French drain cost in Greenville, SC
Local estimate from BLS wage data and BEA price levels. Reviewed Nov 4, 2026.
- Typical range (60 linear ft)
- $560 – $1,950
- Per linear ft
- $9.30 – $32.50
- before permit
- Versus US midpoint
- −7%
- US $1,350
- Rank of 300 metros
- #212
- 1 = most expensive
Greenville homeowners pay roughly $560 to $1,950 to install a French drain at 60 linear ft, or $9.30 to $32.50 per linear ft (permit not included). Against the US midpoint, Greenville is 7% lower. Construction laborers earn a median of $21.34 an hour in the Greenville area, 6% below the US median of $22.66.
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Estimated cost for 60 linear ft in Greenville, SC, standard level
$980 to $1,550
About $16.50 to $25.50 per linear ft before permits. Labor is about 50% of the bill.
| Part | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Materials | $490 | $760 |
| Labor | $490 | $770 |
| Permits and fees | $0 | $0 |
| Total | $980 | $1,550 |
Cost breakdown for 60 linear ft in Greenville, SC
| Part of the job | Low | Midpoint | High | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Materials | $280 | $620 | $970 | 50% |
| Labor | $280 | $630 | $980 | 50% |
| Permits and fees | $0 | $0 | $0 | 0% |
| Total | $560 | $1,250 | $1,950 | 100% |
Where the Greenville price comes from
The wage side of the estimate leans on construction laborers, who do 50% of the hours on a typical job. Their local median is $21.34 an hour. Add the other trades involved and the blended wage index for Greenville is 0.90 (US = 1.00), which puts labor at 50% of the total.
On the materials line, the BEA goods price index for the Greenville metro is 96.3 (US = 100). The midpoint materials bill for 60 linear ft comes to $620, compared with $650 at national prices. Permit and inspection fees are scaled by the broader index (93.3) and land at $0 to $0.
Data note: 20% of the labor weighting for this project uses a statewide median because BLS has no published metro figure for that trade in Greenville. The wage table below marks each row.
When to schedule French drain in Greenville
We use NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals for Greenville Dwtn Ap (in the city). These are 30-year monthly averages, not forecasts.
August through June is the stretch where digging, grading and setting material in the ground runs into the fewest weather problems in Greenville (11 of 12 months). July has an average daytime high of 90°F or more.
Greenville gets about 47 inches of precipitation in a normal year. The wettest months are March, July and December (5.2 inches in July). Inside the workable window, September and October are the driest, at 3.5 and 3.2 inches. The station averages about 52 days a year at 90°F or above.
Does the season change the price? Probably, but we do not have a sourced seasonal price curve, so the estimator shows a year-round figure and does not adjust by month. When you collect quotes, ask whether scheduling in a slower month gets a better rate.
| Month | Avg high °F | Avg low °F | Precip (in) | For this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 54 | 35 | 4.0 | Workable |
| Feb | 58 | 38 | 3.7 | Workable |
| Mar | 65 | 44 | 4.3 | Workable |
| Apr | 75 | 52 | 3.6 | Workable |
| May | 81 | 61 | 3.9 | Workable |
| Jun | 88 | 68 | 3.9 | Workable |
| Jul | 91 | 72 | 5.2 | Hot |
| Aug | 89 | 71 | 4.0 | Workable |
| Sep | 84 | 65 | 3.5 | Workable |
| Oct | 74 | 54 | 3.2 | Workable |
| Nov | 64 | 44 | 3.6 | Workable |
| Dec | 56 | 37 | 4.3 | Workable |
Greenville against nearby metros and the rest of South Carolina
Of the five closest metros, 4 are cheaper than Greenville. Athens is the lowest at about $1,200 (midpoint, 60 linear ft), 70 miles away.
| Area | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greenville, SCthis page | $560 – $1,950 | $1,250 | |
| Spartanburg, SC35 miles | $550 – $1,950 | $1,250 | −1% |
| Asheville, NC65 miles | $570 – $2,000 | $1,300 | +2% |
| Athens, GA70 miles | $530 – $1,850 | $1,200 | −5% |
| Gainesville, GA85 miles | $530 – $1,850 | $1,200 | −4% |
| Augusta, GA90 miles | $540 – $1,900 | $1,200 | −4% |
| South Carolina (statewide) | $550 – $1,950 | $1,250 | −1% |
| United States | $600 – $2,100 | $1,350 | +7% |
Across 300 US metros, Greenville comes in at #212 from the top. The priciest is San Francisco, CA at $1,900; the cheapest is McAllen, TX at $1,100 (midpoints, 60 linear ft). Statewide, Greenville is 1% above the South Carolina figure.
