Patio door cost in California
Statewide estimate from BLS wages and BEA prices. Reviewed Nov 4, 2026.
- Statewide range (1 door)
- $670 – $6,800
- Per door
- $665 – $6,794
- before permit
- Versus US midpoint
- +13%
- US $3,300
- Metros covered
- 23
Across California, a patio door costs about $670 to $6,800 for 1 door. Statewide, that midpoint is 13% above the US figure of $3,300. Carpenters earn a median $36.50 an hour in California (US: $29.12).
Inside California, the metros we cover range from $3,450 (Visalia) to $4,100 (San Francisco) at the midpoint. Pick your closest city in the table for a tighter number.
Estimate your patio door cost
Pick a size, a quality level and where you live. Prices update as you type.
Estimated cost for 1 door in California (statewide), standard level
$2,500 to $4,950
About $2,504 to $4,955 per door before permits. Labor is about 52% of the bill.
| Part | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Materials | $1,250 | $2,350 |
| Labor | $1,250 | $2,600 |
| Permits and fees | $0 | $0 |
| Total | $2,500 | $4,950 |
Cost breakdown for 1 door in California
| Part of the job | Low | Midpoint | High | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Materials | $420 | $1,800 | $3,200 | 48% |
| Labor | $240 | $1,950 | $3,600 | 52% |
| Permits and fees | $0 | $0 | $0 | 0% |
| Total | $670 | $3,750 | $6,800 | 100% |
When California weather lets you install
Weather decides when exterior installation can happen, and California is not uniform. The table uses NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals from the weather station nearest each metro we cover, and counts the months that are neither cold nor hot enough to complicate the job.
Los Angeles has the longest comfortable season of the metros we cover in California at 12 months; El Centro has the shortest at 6 (November through April). Rainfall runs from 3 inches a year in El Centro to 34 inches in Redding.
We do not adjust prices by month, because we have no reliable published data on seasonal pricing. Timing is still worth raising when you collect bids.
| Metro | Jan avg low °F | Jul avg high °F | Precip (in/yr) | Comfortable months |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 48 | 78 | 14 | 12: all year |
| San Francisco | 47 | 66 | 23 | 12: all year |
| Riverside | 43 | 95 | 10 | 9: October through June |
| San Diego | 46 | 80 | 11 | 12: all year |
| San Jose | 42 | 81 | 13 | 12: all year |
| Sacramento | 41 | 94 | 19 | 10: September through June |
| Fresno | 41 | 98 | 11 | 8: October through May |
| Bakersfield | 41 | 98 | 6 | 8: October through May |
| Oxnard | 46 | 73 | 13 | 12: all year |
| Stockton | 39 | 95 | 17 | 8: October through May |
| Santa Rosa | 38 | 82 | 32 | 12: all year |
| Santa Maria | 41 | 73 | 13 | 12: all year |
| Modesto | 39 | 95 | 12 | 9: September through May |
| Salinas | 42 | 71 | 13 | 12: all year |
| Visalia | 38 | 94 | 10 | 10: September through June |
| Vallejo | 38 | 79 | 20 | 12: all year |
| San Luis Obispo | 41 | 78 | 18 | 12: all year |
| Santa Cruz | 41 | 74 | 31 | 12: all year |
| Merced | 37 | 96 | 12 | 8: October through May |
| Chico | 36 | 95 | 27 | 9: October through June |
| Napa | 40 | 83 | 27 | 12: all year |
| Redding | 38 | 100 | 34 | 8: October through May |
| El Centro | 43 | 107 | 3 | 6: November through April |
Other California jobs that often go with patio door
Each project weights the trades differently, so California's wage level does not push every price by the same amount. Compared with the US midpoint, wood deck is +15% and window replacement +9%.
| Project | Size | Range | vs. US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Window replacement | 10 windows | $4,950 – $16,400 | +9% |
| Front door | 1 door | $580 – $2,750 | +11% |
| Storm door | 1 door | $400 – $1,050 | +13% |
| Wood deck | 300 sq ft | $8,650 – $17,400 | +15% |
| Garage door | 1 door | $790 – $4,100 | +11% |
Why two California quotes can differ
Door type
Sliding glass doors run $1,200-$4,000 installed; exterior French doors $1,300-$5,500; telescoping doors $1,500-$5,000 (HomeGuide).
