$3,500 – $25,000That is the typical bathroom remodel cost in 2026 for an average-sized bathroom of 35 to 50 square feet, from a cosmetic refresh at the low end to a full remodel at the high end. Per square foot, expect $100 to $500. A large primary bathroom with high-end materials can reach $60,000 (HomeGuide, June 2025). Two other 2026 guides land inside the same span: Fixr puts the typical remodel at $6,000 to $18,000 (updated January 2026) and This Old House at $6,456 to $24,715 (updated July 2026).
Three things set the price: how big the room is, how much of it you replace, and whether the plumbing stays where it is. A new vanity and paint in a small hall bath and a gutted primary suite with a freestanding tub are both called “a bathroom remodel”, yet one can cost ten times the other. The tables below separate them so you can match a quote to the job you actually want.
Cost by scope of work
| Remodel type | HomeGuide per sq ft | HomeGuide total (35–50 sq ft) | Fixr total | This Old House (50 sq ft) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minor renovation (cosmetic refresh) | $100 – $150 | $3,500 – $7,500 | $2,400 – $10,000 | $8,478 – $10,883 |
| Partial remodel (mid-range) | $150 – $300 | $5,300 – $15,000 | $6,000 – $25,000 | $14,609 – $19,040 |
| Full remodel (gut) | $250 – $500 | $8,800 – $25,000+ | $9,000 – $30,000+ | $27,492 – $35,808 |
What each tier covers, per HomeGuide: a minor renovation is flooring, vanity, paint and fixtures or a prefab shower stall; a partial remodel replaces some of the tub, shower, sink, toilet, vanity and tile; a full remodel involves major layout changes and possibly luxury or custom materials. Fixr describes its tiers the same way, from painting and regrouting up to a strip to the studs.
The three guides broadly agree on minor and partial work but not on a full remodel: This Old House’s high-end figure for a 50 sq ft room starts above the top of HomeGuide’s and Fixr’s ranges. Per square foot, Fixr cites $70 to $400 with an average around $120, against HomeGuide’s $100 to $500.
Our estimate: we keep $3,500 – $25,000 as the headline because it is HomeGuide’s range for a 35 to 50 sq ft bathroom and it contains the typical ranges of both Fixr ($6,000 – $18,000) and This Old House ($6,456 – $24,715). We did not average the sources; this is our reading of where they overlap, not a measured figure.
A cosmetic refresh keeps every pipe, drain and wire where it is and only changes surfaces and fixtures. A full remodel strips the room to the studs, and that is where the budget grows: once the walls are open, moving pipes or wiring adds to the bill, and demolition alone costs $600 to $2,000 (HomeGuide), or $600 to $2,300 when a contractor bills it separately (Fixr).
Estimate your bathroom remodel cost
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Cost by bathroom size
| Size | Minor renovation | Partial remodel | Full remodel | Fixr, all scopes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3′ x 5′ (15 sq ft, half bath) | $1,500 – $2,300 | $2,300 – $4,500 | $3,800 – $7,500 | — |
| 4′ x 6′ (24 sq ft) | $2,400 – $3,600 | $3,600 – $7,200 | $6,000 – $12,000 | — |
| 5′ x 7′ (35 sq ft) | $3,500 – $5,300 | $5,300 – $10,500 | $8,800 – $17,500 | $2,450 – $14,000 |
| 5′ x 10′ (50 sq ft) | $5,000 – $7,500 | $7,500 – $15,000 | $12,500 – $25,000 | $3,500 – $20,000 |
| 6′ x 10′ (60 sq ft) | $6,000 – $9,000 | $9,000 – $18,000 | $15,000 – $30,000 | $4,200 – $24,000 |
| 8′ x 10′ (80 sq ft) | $8,000 – $12,000 | $12,000 – $24,000 | $20,000 – $40,000 | — |
| 10′ x 10′ (100 sq ft, primary bath) | $10,000 – $15,000 | $15,000 – $30,000 | $25,000 – $50,000 | $7,000 – $40,000 |
Measure your room before you read a quote: a full remodel runs $8,800 – $17,500 in a 5 by 7 foot bathroom but $25,000 – $50,000 in a 10 by 10 foot primary bath. A half bath has no tub or shower, which is a large part of why it costs so much less; the shower alone can run up to $15,000 in the line-item table below.