Other South Carolina metros
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia, SC | 394,200 jobs | $550 – $1,950 | $1,250 | −1% |
| Charleston, SC | 394,170 jobs | $560 – $1,950 | $1,250 | +1% |
| Spartanburg, SC | 165,150 jobs | $550 – $1,950 | $1,250 | −1% |
| Myrtle Beach, SC | 146,260 jobs | $530 – $1,850 | $1,200 | −5% |
| Florence, SC | 89,060 jobs | $550 – $1,950 | $1,250 | −1% |
| Hilton Head, SC | 81,920 jobs | $560 – $2,000 | $1,250 | +1% |
Cities with a workforce like Greenville's
Big cities and small ones price differently, so here is Greenville against the 4 metros with the closest total employment.
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Orleans, LA | 445,550 jobs | $550 – $1,900 | $1,250 | −2% |
| Knoxville, TN | 424,600 jobs | $560 – $2,000 | $1,250 | +1% |
| Honolulu, HI | 446,380 jobs | $830 – $2,900 | $1,850 | +48% |
| Baton Rouge, LA | 409,690 jobs | $550 – $1,900 | $1,250 | −2% |
What nearby projects cost in Greenville
Because every project leans on different trades, Greenville's wage level does not move all prices equally. Against the US midpoint, sod installation runs −5% and retaining wall −9%.
| Project | Size | Range | vs. US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retaining wall | 200 sq ft of wall face | $6,300 – $12,300 | −9% |
| Gravel driveway | 1,000 sq ft | $2,300 – $9,400 | −8% |
| Sod installation | 1,500 sq ft | $1,400 – $3,150 | −5% |
| Concrete slab | 400 sq ft | $2,250 – $4,850 | −7% |
| Sprinkler system | 4,000 sq ft of lawn | $3,650 – $9,100 | −9% |
| Inground pool | 450 sq ft | $32,900 – $102,500 | −9% |
Local wages behind the labor line
Wages are the part of this estimate that changes most from town to town. 3 trades carry the job here, and each is compared with its US median. The weighted result for Greenville is 0.90 times the national level.
Construction laborers (47-2061), 50% of the weighting: a median of $21.34 an hour, 6% below the US median of $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $17.77 and $23.59 an hour. About 3,250 work in the metro. That is 74.7 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 70.5 nationally, so the supply of crews looks typical.
For operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073, weighted 30%) the local median is $23.55 an hour, which is 18% below the national $28.78. The middle half of them earn between $22.10 and $27.31 an hour. BLS counts 1,130 of them working in the area, 26.0 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 30.7), so the local bench is thinner than average.
Pipelayers (47-2151) carry 20% of the labor weighting. BLS does not publish this trade for the Greenville metro, so we used the South Carolina statewide median: $21.72 an hour against $23.56 for the US. The middle half of them earn between $18.73 and $23.80 an hour.
Quotes come from real crews, not medians. If the construction laborers on your job are paid at the 75th percentile ($23.59 an hour) instead of the median, the labor line grows by about $35. At the 25th percentile ($17.77) it shrinks by about $55. The total moves by 2.8% or 4.4%, so wages alone rarely explain a quote that is far outside our range.
