Asphalt driveway cost in Houston, TX
Local estimate from BLS wage data and BEA price levels. Reviewed Nov 4, 2026.
- Typical range (600 sq ft)
- $2,950 – $7,000
- Per sq ft
- $4.80 – $11.50
- before permit
- Versus US midpoint
- −5%
- US $5,250
- Rank of 300 metros
- #186
- 1 = most expensive
An asphalt driveway in Houston, TX usually costs $2,950 to $7,000 for 600 sq ft. That works out to about $4.80 to $11.50 per sq ft before permits. Compared with the national midpoint that is $260 less. Paving, surfacing and tamping equipment operators earn a median of $22.49 an hour in the Houston area, 12% below the US median of $25.64.
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Estimated cost for 600 sq ft in Houston, TX, standard level
$4,150 to $5,800
About $6.75 to $9.40 per sq ft before permits. Labor is about 37% of the bill.
| Part | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Materials | $2,600 | $3,400 |
| Labor | $1,450 | $2,250 |
| Permits and fees | $95 | $150 |
| Total | $4,150 | $5,800 |
Cost breakdown for 600 sq ft in Houston, TX
| Part of the job | Low | Midpoint | High | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Materials | $2,000 | $3,000 | $4,000 | 60% |
| Labor | $890 | $1,850 | $2,800 | 37% |
| Permits and fees | $50 | $120 | $200 | 2% |
| Total | $2,950 | $4,950 | $7,000 | 100% |
Why Houston prices look the way they do
The wage side of the estimate leans on paving, surfacing and tamping equipment operators, who do 40% of the hours on a typical job. Their local median is $22.49 an hour. Add the other trades involved and the blended wage index for Houston is 0.87 (US = 1.00), which puts labor at 37% of the total.
Materials are scaled with BEA's regional price parity for goods. Houston is at 100.6 against 100 for the US, so a materials line of $2,950 nationally becomes $3,000 here (midpoint, 600 sq ft). Permits follow the all-items index of 98.6: $50 to $200.
Why two Houston quotes can differ
New versus overlay
Resurfacing an existing driveway runs $3-$7 per sq ft; a full new driveway runs $5-$12+ (HomeGuide). Tearing out and replacing one is higher still.
Base work
Four to eight inches of compacted aggregate under the asphalt is where cheap quotes cut corners. Base typically runs $1-$3 per sq ft.
Small jobs cost more per foot
Paving crews move a paver, roller and trucks to your address, so a 400 sq ft driveway carries more mobilization per square foot than a 1,000 sq ft one.
What local crews earn in Houston
The labor line is built from BLS wage data, one trade at a time. This job draws on 3 trades. We compare each trade's local median with the US median, weight the ratios by how much of the job each trade does, and apply the blend to the national labor cost. For Houston the blend is 0.87.
Paving, surfacing and tamping equipment operators (47-2071), 40% of the weighting: a median of $22.49 an hour, 12% below the US median of $25.64. The middle half of them earn between $21.30 and $27.41 an hour. About 870 work in the metro. That is 2.6 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 2.7 nationally, so the supply of crews looks typical.
For construction laborers (47-2061, weighted 30%) the local median is $19.88 an hour, which is 12% below the national $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $17.82 and $22.88 an hour. BLS counts 34,080 of them working in the area, 103.6 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 70.5), so the local bench is deeper than average.
Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073), 30% of the weighting: a median of $24.54 an hour, 15% below the US median of $28.78. The middle half of them earn between $22.50 and $29.76 an hour. About 14,000 work in the metro. That is 42.6 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 30.7 nationally, which suggests plenty of local crews to bid.
A quick sensitivity check: moving the lead trade (paving, surfacing and tamping equipment operators) from the median to the 75th percentile wage adds about $160 to the midpoint estimate; the 25th percentile takes off about $40. That is a swing of roughly 0.8% to 3.3% of the total, which is useful for judging whether a bid reflects wages or something else, such as scope or margin.
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands has 3,289,720 jobs in total (BLS, May 2025), ranking 5th by size among the 300 metros on this site.
| Trade | Weight | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | US median | Ratio | Level used |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paving, surfacing and tamping equipment operators (47-2071) | 40% | $21.30 | $22.49 | $27.41 | $25.64 | 0.88 | metro |
| Construction laborers (47-2061) | 30% | $17.82 | $19.88 | $22.88 | $22.66 | 0.88 | metro |
| Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073) | 30% | $22.50 | $24.54 | $29.76 | $28.78 | 0.85 | metro |
| Blended | 100% | 0.87 | |||||
Is Houston cheap or dear? The local comparison
Of the five closest metros, 4 are cheaper than Houston. College Station is the lowest at about $4,600 (midpoint, 600 sq ft), 95 miles away.
