Your numbers
What should water heater cost?
ZIP, the quantities you can actually measure, and a few named modifiers. The range is a CostAnswer estimate, not a market quantile.Equipment is EIA’s typical 40-gallon gas storage tank (2022 retail midpoint).
Common questions
Before you call a contractor
How much does a water heater replacement cost?
Enter your ZIP and scope on this page for a CostAnswer estimated range built from BLS trade wages, ECEC labor loading, and named material or equipment lines.
It is a planning figure, not a contractor bid. Incomplete ranges mean a critical material still has no sourced price.
What is included in this water heater estimate?
Most homes replace one tank. Gas is modeled as EIA’s typical 40-gallon tank; electric as the typical 36-gallon tank.
Trade: Plumbing. Modifiers on the form change crew time or materials; they do not invent a market average for your city.
Why is this not the same as a contractor quote?
A quote prices your house, your access, your permit office, and that company’s backlog. This engine prices a named recipe at published wage and cost proxies.
Use Check a quote on the same engine to see whether a written bid sits low, mid, or high against that recipe.
Gas or electric — which tank does this model?
Gas uses EIA’s typical 40-gallon tank; electric uses the typical 36-gallon tank. Pick fuel on the form.
Tankless, heat-pump water heaters, and relocating the unit are not in this recipe.
Engine notes
- Unit. Most homes replace one tank. Gas is modeled as EIA’s typical 40-gallon tank; electric as the typical 36-gallon tank.
- Geography. ZIP is an approximate ZIP/ZCTA match to county, not a HUD USPS crosswalk.
- Range. Shown as a CostAnswer estimated range. Incomplete when a critical material has no sourced price.