For context on the local economy, BLS counts 434,900 jobs in the Greenville-Anderson-Greer area. That makes it the 58th largest of the 300 metros we cover, with 0.28% of US employment.
| Trade | Weight | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | US median | Ratio | Level used |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Construction laborers (47-2061) | 50% | $17.77 | $21.34 | $23.59 | $22.66 | 0.94 | metro |
| Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073) | 30% | $22.10 | $23.55 | $27.31 | $28.78 | 0.82 | metro |
| Pipelayers (47-2151) | 20% | $18.73 | $21.72 | $23.80 | $23.56 | 0.92 | state |
| Blended | 100% | 0.90 | |||||
Why two Greenville quotes can differ
Exterior versus interior
A shallow exterior French drain is $10-$35 per linear foot; an interior basement drain is $40-$85 per foot, or $4,000-$17,000 installed (HomeGuide).
Where the water goes
A sump pump adds $500-$1,800 and a dry well $50-$3,000+. Discharging to a storm drain can mean extra permit fees.
Depth and soil
Rocky or clay soil and long trenches raise excavation time.
Cost by quality level and size in Greenville
Three bands are cut from the same cited range and localized for Greenville wages and prices. They overlap on purpose: a good standard job and a modest premium job can cost the same. The grid below prices the same bands at 3 common sizes.
Basic
$560 to $1,100
Shallow yard drain, easy digging
Standard
$980 to $1,550
Standard drain with fabric, gravel and a pop-up outlet
Premium
$1,400 to $1,950
Deep or long drain, hard soil, dry well or sump discharge
| Size | Basic | Standard | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| short run (30 linear ft) | $280 – $560 | $490 – $770 | $700 – $980 |
| side yard (60 linear ft) | $560 – $1,100 | $980 – $1,550 | $1,400 – $1,950 |
| long run (120 linear ft) | $1,100 – $2,250 | $1,950 – $3,050 | $2,800 – $3,900 |
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French drain in Greenville: your questions
+How much does it cost to install a French drain in Greenville?
For 60 linear ft, expect $560 to $1,950 in the Greenville area. A standard-spec job lands at $980 to $1,550. Small jobs usually cost more per linear ft and large ones less.
+What is the price per linear ft for French drain in Greenville?
About $9.30 to $32.50 per linear ft for materials and labor, plus $0 to $0 for the permit if one is needed. The US range is $10 to $35.
+Is French drain cheaper in Greenville or Spartanburg?
Spartanburg is 35 miles away. The midpoint for 60 linear ft there is $1,250, which is 1% less than Greenville ($1,250). Wage and materials indexes both feed that gap.
+How much of the bill is labor in Greenville?
About 50% at the midpoint, or $630 out of $1,250. Materials are 50% and permits 0%. Nationally, labor is 52%.
+What would side yard (60 linear ft) cost in Greenville?
$560 to $1,950. Pick a different size in the estimator above to get your own number.
+Does French drain need a permit in Greenville?
Often, but rules are set by your city or county building office, so call before you hire. Budget $0 to $0 for fees in the Greenville area (our national range of $0 to $0 scaled by the local price level).
+Is Greenville expensive for French drain compared with the rest of South Carolina?
Greenville is 1% above the South Carolina statewide estimate ($1,250 at the midpoint). We cover 7 metros in South Carolina; see the state page to compare them.
+What do construction laborers earn in Greenville?
The BLS median is $21.34 an hour in the Greenville area, compared with $22.66 nationally. The 25th to 75th percentile range is $17.77 to $23.59.
+What do basic and premium French drain work cost in Greenville?
For 60 linear ft, basic work runs $560 to $1,100 and premium work $1,400 to $1,950. Basic means: shallow yard drain, easy digging. Premium means: deep or long drain, hard soil, dry well or sump discharge.
+When is the best time to install a French drain in Greenville?
Based on NOAA 1991-2020 normals, the comfortable months for this kind of work are August through June. September and October are typically the driest of those months. Local contractors' schedules matter as much as the weather, so book early for the busy months.
French drain near Greenville
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 a French Drain Cost? (2026) (accessed November 4, 2026)
- Cost to Renovate: Renovation Labor Report 2026: Where the Money Goes (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 = 48% of the installed price, from Cost to Renovate's mid-range 'Outdoor Living' category split (44% labor, 48% materials). It is a category average, not a French-drain figure, so the materials line here is a rough one.