Brushed nickel hides water spots. Matte black looks excellent and shows limescale in hard water. Living finishes — unlacquered brass — change over time, which is the point of them and surprises people.
And on touchless kitchen faucets: they work, they need power under the sink from a battery pack or a transformer, and the solenoid is another part that can fail. Worth it for some households, an extra failure point for others.
What changes the price
| Two faucets | ||
|---|---|---|
| Straight swap | $345 | |
| Replacing the shutoff valves too | $410 | +20% |
| Drain or trap work as well | $500 | +45% |
The second one is common on a bathroom faucet, because a pop-up drain assembly is often as tired as the faucet above it and is replaced at the same time. It is cheaper to agree that in advance than to add it mid-job.
What you are paying for
Two faucets, straight swap, at $345:
| Labor, about 2.4 hours | around $140 |
| Supply lines and sealant | $40 |
| The call-out | $75 |
| Overhead and margin | the balance |
Can you do it yourself?
Yes, and this is the job most worth attempting of the four on this model — but it is also the one people most often start and then call somebody about, so go in with the right expectations.
What you need: a basin wrench ($15, and nothing else will reach the nuts), a flashlight, a towel for your back, a bucket, and new braided supply lines.
The order: water off at both stops, taps opened to drain, disconnect the supplies, undo the mounting nuts from below, lift the old faucet out, clean the deck properly, set the new faucet with its gasket or a bead of silicone, tighten from below, connect the supplies, open the stops slowly, then run both taps and check under the sink twice — once immediately and once an hour later.
When to stop and call: the stops will not close, a nut will not move, you cannot physically reach the nuts, or you find the sink deck is cracked.
Questions worth asking
- How many holes does my sink have, and at what spacing?
- Is there room to get a hand and a wrench underneath?
- Are the shutoff valves being replaced?
- Are new braided supply lines included?
- Does the drain assembly need replacing at the same time?
- Is the faucet brass-bodied with a ceramic cartridge?
- Can we do the kitchen and the bathrooms on one visit?
- If it is a touchless faucet, where does the power come from?
- Is the old faucet being taken away?
- Before any of this: would a cartridge fix it?
Common questions
How much does faucet installation cost?
About $345 for two faucets on one visit, or $173 each, which is the plumber's time plus braided supply lines and sealant. One on its own is $255, because the call-out is most of a single-fixture visit. The faucets themselves are extra: $80 to $300 for a bathroom faucet and $100 to $600 for a kitchen one.
Does a dripping faucet need replacing?
Usually not. A drip, a stiff handle, a whistle or weak flow on one side is normally the cartridge — the valve inside the handle — which costs $10 to $30 and takes fifteen minutes. Moen, Delta, Kohler and American Standard all stock cartridges for decades-old models and will often send one free under warranty if you call with the model number. Replace a faucet because you want a different one or the body is cracked, not because it drips.
How do I know what faucet will fit my sink?
Count the holes and measure the spacing. One hole takes a single-hole faucet. Three holes at 4 inches center to center is a centerset, the usual bathroom arrangement. Three at 8 inches or more is a widespread with separate handles. A deck plate lets a single-hole faucet cover three holes, which solves most mismatches, but it does not work the other way round. Check the hole diameter too — 1 3/8 inches is standard and some older sinks are smaller.
Why is replacing a faucet more expensive than it looks?
Because the twenty minutes of work is surrounded by things that go wrong underneath. The shutoff valve may not seal once it has been turned after twenty years; the mounting nuts may be seized after thirty years of hard water in a space you can reach with two fingers; the old faucet may be cemented to the deck with mineral deposits; and rigid chrome supply risers rarely survive being disturbed. The call-out exists to cover the version of this job that takes three hours instead of one.
Should the shutoff valves be replaced with a new faucet?
In an older house it is worth planning for — it adds about 20%. A multi-turn angle stop that has sat untouched for twenty years frequently will not close again once it has been turned, and discovering that with the water off and the faucet in pieces is the version of this job that costs three hours. Quarter-turn ball valves cost a few dollars more and will still work in another twenty years.
What makes a good faucet?
A solid brass body and a ceramic disc or cartridge valve, which starts around $120. Zinc-bodied faucets at the bottom of the range corrode from the inside and cannot be rebuilt, where a brass body with a ceramic cartridge lasts twenty years and takes a $15 part when the cartridge eventually goes. The third thing is brand: a major name means that part is on a shelf in a decade, and a sale-priced import means a new faucet.
Which faucet finish is best?
Chrome is the most durable and the easiest to clean. Brushed nickel hides water spots better than anything. Matte black looks excellent and shows limescale in hard water, so it suits soft-water areas. Unlacquered or living brass changes color over time, which is the point of it and still surprises people. Finish is a preference rather than a quality signal — the body material and the valve matter far more.
Are touchless kitchen faucets worth it?
They work well and are genuinely useful with messy hands or small children. Two things to know: they need power under the sink, from a battery pack that will need changing or a transformer that needs an outlet, and the solenoid is an additional part that can fail. Most have a manual handle that keeps working if the electronics do not, which is the feature to confirm before buying.
Can I install a faucet myself?
Yes, and it is the most approachable of the small plumbing jobs — but buy a basin wrench first, because nothing else will reach the mounting nuts. Water off at both stops, taps opened to drain, supplies off, nuts off from below, old faucet out, deck cleaned properly, new faucet set and tightened, supplies connected with new braided lines, stops opened slowly, then check underneath twice: immediately and an hour later. Stop and call somebody if the stops will not close or a nut will not move.
How long does it take to replace a faucet?
About 50 minutes for a plumber per faucet including testing, and an hour and a half for a first-timer if nothing fights back. The variable is entirely underneath: seized nuts, unreachable mounting points behind a deep sink, or a shutoff valve that will not close can triple it. That asymmetry is why plumbers price a call-out rather than by the minute on this job.
Should I replace the drain at the same time as the faucet?
On a bathroom sink, often yes. The pop-up drain assembly is usually as old as the faucet above it, the linkage is the part that stops working, and it is already exposed with the faucet out. It is the +45% on this page, and it is cheaper to agree in advance than to add halfway through. On a kitchen sink the equivalent question is the strainer basket and the trap, which are worth replacing if they are chrome and corroded.
Can a plumber replace several faucets in one visit?
Yes, and it is much cheaper: $173 each for two, $145 for three, $131 for four, against $255 for one. The call-out and the setting up happen once, and each additional faucet is about fifty minutes. If the kitchen and both bathrooms are all tired, booking one visit rather than three saves more than any choice of fixture will.
Where these numbers come from
Nothing here is copied from a contractor directory. Labor is priced from what the trades are actually paid, materials from published producer prices, and both are adjusted to your area using federal cost-of-living data.
- Plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors, United States: $42.44/hour, August 2026 (BLS CES CES2023822003)
- Supply lines and sealant: $20.00 per faucet (price recorded October 2026, not index-adjusted)