Laminate flooring cost: national prices and local ranges
Reviewed Nov 4, 2026.
- US range (500 sq ft)
- $2,000 – $7,000
- Per sq ft
- $4 – $14
- materials and labor
- Cheapest metro
- $3,550
- Brownsville, TX
- Priciest metro
- $6,350
- San Jose, CA
A laminate floor runs $2,000 to $7,000 nationally for 500 sq ft, or $4 to $14 per sq ft for materials and labor. Where you live moves that number a lot: across 300 metros the midpoint runs from $3,550 in Brownsville, TX to $6,350 in San Jose, CA.
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Estimated cost for 500 sq ft in the US average, standard level
$3,500 to $5,500
About $7 to $11 per sq ft before permits. Labor is about 61% of the bill.
| Part | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Materials | $1,250 | $2,250 |
| Labor | $2,250 | $3,250 |
| Permits and fees | $0 | $0 |
| Total | $3,500 | $5,500 |
Cost breakdown for 500 sq ft in the US
| Part of the job | Low | Midpoint | High | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Materials | $500 | $1,750 | $3,000 | 39% |
| Labor | $1,500 | $2,750 | $4,000 | 61% |
| Permits and fees | $0 | $0 | $0 | 0% |
| Total | $2,000 | $4,500 | $7,000 | 100% |
What basic, standard and premium mean
Basic
$2,000 to $4,000
Basic click-lock laminate on a flat subfloor
Standard
$3,500 to $5,500
Thicker waterproof laminate, standard trim
Premium
$5,000 to $7,000
Premium or brand-name laminate, subfloor repair
Cost by size and quality level
| Size | Basic | Standard | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| one room (200 sq ft) | $800 – $1,600 | $1,400 – $2,200 | $2,000 – $2,800 |
| main floor (500 sq ft) | $2,000 – $4,000 | $3,500 – $5,500 | $5,000 – $7,000 |
| whole house (1,200 sq ft) | $4,800 – $9,600 | $8,400 – $13,200 | $12,000 – $16,800 |
How a laminate floor job goes, step by step
- Acclimate and check the subfloor. Planks sit in the room for a day or two. Uneven subfloors telegraph through laminate.
- Lay underlayment. Underlayment adds moisture protection and cushioning.
- Click planks together. Planks float over the underlayment with expansion gaps at the walls.
- Trim and baseboards. Transitions, quarter-round and baseboards hide the gaps.
What changes the price of a laminate floor
Floating versus glued
Click-lock or floating laminate is the easiest and cheapest to install (HomeGuide).
Trim
Baseboards run $6-$9 per linear foot and are a common add-on.
Heated floors
Radiant floor heating adds $7-$17 per sq ft and has to go in before the floor does.
Brand
Name-brand laminate such as Pergo runs $5-$17 per sq ft installed.
Wages behind the national estimate
Floor layers (except carpet, wood and hard tiles) (47-2042) do the largest share of the work, about 60% of the weighting. Their national median is $27.15 an hour. Among 76 metros with a published figure, the median runs from $18.14 in Oklahoma City, OK to $50.61 in San Jose, CA, and the middle metro sits at $26.78. That ratio between the high and low end is 2.79 to 1, and it feeds straight into the labor line of the estimate.
| Trade | Weight | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | US median | Ratio | Level used |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Floor layers (except carpet, wood and hard tiles) (47-2042) | 60% | $21.95 | $27.15 | $35.50 | $27.15 | 1.00 | US |
| Carpenters (47-2031) | 40% | $23.32 | $29.12 | $36.94 | $29.12 | 1.00 | US |
| Blended | 100% | 1.00 | |||||
How much the price varies by city
Across the 300 metros we cover, the midpoint for 500 sq ft runs from $3,550 in Brownsville to $6,350 in San Jose, a gap of 80%. The median metro is $4,250, which is −6% against the national midpoint of $4,500. 30 metros are 10% or more above the national figure, 90 are 10% or more below, and 180 sit within 10% of it.