New opening versus replacement
Cutting a new opening in a wall adds framing, header and finish work compared with a like-for-like swap.
Old door removal
Removing and disposing of the old door is $100-$500 extra.
Glass
Low-E, tempered and hurricane-rated glass cost more than basic single-pane glass.
What carpenters and the other trades earn in California
California's labor line is priced from 3 trades, each compared with its US median wage. After weighting by each trade's share of the work, the state comes out at 1.20 times the national level.
Carpenters (47-2031), 60% of the weighting: a median of $36.50 an hour, 25% above the US median of $29.12. The middle half of them earn between $28.72 and $46.07 an hour. About 100,750 work in the state. That is 55.3 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 43.1 nationally, which suggests plenty of local crews to bid.
Glaziers (47-2121), 30% of the weighting: a median of $30.79 an hour, 12% above the US median of $27.44. The middle half of them earn between $27.69 and $44.25 an hour. About 7,020 work in the state. That is 3.9 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 3.8 nationally, so the supply of crews looks typical.
For general maintenance and repair workers (49-9071, weighted 10%) the local median is $27.41 an hour, which is 15% above the national $23.84. The middle half of them earn between $22.28 and $34.24 an hour. BLS counts 143,060 of them working in the state, 78.5 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 98.4), so the local bench is thinner than average.
A crew paid at the 75th percentile for carpenters ($46.07 an hour) would add about $320 to the statewide midpoint; one at the 25th percentile ($28.72) would take off about $260. Use that as a rough guide to how far a bid can sit from our midpoint on wages alone.
BLS counts 18,213,700 jobs across California (May 2025), which is 11.7% of US employment.
| Trade | Weight | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | US median | Ratio | Level used |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carpenters (47-2031) | 60% | $28.72 | $36.50 | $46.07 | $29.12 | 1.25 | state |
| Glaziers (47-2121) | 30% | $27.69 | $30.79 | $44.25 | $27.44 | 1.12 | state |
| General maintenance and repair workers (49-9071) | 10% | $22.28 | $27.41 | $34.24 | $23.84 | 1.15 | state |
| Blended | 100% | 1.20 | |||||
Which California city is cheapest for patio door?
4 of the 23 metros sit above the statewide midpoint of $3,750, and the top-to-bottom gap is 19%. Each row prices the default size with that metro's own BLS wages and BEA price levels, so the gap between rows is real local variation rather than a flat markup.
| Metro | Range (1 door) | Midpoint | vs. state |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco, CA | $710 – $7,450 | $4,100 | +10% |
| San Jose, CA | $690 – $7,200 | $3,950 | +6% |
| Napa, CA | $670 – $6,950 | $3,800 | +2% |
| Santa Rosa, CA | $670 – $6,850 | $3,750 | +1% |
| Vallejo, CA | $670 – $6,800 | $3,750 | level |
| Los Angeles, CA | $670 – $6,800 | $3,750 | level |
| San Diego, CA | $670 – $6,750 | $3,700 | level |
| Santa Maria, CA | $660 – $6,750 | $3,700 | −1% |
| Merced, CA | $660 – $6,750 | $3,700 | −1% |
| San Luis Obispo, CA | $660 – $6,700 | $3,700 | −1% |
| Sacramento, CA | $660 – $6,700 | $3,700 | −1% |
| Santa Cruz, CA | $660 – $6,700 | $3,700 | −1% |
| Oxnard, CA | $650 – $6,650 | $3,650 | −2% |
| El Centro, CA | $650 – $6,650 | $3,650 | −2% |
| Modesto, CA | $650 – $6,650 | $3,650 | −2% |
| Chico, CA | $650 – $6,650 | $3,650 | −2% |
| Redding, CA | $650 – $6,600 | $3,600 | −3% |
| Stockton, CA | $650 – $6,550 | $3,600 | −4% |
| Salinas, CA | $640 – $6,500 | $3,550 | −4% |
| Bakersfield, CA | $640 – $6,450 | $3,550 | −5% |
| Riverside, CA | $630 – $6,450 | $3,550 | −5% |
| Fresno, CA | $630 – $6,300 | $3,450 | −7% |
| Visalia, CA | $630 – $6,250 | $3,450 | −8% |
Basic, standard or premium: California prices
Bands overlap on purpose, since a good standard job can cost as much as a light premium one. Below are the three bands for the default size, then a grid from one sliding door to two doors.
