French drain cost in Austin, TX
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
- #218
- 1 = most expensive
A French drain in Austin, TX usually costs $560 to $1,950 for 60 linear ft. That works out to about $9.30 to $32.50 per linear ft before permits. Compared with the national midpoint that is $95 less. Construction laborers earn a median of $21.16 an hour in the Austin area, 7% below the US median of $22.66.
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Estimated cost for 60 linear ft in Austin, TX, standard level
$970 to $1,550
About $16 to $25.50 per linear ft before permits. Labor is about 52% of the bill.
| Part | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Materials | $470 | $740 |
| Labor | $500 | $790 |
| Permits and fees | $0 | $0 |
| Total | $970 | $1,550 |
Cost breakdown for 60 linear ft in Austin, TX
| Part of the job | Low | Midpoint | High | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Materials | $270 | $610 | $950 | 48% |
| Labor | $290 | $650 | $1,000 | 52% |
| Permits and fees | $0 | $0 | $0 | 0% |
| Total | $560 | $1,250 | $1,950 | 100% |
What is behind the Austin number
Labor is 52% of the midpoint bill here, against 52% nationally. The mix of trades behind this job is construction laborers (50%), operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (30%), pipelayers (20%). We weight each trade's local median wage by that share and compare it with the national median. In Austin the blended ratio comes out at 0.92.
Materials are scaled with BEA's regional price parity for goods. Austin is at 93.8 against 100 for the US, so a materials line of $650 nationally becomes $610 here (midpoint, 60 linear ft). Permits follow the all-items index of 98.1: $0 to $0.
Austin: what basic, standard and premium work costs
The cited range is split into basic, standard and premium bands, then scaled to Austin. Bands overlap, because plenty of standard jobs cost as much as a light premium one. Sizes run from short run (30 linear ft) to long run (120 linear ft).
Basic
$560 to $1,100
Shallow yard drain, easy digging
Standard
$970 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 – $970 |
| side yard (60 linear ft) | $560 – $1,100 | $970 – $1,550 | $1,400 – $1,950 |
| long run (120 linear ft) | $1,100 – $2,250 | $1,950 – $3,050 | $2,800 – $3,900 |
Is Austin cheap or dear? The local comparison
Same job, same size (60 linear ft), priced for the nearest metros. Houston is the priciest of the group at $1,250. College Station is the cheapest at $1,150.
| Area | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austin, TXthis page | $560 – $1,950 | $1,250 | |
| Killeen, TX65 miles | $530 – $1,850 | $1,200 | −5% |
| College Station, TX75 miles | $520 – $1,800 | $1,150 | −6% |
| San Antonio, TX80 miles | $530 – $1,850 | $1,200 | −4% |
| Waco, TX95 miles | $530 – $1,850 | $1,200 | −5% |
| Houston, TX140 miles | $560 – $1,950 | $1,250 | +1% |
| Texas (statewide) | $550 – $1,950 | $1,250 | −1% |
| United States | $600 – $2,100 | $1,350 | +8% |
Out of the 300 metros we cover, Austin ranks #218 for the cost of this job (#1 is the most expensive). Statewide, Austin is 1% above the Texas figure.
Elsewhere in Texas
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas, TX | 4,049,800 jobs | $580 – $2,050 | $1,300 | +4% |
| Houston, TX | 3,289,720 jobs | $560 – $1,950 | $1,250 | +1% |
| San Antonio, TX | 1,126,880 jobs | $530 – $1,850 | $1,200 | −4% |
| El Paso, TX | 339,120 jobs | $510 – $1,800 | $1,150 | −9% |
| McAllen, TX | 296,700 jobs | $490 – $1,750 | $1,100 | −12% |
| Corpus Christi, TX | 192,580 jobs | $540 – $1,900 | $1,200 | −3% |
Metros of a similar size
Big cities and small ones price differently, so here is Austin against the 4 metros with the closest total employment.
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis, MO | 1,341,320 jobs | $690 – $2,400 | $1,550 | +24% |
| Portland, OR | 1,208,410 jobs | $700 – $2,450 | $1,600 | +26% |
| Baltimore, MD | 1,356,680 jobs | $610 – $2,150 | $1,400 | +10% |
| Las Vegas, NV | 1,136,960 jobs | $620 – $2,150 | $1,400 | +11% |
What local crews earn in Austin
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 Austin the blend is 0.92.
For construction laborers (47-2061, weighted 50%) the local median is $21.16 an hour, which is 7% below the national $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $18.34 and $23.12 an hour. BLS counts 11,140 of them working in the area, 86.1 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 $24.50 an hour, 15% below the US median of $28.78. The middle half of them earn between $23.09 and $29.38 an hour. About 5,010 work in the metro. That is 38.7 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 30.7 nationally, which suggests plenty of local crews to bid.