Cost by line item
| Item | HomeGuide range | This Old House average |
|---|---|---|
| Bathtub replacement | $800 – $4,600 | $1,123 |
| Shower installation | $1,000 – $15,000 | $8,044 |
| Tub-to-shower conversion | $1,000 – $15,000 | — |
| Tub liner | $1,700 – $2,500 | — |
| Shower pan replacement | $500 – $3,500 | — |
| Bathroom tiling | $400 – $8,000 | $1,326 |
| Flooring | $200 – $800 | $1,114 |
| Vanity | $400 – $4,000 | — |
| Countertop | $250 – $3,000 | $332 |
| Sink installation | $280 – $1,200 | — |
| Faucet | $150 – $600 | — |
| Toilet installation | $350 – $800 | $467 |
| Exhaust fan | $150 – $550 | — |
| Lighting | $70 – $300 | — |
| Heated floor (with new flooring) | $500 – $2,800 | — |
| Grab bar | $100 – $350 | — |
| Painting | $150 – $1,500 | $1,145 |
| Mirror replacement | $140 – $430 | — |
| Demolition | $600 – $2,000 | — |
The shower is the line with the widest spread. At the low end it is a prefab stall dropped into the existing opening; at the high end it is a custom tiled walk-in with a new pan, glass and valves. Tile has the same spread for the same reason: a tiled floor in a small room and floor-to-ceiling tile around a shower are very different jobs.
Ventilation is cheap and easy to skip, and it should not be. A new exhaust fan runs $150 to $550, a small line next to the tile and vanity it protects from moisture.
Labor: who does the work and what they charge
A bathroom brings several trades into one small room. According to HomeGuide, general contractors charge $50 to $150 an hour or 10% to 20% of the project cost, plumbers $75 to $150 an hour, electricians $50 to $130 an hour and interior designers $50 to $200 an hour. If the bathroom needs more power, for example for a heated floor, upgrading the electrical panel costs $850 to $2,500. Fixr puts labor at about 50% of the total, anywhere from 40% to 65% depending on the work, and lists similar hourly rates: plumbers $75 to $150, electricians $70 to $130 and carpenters $75 to $125.
What the tradespeople themselves earn is much lower. The median plumber in the United States earned $30.67 an hour in May 2025, and the median flooring installer or tile and stone setter earned $26.15 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (plumbers, tile setters).
Our estimate: the hourly rate a homeowner pays a plumber ($75 to $150) is roughly 2.4 to 4.9 times the median plumber’s wage ($30.67). We got that by dividing HomeGuide’s rates by the BLS median; it is our calculation, not a measured figure. The gap covers the company’s insurance, licensing, vehicle, tools, travel time and unbilled hours, so a high hourly rate is not by itself a sign of overcharging.
Why other surveys show $26,000 to $82,000
| Project | Job cost | Resale value | Cost recouped |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bath remodel, midrange | $26,138 | $20,915 | 80% |
| Bath remodel, universal design | $42,183 | $25,812 | 61% |
| Bath remodel, upscale | $81,612 | $34,000 | 42% |
| Bathroom addition, midrange | $60,645 | $32,347 | 53% |
| Bathroom addition, upscale | $111,255 | $40,526 | 36% |
The Cost vs Value report’s midrange remodel, at $26,138, sits above HomeGuide’s full remodel of a 5 by 7 foot bathroom ($8,800 to $17,500). The room is the same size; the difference is scope and pricing method. The report prices a fixed, complete job: every fixture replaced, including a 30 by 60 inch porcelain-on-steel tub with a ceramic tile surround, a pressure-balanced shower control, a new toilet, a solid-surface vanity top with integral sink, a recessed medicine cabinet with light, a ceramic tile floor and vinyl wallpaper (JLC, midrange bath remodel). It is priced as a contractor-run project with everything that implies, not as a range of what homeowners report paying.