Basic
$670 to $3,100
Standard vinyl slider, same opening
Standard
$2,500 to $4,950
Wider slider or French door with better glass
Premium
$4,350 to $6,800
Multi-panel or custom door, new opening
| Size | Basic | Standard | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| one sliding door | $670 – $3,100 | $2,500 – $4,950 | $4,350 – $6,800 |
| two doors | $1,350 – $6,250 | $5,000 – $9,900 | $8,700 – $13,600 |
California versus the states around it
California ranks 3 of 51 (the 50 states plus DC) for patio door, where 1 is the most expensive. The costliest is Hawaii at $4,100 and the cheapest Oklahoma at $2,850, both for 1 door at the midpoint. California sits at $3,750. The five states closest by workforce center are listed below.
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 $2,500 to $4,950 for California is attached.
A detailed PDF report of this estimate, $9
Multi-page report for California: 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.
Patio door in California: your questions
+How much does it cost to install a patio door in California?
$670 to $6,800 for 1 door, using statewide wages and prices. Metro areas inside California can sit above or below that.
+Which city in California is cheapest for patio door?
Visalia at about $3,450 (midpoint, 1 door). The priciest is San Francisco at $4,100.
+Is patio door cheaper in California than the US average?
It is 13% more expensive: $3,750 against $3,300 for 1 door at the midpoint.
+What share of the price is labor in California?
About 52% ($1,950). Materials are 48%. Statewide labor for this job is weighted 1.20x the national wage level.
+What do carpenters earn in California?
The BLS statewide median is $36.50 an hour, against $29.12 for the US. The 25th to 75th percentile range is $28.72 to $46.07.
+Where does California rank for patio door costs?
3rd most expensive of 51 (the 50 states plus DC) at the midpoint, $3,750 for 1 door. Rank 1 is the costliest.
+What do basic and premium patio door work cost in California?
For 1 door, basic work runs $670 to $3,100 and premium work $4,350 to $6,800. Basic means: standard vinyl slider, same opening. Premium means: multi-panel or custom door, new opening.
+Does the season matter for patio door in California?
Yes where winters or summers are hard. Of the California metros we cover, Los Angeles has the most comfortable months (12 of 12) based on NOAA 1991-2020 normals. Our prices do not change by month, so ask contractors whether they charge more or less in busy and slow seasons.
Patio door by city in California
- San Francisco, CA$4,100 midpoint
- San Jose, CA$3,950 midpoint
- Napa, CA$3,800 midpoint
- Santa Rosa, CA$3,750 midpoint
- Vallejo, CA$3,750 midpoint
- Los Angeles, CA$3,750 midpoint
- San Diego, CA$3,700 midpoint
- Santa Maria, CA$3,700 midpoint
- Merced, CA$3,700 midpoint
- San Luis Obispo, CA$3,700 midpoint
- Sacramento, CA$3,700 midpoint
- Santa Cruz, CA$3,700 midpoint
- Oxnard, CA$3,650 midpoint
- El Centro, CA$3,650 midpoint
- Modesto, CA$3,650 midpoint
- Chico, CA$3,650 midpoint
- Redding, CA$3,600 midpoint
- Stockton, CA$3,600 midpoint
- Salinas, CA$3,550 midpoint
- Bakersfield, CA$3,550 midpoint
- Riverside, CA$3,550 midpoint
- Fresno, CA$3,450 midpoint
- Visalia, CA$3,450 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 It Cost to Install or Replace Patio Doors? (2026) (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 = HomeGuide's $400-$3,000 for the sliding door itself, matched to the lower part of the $600-$6,000 installed range; labor is the remainder and sits above HomeGuide's $200-$1,000 labor-only figure because the installed range also covers trim, flashing and haul-away.