Mailbox Installation Cost Calculator
Mailbox Installation costs $310 to $465 for a typical 1 mailboxes job in 2026, against a national benchmark of $375. Labor runs 1.6 crew hours at $40.06 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 mailboxes | Mailboxes | Typical | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 mailboxes | 1 | $375 | $310 to $465 |
| 2 mailboxes | 2 | $650 | $550 to $825 |
Get these three things right or the mail stops
None of this is about workmanship, and all of it decides whether your mail gets delivered.
- The box must be USPS-approved. Look for the stamp or the "Approved by the Postmaster General" marking. A carrier is not obliged to deliver to a box that is not, and this is the single most common reason a brand-new mailbox does not work.
- 41 to 45 inches from the road surface to the bottom of the box, or to the point of entry for the mail.
- 6 to 8 inches back from the face of the curb, or from the edge of the road where there is no curb.
Put the house number on it in figures at least one inch high — that is a requirement rather than a nicety, and if the box is not directly in front of your house the street name goes on it too.
If you are not sure, the simplest thing in the world is to ask your carrier. They are at your house most days, they know the route, and they would much rather tell you in advance than leave mail in a box they are not supposed to use.
What it costs
| Type | Typical |
|---|---|
| Wall-mounted beside the door | $205 |
| Standard post at the curb | $295 |
| Standard post, old one removed, numbers fitted | $375 |
| Locking security box on a heavy post | $430 |
| Brick or stone column | $1,200 |
Reported figures put installation at $147 to $366 with a straightforward job around $239, labor alone at $60 to $250, a basic galvanized box on a pressure-treated post at $120 to $250, a mid-grade locking box at $250 to $450, and a brick column at $846 to $1,575.
Two boxes on one visit are $325 each rather than $375, because the trip and the setup happen once. That is worth a conversation with a neighbor at a shared driveway entrance, and it is worth remembering if a plow takes out a row of boxes on a private road.
A wall-mounted box is not always your choice
It is the cheapest option at $205 and you only get to pick it if your carrier walks to the house. That is determined by the delivery route, not by preference, and in most suburban and rural areas built after about 1960 it is curbside delivery — which means a post.
Ask before buying a wall box. Changing from curbside to door delivery is a request to the Postal Service rather than a decision you make by moving the box.
If mail goes missing, the specification is the slot
A locking mailbox is $430 and it is worth it where mail is being taken. The thing to check is not the lock on the door but the incoming slot: a locked box with a letter chute wide enough to reach through is locked in name only, and a surprising number of them are. What you want is an anti-pry door and a baffled or hooded incoming slot that does not allow a hand or a hook in.
Two things a locking box does not solve. It will not take packages of any size, and it has to be emptied with a key — which, in a household where that becomes somebody else's job, is how mail ends up sitting in it for a week.
Think twice about the brick column
A masonry column is the most expensive option at $1,200, it is a two-visit job because the footing has to cure before anything is laid on it, and it looks permanent because it is. Three things to settle first:
- Ask your municipality. A masonry column at the curb is a fixed object that a vehicle leaving the road can strike, and many places restrict them, require a setback, or require a breakaway design. Some will make you remove one.
- Check your mail volume. Column inserts are usually smaller than a standard large box, and a household that gets parcels will find it frustrating.
- Removing one later is expensive. Demolishing an old column adds about 60% to whatever replaces it, which makes it the only item on this page where the exit cost is worse than the entry cost.
While somebody is there
- Reflective numbers on both sides, three inches minimum and four inches better. This is the cheapest thing you can do to help an ambulance find your house at night, and fitting it during the installation is nearly free.
- Paint or stain a wooden post. It roughly doubles its life.
- Set it so the door opens toward the road, and so the carrier can reach it without leaving the vehicle.
- Keep the approach clear — a box behind a snowbank, a parked car or a planted shrub does not get used, and the carrier is entitled to skip it.
What to ask
- Is the box USPS-approved?
- What height and setback are you using?
- Is the post set in concrete, and how deep? Below the frost line matters in a cold climate.
- Are address numbers included on both sides?
- Who removes and disposes of the old post or column?
- For a column: have you checked local rules on fixed objects at the curb?
Common questions
How much does mailbox installation cost?