Most expensive metros for laminate floor
| Metro | Range | Midpoint |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | $3,000 – $9,750 | $6,350 |
| Boston, MA | $2,800 – $9,150 | $6,000 |
| Honolulu, HI | $2,700 – $9,100 | $5,900 |
| Anchorage, AK | $2,750 – $9,100 | $5,900 |
| San Francisco, CA | $2,600 – $8,800 | $5,700 |
| Kahului, HI | $2,600 – $8,800 | $5,700 |
| Chicago, IL | $2,450 – $8,350 | $5,400 |
| Barnstable, MA | $2,450 – $8,150 | $5,300 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $2,400 – $8,100 | $5,250 |
| Amherst, MA | $2,400 – $8,050 | $5,250 |
Least expensive metros for laminate floor
| Metro | Range | Midpoint |
|---|---|---|
| Brownsville, TX | $1,500 – $5,600 | $3,550 |
| Dothan, AL | $1,500 – $5,650 | $3,600 |
| Fort Smith, AR | $1,550 – $5,650 | $3,600 |
| Tulsa, OK | $1,550 – $5,700 | $3,600 |
| Jonesboro, AR | $1,550 – $5,700 | $3,650 |
| Oklahoma City, OK | $1,550 – $5,700 | $3,650 |
| Laredo, TX | $1,550 – $5,750 | $3,650 |
| McAllen, TX | $1,550 – $5,750 | $3,650 |
| San Antonio, TX | $1,550 – $5,750 | $3,650 |
| El Paso, TX | $1,600 – $5,750 | $3,650 |
Laminate flooring cost by state
| State | Range (500 sq ft) | Midpoint |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $1,600 – $5,800 | $3,700 |
| Alaska | $2,750 – $9,100 | $5,900 |
| Arizona | $1,750 – $6,300 | $4,050 |
| Arkansas | $1,600 – $5,800 | $3,700 |
| California | $2,250 – $7,800 | $5,000 |
| Colorado | $1,850 – $6,600 | $4,200 |
| Connecticut | $1,850 – $6,600 | $4,250 |
| Delaware | $1,950 – $6,850 | $4,400 |
| District of Columbia | $2,050 – $7,250 | $4,650 |
| Florida | $1,900 – $6,700 | $4,300 |
| Georgia | $1,700 – $6,250 | $3,950 |
| Hawaii | $2,650 – $8,900 | $5,750 |
| Idaho | $1,900 – $6,650 | $4,300 |
| Illinois | $2,400 – $8,150 | $5,300 |
| Indiana | $1,900 – $6,700 | $4,300 |
| Iowa | $1,900 – $6,650 | $4,300 |
| Kansas | $1,750 – $6,300 | $4,000 |
| Kentucky | $1,800 – $6,400 | $4,100 |
| Louisiana | $1,650 – $5,950 | $3,800 |
| Maine | $1,950 – $6,850 | $4,400 |
| Maryland | $1,900 – $6,750 | $4,350 |
| Massachusetts | $2,500 – $8,300 | $5,400 |
| Michigan | $1,850 – $6,500 | $4,150 |
| Minnesota | $2,100 – $7,250 | $4,650 |
| Mississippi | $1,750 – $6,250 | $4,000 |
| Missouri | $1,950 – $6,800 | $4,400 |
| Montana | $1,650 – $6,050 | $3,850 |
| Nebraska | $1,850 – $6,550 | $4,200 |
| Nevada | $2,050 – $7,000 | $4,550 |
| New Hampshire | $2,000 – $6,950 | $4,500 |
| New Jersey | $2,100 – $7,450 | $4,800 |
| New Mexico | $1,850 – $6,600 | $4,200 |
| New York | $2,250 – $7,750 | $5,000 |
| North Carolina | $1,800 – $6,400 | $4,100 |
| North Dakota | $1,800 – $6,450 | $4,150 |
| Ohio | $2,000 – $6,950 | $4,500 |
| Oklahoma | $1,550 – $5,650 | $3,600 |
| Oregon | $2,050 – $7,200 | $4,650 |
| Pennsylvania | $2,050 – $7,100 | $4,550 |
| Rhode Island | $2,000 – $6,900 | $4,450 |
| South Carolina | $1,800 – $6,350 | $4,050 |
| South Dakota | $1,900 – $6,650 | $4,250 |