| Area | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houston, TXthis page | $2,950 – $7,000 | $4,950 | |
| Beaumont, TX70 miles | $2,900 – $7,050 | $4,950 | level |
| College Station, TX95 miles | $2,700 – $6,500 | $4,600 | −7% |
| Lake Charles, LA130 miles | $2,800 – $6,800 | $4,800 | −3% |
| Austin, TX140 miles | $2,800 – $6,850 | $4,850 | −3% |
| Waco, TX170 miles | $2,750 – $6,550 | $4,650 | −6% |
| Texas (statewide) | $2,850 – $6,900 | $4,900 | −2% |
| United States | $3,050 – $7,400 | $5,250 | +5% |
Out of the 300 metros we cover, Houston ranks #186 for the cost of this job (#1 is the most expensive). Statewide, Houston is 2% above the Texas figure.
Elsewhere in Texas
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas, TX | 4,049,800 jobs | $3,000 – $7,250 | $5,100 | +3% |
| Austin, TX | 1,293,690 jobs | $2,800 – $6,850 | $4,850 | −3% |
| San Antonio, TX | 1,126,880 jobs | $2,750 – $6,650 | $4,700 | −5% |
| El Paso, TX | 339,120 jobs | $2,650 – $6,350 | $4,500 | −9% |
| McAllen, TX | 296,700 jobs | $2,650 – $6,250 | $4,450 | −10% |
| Corpus Christi, TX | 192,580 jobs | $2,750 – $6,500 | $4,600 | −7% |
Metros of a similar size
Big cities and small ones price differently, so here is Houston against the 4 metros with the closest total employment.
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas, TX | 4,049,800 jobs | $3,000 – $7,250 | $5,100 | +3% |
| Washington, DC | 3,136,190 jobs | $3,200 – $7,800 | $5,500 | +11% |
| Chicago, IL | 4,513,280 jobs | $3,700 – $9,350 | $6,500 | +31% |
| Philadelphia, PA | 2,897,830 jobs | $3,050 – $7,500 | $5,300 | +6% |
Houston weather and the asphalt driveway calendar
Climate numbers on this page come from NOAA's 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals at the nearest suitable station, Houston Hobby Ap (10 miles from the city center). They are 30-year averages, so any one year can run hotter, colder or wetter.
For digging, grading and setting material in the ground, the comfortable months in Houston are September through May: 9 of 12. Outside them, June, July and August have an average daytime high of 90°F or more.
Houston gets about 56 inches of precipitation in a normal year. The wettest months are June, September and October (6.1 inches in June). Inside the workable window, February and March are the driest, at 2.9 and 3.3 inches. The station averages about 101 days a year at 90°F or above.
We do not adjust the estimate by month, because we have no reliable published data on seasonal pricing. It is still worth asking contractors whether an off-peak start date changes their bid.
| Month | Avg high °F | Avg low °F | Precip (in) | For this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 64 | 46 | 4.1 | Workable |
| Feb | 68 | 50 | 2.9 | Workable |
| Mar | 73 | 56 | 3.3 | Workable |
| Apr | 79 | 62 | 4.1 | Workable |
| May | 86 | 69 | 5.4 | Workable |
| Jun | 91 | 75 | 6.1 | Hot |
| Jul | 93 | 77 | 4.6 | Hot |
| Aug | 94 | 77 | 5.4 | Hot |
| Sep | 89 | 73 | 5.8 | Workable |
| Oct | 82 | 64 | 5.8 | Workable |
| Nov | 73 | 54 | 3.9 | Workable |
| Dec | 66 | 48 | 4.3 | Workable |
Houston: what basic, standard and premium work costs
The cited range is split into basic, standard and premium bands, then scaled to Houston. Bands overlap, because plenty of standard jobs cost as much as a light premium one. Sizes run from 1-car (12x20), 240 sq ft to long rural (10x100), 1,000 sq ft.
Basic
$2,950 to $4,550
New topcoat over a sound base, flat lot
Standard
$4,150 to $5,800
Full new driveway: base, 2-3 in of hot mix, edging
Premium
$5,350 to $7,000
Full tear-out and rebuild, drainage work, heavy-duty depth
| Size | Basic | Standard | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-car (12x20), 240 sq ft | $1,200 – $1,900 | $1,700 – $2,400 | $2,250 – $2,900 |
| 20x20 (400 sq ft) | $1,950 – $3,050 | $2,800 – $3,900 | $3,650 – $4,750 |
| 2-car (20x30), 600 sq ft | $2,950 – $4,550 | $4,150 – $5,800 | $5,350 – $7,000 |
| long rural (10x100), 1,000 sq ft | $4,850 – $7,500 | $6,850 – $9,550 | $8,850 – $11,500 |
Add-ons priced for Houston
Add-ons start from national price ranges and are scaled by 0.94 for Houston, which is the average of the area's wage index (0.87) and goods price index (1.01). The estimator above can add them to your total.