Our estimate: the midrange Cost vs Value project works out to about $747 per square foot ($26,138 divided by the 35 square feet of a 5 by 7 foot room). That is our arithmetic, not a measured figure, and it is above HomeGuide’s $250 to $500 per square foot for a full remodel, which shows how much a fully specified, contractor-managed job adds.
The upscale project, at $81,612, is a different job altogether. It expands a 35 square foot bathroom to 100 square feet within the house, relocates every fixture, and adds a 42 by 42 inch frameless glass shower with body sprays, a freestanding soaker tub, a stone counter with two sinks, a compartmentalized toilet, custom cabinetry, extended HVAC and electric in-floor heating (JLC, upscale bath remodel). If your plan is a primary suite of that kind, budget from this figure, not from the small-bath tables.
Does a bathroom remodel pay off at resale?
Partly. In the 2025 Cost vs Value report, a midrange bath remodel recoups 80% of its cost in resale value, and an upscale one 42% (JLC). The pattern is clear: the more you spend, the smaller the share you get back. A modest, well-built remodel is the one most likely to be valued by a buyer; a luxury suite is something you do because you will enjoy living with it.
Permits and older homes
You usually need a permit when the remodel involves structural changes, major plumbing or electrical work, or a new layout; moving walls, relocating fixtures or adding windows almost always requires one. Painting or replacing fixtures in the same spot typically does not (HomeGuide). Your local building department has the final word, so confirm before work starts.
If your house was built before 1978, check for lead paint. The federal government banned lead-based paint in homes in 1978, and about three-quarters of U.S. homes built before then still contain some. The EPA’s Renovation, Repair and Painting rule requires anyone paid to disturb painted surfaces in those homes to be certified and trained in lead-safe work practices (EPA). Ask any contractor bidding on an older home for their RRP certification.
How long it takes
A typical bathroom remodel takes 3 to 8 weeks. Simpler jobs can finish in 3 to 4 weeks; larger renovations can take 6 to 12 weeks or longer, depending on the condition of the room, whether plumbing or wiring moves, material availability and the number of inspections (HomeGuide). If it is your only bathroom, plan where you will shower in the meantime.
Can you do it yourself?
A DIY bathroom remodel averages $1,500 to $10,000, but work on plumbing, wiring or structure usually requires licensed professionals for safety and code compliance (HomeGuide). Painting, hardware, mirrors and lighting fixtures are reasonable weekend jobs; anything behind the walls of the shower is better left to a licensed pro.
How to keep the bill down
- Keep the toilet, sink and shower where they are. Moving plumbing and wiring is where labor costs climb.
- Choose mid-range materials. They are durable, and the resale data above shows buyers value modest upgrades more than luxury ones.
- Hold back 10% to 20% of the budget as a contingency for what turns up once the walls are open (HomeGuide).
- If the tub is sound, compare a liner or refinish to a full replacement before tearing it out.
- Get at least three itemized quotes for the same scope, so the line items can be compared directly.
Questions to ask before you sign
- Are you licensed and insured, and will any subcontractors on the job be insured too?
- Can you give me an itemized written estimate that separates demolition, plumbing, electrical, tile and fixtures?
- Who pulls the permits and schedules the inspections?
- How do you waterproof the shower and wet areas, and what does your warranty cover?
- If the house is older than 1978, is your firm RRP certified for lead-safe work?
- What is the payment schedule, and what are the start and finish dates?
More remodel cost guides
- Basement Remodel Cost in 2026: Flooring, Bathroom, Wet Bar and Rental Unit
- Home Addition Cost in 2026: Price per Square Foot by Type
- Kitchen Remodel Cost in 2026: Prices by Scope and Size
- Walk In Shower Cost in 2026: Prefab, Tile and Tub Conversions
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters, pay data for May 2025.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Flooring Installers and Tile and Stone Setters, pay data for May 2025.
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Program.
- Journal of Light Construction, Cost vs Value Report 2025, national averages, with the project descriptions for the midrange and upscale bath remodels.
- HomeGuide, Bathroom Remodel Cost, June 2025.
- Fixr, How Much Does It Cost to Remodel a Bathroom?, updated January 27, 2026.
- This Old House, Bathroom Remodel Cost (2026) Guide and Budgeting Tips, updated July 2, 2026 (cost data from Homewyse).
