How much does electrical work cost? A 2026 price guide.
If you are searching for what an electrician should charge, you have probably already learned the frustrating part: nobody wants to give you a number. Electrical pricing depends on what is behind your walls, how old your panel is, and how far the new circuit has to run. So most quotes start with "it depends," which is true but not very helpful when you are trying to budget.
This guide gives you the one thing that decides each of the jobs homeowners ask about most, plus a plain note on what moves it up or down. None of it is a quote, and your own home and local market still change the answer. A licensed electrician still has to see the job to commit, because the same task can be a quick swap in one house and a half day of fishing wire in another. Ask which of the two yours is, and the quote stops being a mystery.
What real businesses are asking for this work
These are not a national average and we have not turned them into one. Each line is one price, from one named source, on a date, for the job described next to it. Every one is a link you can open and check.
And most of them are asking prices rather than invoices: 11 that a business advertises. That difference matters, so each one says which it is and they are grouped with the strongest evidence first.
They are here because it is the honest version of a price guide: a few real figures you can check beat a wide range nobody can defend. Read them as a handful of data points, not as what your job will cost.
Electrical panel upgrade
Prices businesses advertise
What a business asks for the work on its own public price list. A starting price rather than a final one, and the most common kind of figure you will find anywhere.
- $1,500 to $2,500100A to 200A panel upgradeA contractor publishes in Georgetown / Williamson County, TX, August 2026. Source.
- $1,595 to $3,000Electrical panel replacementA contractor publishes in Atlanta metro, GA, August 2026. Source.
- $1,800 to $3,200100A to 200A panel upgradeA contractor publishes in Raleigh-Durham Triangle, NC, August 2026. Source.
EV charger installation
Prices businesses advertise
What a business asks for the work on its own public price list. A starting price rather than a final one, and the most common kind of figure you will find anywhere.
Using the existing panel
- $1,645average Level 2 installation, Arizona, 2026 project dataAn installer network advertises in Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, January 2026. Source.
- $1,645 to $1,810average Level 2 installation across five states: AZ 1645, FL 1712, WA 1721, CA 1810, TX 1810An installer network advertises in US, January 2026. Source.
- $400 to $900Level 2 EV charger, existing panel capacityA contractor publishes in Georgetown / Williamson County, TX, August 2026. Source.
- $450 to $1,200EV charger installationA contractor publishes in Raleigh-Durham Triangle, NC, August 2026. Source.
- from $200EV charger installationA contractor publishes in Seattle, WA, September 2026. Source.
Electrical diagnostic
Prices businesses advertise
What a business asks for the work on its own public price list. A starting price rather than a final one, and the most common kind of figure you will find anywhere.
- $150 to $400Tripping-breaker diagnosis and repairA contractor publishes in Georgetown / Williamson County, TX, August 2026. Source.
- from $149No-power troubleshootingA contractor publishes in Atlanta metro, GA, August 2026. Source.
- $150 to $300Standard troubleshooting / diagnostic visitA contractor publishes in Duluth, MN, May 2026. Source.
11 observations, collected by hand and kept in the open. Prices move, sources get edited, and a figure from last winter may not hold today. If one of these is wrong or out of date, tell us and we will fix it: support@tonovoice.com.
Want this for your own job? Answer a few questions and work out what yours should cost. It is free, and there is nothing to sign up for.
Before you read the numbers
A few things are worth keeping in mind before you compare quotes, so a fair price does not look high and a thin one does not look like a bargain.
Common electrical jobs and what decides the price
We do not print a national range for these. The ranges circulating online come from lead-generation sites that quote each other, so five results agreeing is one source repeated five times, and a number we cannot stand behind is worse to you than no number. What is below is the question a good electrician is really answering when they price each job. Old wiring, a crowded panel, and a long run behind finished walls are still what moves it, and now you know which one to mention.
A straight swap is quick. An old box, aluminum wiring, or a GFCI or USB outlet that needs more behind it changes the job. Aluminum in particular is not a detail: it needs specific connectors and it is worth saying on the phone.
Straightforward when a fan-rated box and a switch are already there. A new box braced into the ceiling, or wiring and a wall switch run from scratch, is a different job. You can check for an existing fan or a heavy fixture in that spot before you call.
A like-for-like replacement is simple. Heavy chandeliers, high ceilings that need a lift, or adding a fixture where there was none each change it. The lift is often the reason a quote surprises people.
Priced per can and cheaper in volume. New construction with open framing is quick work. Cutting into a finished ceiling and fishing wire is slow, and the difference per light is larger than most people expect.
Many smart switches need a neutral wire. If your box does not have one, it has to be run, and that is most of the job. Homes wired before the mid-1980s often do not have one at the switch, which is worth mentioning up front.
Mostly a question of panel space and the unit you choose. Tight or outdated panels take longer to work in, and a panel with no spare slots turns this into a larger conversation.
The two things that decide it are the distance from your panel to the parking spot and whether your panel has room for a 240 volt circuit. A short run beside the panel is one job. A long run, a trench, or a panel that has to be upgraded first is another.
A manual transfer switch for a portable generator is bounded work. An automatic switch, more circuits, or a whole-home setup is a project. The generator itself is usually quoted separately, so check what the number covers.
Going from 100 to 200 amps, the panel location, the condition of your service line, and permit and utility coordination all matter, and the last one is the part that sets the timeline. Older homes needing a meter or mast updated are a larger job.
Open walls are far quicker than finished ones, because fishing wire behind drywall is slow work. Room size, the number of outlets and fixtures, and the patching afterwards all add to it, and the patching is often quoted by somebody else.
This is not a rate card. It is what an electrician is really deciding when they price each job, and your actual price still depends on your home, your wiring and your local market.
Why electrical prices vary so much
Two houses can ask for the exact same job and get quotes hundreds of dollars apart, and both can be fair. The work you do not see is what drives the difference.
What is behind the wall
Running a new circuit through an open basement is a different job than fishing it up through a finished two story wall, even though the outlet at the end looks identical. Access is often the single biggest swing factor.
The age of your wiring and panel
A panel with no spare slots may need a subpanel before anything new can go in. Aluminum or knob and tube wiring takes extra care and sometimes has to be addressed before an electrician will add to it.
Permits and code
Permits and inspections add cost, but they are what make the work safe and keep your home insurable. A bigger job like a panel upgrade or EV charger almost always needs them.
Timing
After hours, weekend, and emergency calls cost more because someone is dropping everything to come out. If your job can wait for a normal appointment, you will usually pay less.
The fastest way to get a real electrical price
A guide gives you the range. Your number comes from a real electrician looking at your situation, and the best ones answer fast. More and more electrical businesses now send a real price by text within minutes of you asking, instead of booking a visit days out just to talk numbers.
When you reach out, name the job in plain words, say how far it is from your panel, and note whether the walls are open or finished. The more they know up front, the faster and more accurate the price they can give you.
Businesses that use Tono answer your price question in minutes
Tono helps local electrical and home-service companies send a real, personal price by text while you are still deciding who to call. No app to download, no phone tag.
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