| Add-on | Local range |
|---|---|
| Add a sealcoat | $560 – $1,150 |
What nearby projects cost in Houston
Jobs that often go together with asphalt driveway are priced below at their usual sizes, using the same Houston wage and price inputs. Compared with national midpoints, French drain comes out highest (−6%) and concrete driveway lowest (−11%); the gap comes from the trades each job uses.
| Project | Size | Range | vs. US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Concrete driveway | 600 sq ft | $3,300 – $8,150 | −11% |
| Gravel driveway | 1,000 sq ft | $2,350 – $9,550 | −6% |
| Paver patio | 300 sq ft | $2,800 – $5,100 | −6% |
| French drain | 60 linear ft | $560 – $1,950 | −6% |
| Concrete slab | 400 sq ft | $2,250 – $4,900 | −6% |
| Concrete patio | 300 sq ft | $1,200 – $3,650 | −8% |
Get 3 local quotes
Tell us about the job and we will try to connect you with up to three local contractors for written quotes. It is free and you are under no obligation to hire. Your estimate of $4,150 to $5,800 for Houston, TX is attached.
Detailed asphalt driveway report for Houston, TX, $9
Multi-page report for Houston, TX: low, typical and high cost, a line-item breakdown of materials and labor by trade, permit notes, the best months to schedule, a quote comparison sheet, red flags, questions for contractors, checklists and every source. Save your estimate above, preview page 1 free, and unlock the full report for $9 one-time, or get every report with CostLocal Pro.
Asphalt driveway in Houston: your questions
+How much does it cost to pave a driveway in Houston?
For 600 sq ft, expect $2,950 to $7,000 in the Houston area. A standard-spec job lands at $4,150 to $5,800. Small jobs usually cost more per sq ft and large ones less.
+What is the price per sq ft for asphalt driveway in Houston?
About $4.80 to $11.50 per sq ft for materials and labor, plus $50 to $200 for the permit if one is needed. The US range is $5 to $12.
+Is asphalt driveway cheaper in Houston or Beaumont?
Beaumont is 70 miles away. The midpoint for 600 sq ft there is $4,950, which is 0% more than Houston ($4,950). Wage and materials indexes both feed that gap.
+How much of the bill is labor in Houston?
About 37% at the midpoint, or $1,850 out of $4,950. Materials are 60% and permits 2%. Nationally, labor is 41%.
+What would 2-car (20x30), 600 sq ft cost in Houston?
$2,950 to $7,000. Pick a different size in the estimator above to get your own number.
+Does asphalt driveway need a permit in Houston?
Often, but rules are set by your city or county building office, so call before you hire. Budget $50 to $200 for fees in the Houston area (our national range of $50 to $200 scaled by the local price level).
+Is Houston expensive for asphalt driveway compared with the rest of Texas?
Houston is 2% above the Texas statewide estimate ($4,900 at the midpoint). We cover 21 metros in Texas; see the state page to compare them.
+What do paving, surfacing and tamping equipment operators earn in Houston?
The BLS median is $22.49 an hour in the Houston area, compared with $25.64 nationally. The 25th to 75th percentile range is $21.30 to $27.41.
+What do basic and premium asphalt driveway work cost in Houston?
For 600 sq ft, basic work runs $2,950 to $4,550 and premium work $5,350 to $7,000. Basic means: new topcoat over a sound base, flat lot. Premium means: full tear-out and rebuild, drainage work, heavy-duty depth.
+When is the best time to pave a driveway in Houston?
Based on NOAA 1991-2020 normals, the comfortable months for this kind of work are September through May. February and March are typically the driest of those months. Local contractors' schedules matter as much as the weather, so book early for the busy months.
+What does "add a sealcoat" add in Houston?
$560 to $1,150 for 600 sq ft, from a national range scaled by the local wage and goods indexes.
Asphalt driveway near Houston
Where these numbers come from
Base prices are national ranges from the sources below. We scale labor by local BLS wages, materials by BEA goods prices and permits by the BEA all-items price level. Full method on the methodology page.
- HomeGuide: How Much Does Paving an Asphalt Driveway Cost? (2026) (accessed November 4, 2026)
- PaveGauge: Asphalt Driveway Cost (2026): Price by Size (accessed November 4, 2026)
- HomeGuide: 2026 Building Permit Costs | Fees & Cost Calculator (accessed November 4, 2026)
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
- BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991-2020
Note on derived figures: Materials = hot-mix asphalt ($2.30-$3.60/sq ft at 3 in) plus aggregate base ($1-$3/sq ft) from PaveGauge's component table.