Typical prices for plumbing
These are consumer-facing figures from 2026 cost guides, not rules. They show where the market sits so you can tell whether your price is far above or below it.
| What is priced | Published 2026 range |
|---|---|
| Hourly rate, all plumbers (Angi) | $45 – $200 per hour |
| Hourly rate by license level (Angi) | apprentice $45 – $90; journeyperson $60 – $110; master $80 – $200 |
| Hourly rate (Thumbtack) | $50 – $200; pipe repair average $100, drain repair $100, pipe installation $90, toilet repair $95 |
| Residential vs. commercial (Angi) | residential about $80 per hour on average |
| Service call fee (Angi, HomeAdvisor) | $100 – $250, usually covering the first hour |
| Service call fee (Thumbtack) | $64 – $275 depending on the problem |
| Trip or call-out fee on top of labor (HomeAdvisor) | $50 – $300 |
| Flat rate for a simple call (Angi) | $100 – $400 |
| Drain cleaning (Angi; Thumbtack) | Angi $95 – $500; Thumbtack $186 – $549 typical |
| Fixture installation, Los Angeles flat rate (Angi) | $200 – $600 |
| Water heater installation, Los Angeles flat rate (Angi) | $1,000 – $2,500 |
| Emergency plumber (Angi) | $100 – $500 per hour, $170 average; up to $600 on holidays; 1.5 – 3 times the normal rate |
| Emergency plumber (Thumbtack) | $90 – $147 per hour; typical job $215 – $665 |
| Permit fees (Angi) | $75 – $100 for typical repairs; $150 – $500 for bathroom rough-in |
| Hauling fee (Angi) | $50 – $200 |
The sources overlap but do not agree, partly because some include the service call and parts and some do not, and because metro areas run well above the national range. Compare several sources and your local competitors before you set a rate.
Hourly, flat rate, or both
- Service call fee plus hourly. The traditional method: a fee to arrive and diagnose, then labor by the hour. Say whether the fee covers the first hour and whether it is credited if the customer books the work.
- Flat rate per job. Angi notes flat rates are common for routine tasks such as clearing a drain or fixing a running toilet. Customers like knowing the price before you start, and fast workers keep the upside.
- Rate by license level. Angi lists apprentice, journeyperson and master rates separately. If you send an apprentice, do not bill the master rate for the hours.
- After-hours multiplier. Angi reports 1.5 to 3 times the standard rate for nights, weekends and holidays. Write the multiplier on the quote before you go out.
What moves the price
- Type of work. A clogged drain, a water heater and a repipe are very different jobs. Angi lists whole-house plumbing at $10,000 to $20,000 and single-room plumbing at $500 to $2,500.
- Access. Crawl spaces, slab leaks and finished walls mean more labor and sometimes demolition and repair.
- Parts and fixtures. Who supplies the toilet, faucet or heater changes the quote. Mark up parts and say so.
- Permits and inspections. Check local rules and list the permit as its own line.
- Location. Dense, high-cost metros sit at the top of the national range.
- Timing. Emergency and after-hours work is priced at a multiple.
Check the price against your costs
Add paid labor for every technician, the van, tools, fuel, insurance, licensing, software, unbillable hours and overhead, then divide by the hours you can really bill. See how to calculate labor cost and your overhead rate, and use the hourly rate calculator to find your floor.
A worked quote
Replacing a toilet that the customer supplied, using example rates (yours will differ). The service call is $100. Labor is 2 hours at $95: 2 × $95 = $190.00. Hauling away the old toilet is $50.
| Service call fee | $100.00 |
| Labor, 2 h × $95 | $190.00 |
| Haul-away of old toilet | $50.00 |
| Total | $340.00 |
|---|
Check it against the market: $100 is at the low end of the $100 to $250 service call range, $95 per hour matches Thumbtack's average for toilet repair, $50 is the bottom of Angi's $50 to $200 hauling range, and $340 sits inside Angi's $200 to $600 flat rate for fixture installation in Los Angeles. Add the toilet and any wax ring or supply line as marked-up materials if you supply them. These figures are examples, not recommended prices.
Common mistakes
- Skipping the service call fee, so diagnostic visits that end in no work are unpaid.
- Billing a flat rate that assumed a quick fix and then finding rusted fittings behind the wall. Put a scope line and an exclusion on the quote.
- Not stating the after-hours multiplier until the invoice.
- Skipping a written estimate. Read how to write a contractor estimate for what to include.
Turn the numbers into a quote
Build the quote with the free plumbing estimate and invoice maker: list the service call, labor, parts and haul-away as separate lines and save a PDF. No sign-up. Working on a bigger job? Read how to price a change order.
Sources
- Angi, How Much Does Plumbing Repair Cost?, How Much Does an Emergency Plumber Cost? and Los Angeles and Austin plumber cost pages, 2026 (angi.com).
- Thumbtack, Plumber Cost, Emergency Plumber Cost (July 2026) and Drain Cleaning Cost (April 2026) (thumbtack.com).
- HomeAdvisor and HomeGuide figures as summarized by Home Repair Dispatch (homerepairdispatch.com), October 2026; not read directly.
Prices are published averages read in November 2026 and vary by region. Read from search excerpts, not full pages. For planning only. This is not accounting, tax or legal advice.