About $295 for a standard post-mount box at the curb, or $375 with the old post removed and address numbers fitted. A wall-mounted box beside the door is $205, a locking security box on a heavier post $430, and a brick or stone column $1,200. Reported figures put installation at $147 to $366 with a straightforward job around $239, labor alone at $60 to $250, and a brick column at $846 to $1,575.
What height should a mailbox be?
The bottom of the box, or the point where mail enters it, should be 41 to 45 inches above the road surface, and the box should sit 6 to 8 inches back from the face of the curb — or from the edge of the road where there is no curb. Those are the USPS figures and they are the difference between a mailbox and an ornament. The box also has to be USPS-approved, marked with the Postmaster General approval, and carry your house number in figures at least an inch high.
Does a mailbox have to be USPS-approved?
For curbside delivery, yes, and it is the most common reason a brand-new mailbox does not work. A carrier is not obliged to deliver to a box that does not carry the approval marking, and the rule exists because the box has to be a size and shape the carrier can use safely from the vehicle. Decorative boxes sold purely as yard ornaments frequently are not approved. Check for the stamp before buying, and if you are unsure about anything — height, position, or the box itself — ask your carrier, who would much rather tell you in advance.
Can I have a mailbox on my house instead of at the curb?
Only if your carrier walks the route to your door, and that is decided by the Postal Service rather than by you. A wall-mounted box is the cheapest option at $205, and in most suburban and rural areas built after about 1960 the route is curbside delivery, which means a post. Moving an existing curbside box to the wall is a request for a change of delivery type, not something you accomplish by relocating the box — so ask first, because a wall box on a curbside route simply will not be used.
Are locking mailboxes worth it?
Where mail is being taken, yes, at about $430 installed. The thing to check is not the lock on the door but the incoming slot: a locked box with a letter chute wide enough to reach through is locked in name only, and plenty of them are. Look for an anti-pry door and a baffled or hooded incoming slot. Two limitations worth knowing — it will not take packages of any size, and it has to be emptied with a key, which in some households means mail sits in it for a week.
How much does a brick mailbox cost?
About $1,200 for a brick or stone column built around a cast insert on a concrete footing below the frost line, against a reported range of $846 to $1,575. It is a two-visit job because the footing has to cure before anything is laid on it. Before buying one, ask your municipality: a masonry column at the curb is a fixed object a vehicle leaving the road can strike, and many places restrict them, require a setback or require a breakaway design. Also check your mail volume, because column inserts are usually smaller than a standard large box.
How deep should a mailbox post be set?
At least 24 inches for a standard post, and below the local frost line in a cold climate, which can be 36 to 48 inches in the northern states. Frost heave is what pushes a shallow post out of plumb over a few winters and then out of the correct height range, at which point the installation is wrong even though nothing broke. Concrete is normal and worth it. A useful detail to ask about is a gravel base under the post so water drains away from the end grain rather than sitting against it.
Is it cheaper to replace two mailboxes at once?
Yes — two posts on one visit come to about $325 each against $375 for a single one, because the trip, the loading and the setup happen once. It is worth a conversation with a neighbor if you share a driveway entrance, and it is worth remembering if a snowplow or a car takes out a row of boxes on a private road: replacing them in one go is the cheapest version of that particular bad day.
What size should address numbers on a mailbox be?
At least one inch high to satisfy the postal requirement, and three to four inches if you want them to be useful. Put reflective numbers on both sides of the box, because a carrier and an emergency vehicle approach from different directions. This is the cheapest thing on the whole page and arguably the most valuable: an ambulance looking for a house number in the dark is the situation it is for, and fitting numbers while somebody is already installing the box costs almost nothing. If the box is not directly in front of your house, the street name should be on it as well.
Who is responsible for a mailbox damaged by a snowplow?
Usually you, which surprises people. A mailbox sits in the public right of way by permission, and most municipalities and state highway departments disclaim responsibility for damage from plowing unless the plow physically struck the box rather than the snow doing it — and proving which is difficult. Some jurisdictions have a small reimbursement program, so it is worth asking. The practical defenses are a post set properly in concrete, a position at the correct 6 to 8 inch setback rather than overhanging the road, and keeping the approach clear so the plow driver can see it.
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.
- All other specialty trade contractors, United States: $40.06/hour, August 2026 (BLS CES CES2023899003)
- Standard box, post and concrete: $105.00 per mailbox (price recorded October 2026, not index-adjusted)