| Tennessee | $1,800 – $6,350 | $4,050 |
| Texas | $1,650 – $6,050 | $3,850 |
| Utah | $1,750 – $6,300 | $4,050 |
| Vermont | $1,900 – $6,750 | $4,350 |
| Virginia | $1,850 – $6,650 | $4,250 |
| Washington | $2,150 – $7,500 | $4,850 |
| West Virginia | $1,700 – $6,100 | $3,900 |
| Wisconsin | $1,950 – $6,700 | $4,300 |
| Wyoming | $1,950 – $6,750 | $4,350 |
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Laminate flooring cost: your questions
+How much does it cost to install laminate flooring?
$2,000 to $7,000 for 500 sq ft at national prices, including a permit of $0 to $0.
+What is the average cost per sq ft?
$4 to $14 per sq ft, materials and labor. The mid-range is about $9.
+How much does the price vary by city?
A lot. The most expensive metro we cover is 80% above the cheapest for the same 500 sq ft job. The cheapest is Brownsville, TX; the priciest is San Jose, CA.
+How much of the cost is labor?
About 61% at the national midpoint ($2,750). Materials are 39%.
+What do floor layers (except carpet, wood and hard tiles) earn on a laminate flooring job?
The national BLS median is $27.15 an hour for floor layers (except carpet, wood and hard tiles), with the middle half earning $21.95 to $35.50. Local wages are what move this estimate from town to town.
+How much more does a premium laminate floor job cost than a basic one?
At the national level, basic runs $2,000 to $4,000 and premium $5,000 to $7,000 for 500 sq ft. Basic means: basic click-lock laminate on a flat subfloor. Premium means: premium or brand-name laminate, subfloor repair.
Related projects
Largest metros: Laminate flooring prices
- New York, NY$5,050 midpoint
- Los Angeles, CA$4,950 midpoint
- Chicago, IL$5,400 midpoint
- Dallas, TX$3,950 midpoint
- Houston, TX$3,900 midpoint
- Washington, DC$4,400 midpoint
- Philadelphia, PA$4,950 midpoint
- Atlanta, GA$4,000 midpoint
- Miami, FL$4,400 midpoint
- Boston, MA$6,000 midpoint
- Phoenix, AZ$4,050 midpoint
- San Francisco, CA$5,700 midpoint
- Seattle, WA$4,900 midpoint
- Minneapolis, MN$5,000 midpoint
- Detroit, MI$4,400 midpoint
- Riverside, CA$4,700 midpoint
- Denver, CO$4,350 midpoint
- San Diego, CA$4,850 midpoint
- Tampa, FL$4,300 midpoint
- Orlando, FL$4,250 midpoint
- Charlotte, NC$4,250 midpoint
- Baltimore, MD$4,300 midpoint
- St. Louis, MO$5,150 midpoint
- Austin, TX$3,800 midpoint
- Portland, OR$4,900 midpoint
- Las Vegas, NV$4,350 midpoint
- San Jose, CA$6,350 midpoint
- San Antonio, TX$3,650 midpoint
- Pittsburgh, PA$5,250 midpoint
- Columbus, OH$4,750 midpoint
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 Laminate Flooring Installation Cost? (2026) (accessed November 4, 2026)
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
- BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
Note on derived figures: Materials = installed price minus HomeGuide's $3-$8 per sq ft laminate labor, matched low-to-low and high-to-high.