For pipelayers (47-2151, weighted 20%) the local median is $23.29 an hour, which is in line with the national $23.56. The middle half of them earn between $22.12 and $25.34 an hour. BLS counts 740 of them working in the area, 5.7 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 2.1), so the local bench is deeper than average.
A quick sensitivity check: moving the lead trade (construction laborers) from the median to the 75th percentile wage adds about $30 to the midpoint estimate; the 25th percentile takes off about $45. That is a swing of roughly 3.5% to 2.4% of the total, which is useful for judging whether a bid reflects wages or something else, such as scope or margin.
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos has 1,293,690 jobs in total (BLS, May 2025), ranking 24th by size among the 300 metros on this site.
| Trade | Weight | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | US median | Ratio | Level used |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Construction laborers (47-2061) | 50% | $18.34 | $21.16 | $23.12 | $22.66 | 0.93 | metro |
| Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073) | 30% | $23.09 | $24.50 | $29.38 | $28.78 | 0.85 | metro |
| Pipelayers (47-2151) | 20% | $22.12 | $23.29 | $25.34 | $23.56 | 0.99 | metro |
| Blended | 100% | 0.92 | |||||
What nearby projects cost in Austin
Jobs that often go together with French drain are priced below at their usual sizes, using the same Austin wage and price inputs. Compared with national midpoints, sod installation comes out highest (−4%) and gravel driveway lowest (−8%); the gap comes from the trades each job uses.
| Project | Size | Range | vs. US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retaining wall | 200 sq ft of wall face | $6,600 – $12,600 | −6% |
| Gravel driveway | 1,000 sq ft | $2,300 – $9,350 | −8% |
| Sod installation | 1,500 sq ft | $1,450 – $3,150 | −4% |
| Concrete slab | 400 sq ft | $2,250 – $4,800 | −8% |
| Sprinkler system | 4,000 sq ft of lawn | $3,750 – $9,400 | −6% |
| Inground pool | 450 sq ft | $33,500 – $105,000 | −7% |
Specs and site conditions that change a Austin bid
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.
Crawl space drains
A crawl space French drain is $2,000-$8,000 installed.
Austin weather and the french drain calendar
Climate numbers on this page come from NOAA's 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals at the nearest suitable station, Austin-Camp Mabry (5 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 Austin are October through May: 8 of 12. Outside them, June, July, August and September have an average daytime high of 90°F or more.
Austin gets about 36 inches of precipitation in a normal year. The wettest months are May, June and October (5.0 inches in May). Inside the workable window, February and April are the driest, at 1.9 and 2.4 inches. The station averages about 123 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 | 63 | 42 | 2.6 | Workable |
| Feb | 67 | 46 | 1.9 | Workable |
| Mar | 73 | 52 | 2.9 | Workable |
| Apr | 80 | 59 | 2.4 | Workable |
| May | 87 | 67 | 5.0 | Workable |
| Jun | 93 | 73 | 3.7 | Hot |
| Jul | 97 | 75 | 2.0 | Hot |
| Aug | 98 | 75 | 2.7 | Hot |
| Sep | 91 | 70 | 3.5 | Hot |
| Oct | 83 | 61 | 3.9 | Workable |
| Nov | 72 | 51 | 2.9 | Workable |
| Dec | 64 | 43 | 2.7 | Workable |
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French drain in Austin: your questions
+How much does it cost to install a French drain in Austin?
For 60 linear ft, expect $560 to $1,950 in the Austin area. A standard-spec job lands at $970 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 Austin?
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 Austin or Killeen?
Killeen is 65 miles away. The midpoint for 60 linear ft there is $1,200, which is 5% less than Austin ($1,250). Wage and materials indexes both feed that gap.
+How much of the bill is labor in Austin?
About 52% at the midpoint, or $650 out of $1,250. Materials are 48% and permits 0%. Nationally, labor is 52%.
+What would side yard (60 linear ft) cost in Austin?
$560 to $1,950. Pick a different size in the estimator above to get your own number.
+Does French drain need a permit in Austin?
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 Austin area (our national range of $0 to $0 scaled by the local price level).
+Is Austin expensive for French drain compared with the rest of Texas?
Austin is 1% above the Texas statewide estimate ($1,250 at the midpoint). We cover 21 metros in Texas; see the state page to compare them.
+What do construction laborers earn in Austin?
The BLS median is $21.16 an hour in the Austin area, compared with $22.66 nationally. The 25th to 75th percentile range is $18.34 to $23.12.
+What do basic and premium French drain work cost in Austin?
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 Austin?
Based on NOAA 1991-2020 normals, the comfortable months for this kind of work are October through May. February and April 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 Austin
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.