Based on aggregated data, the cost to rewire a house ranges from $3,500 to $10,000 in 2026, with a typical whole-home project around $6,000. Expressed per unit of area, rewiring runs approximately $3 to $8 per square foot. Labor is the dominant cost — materials (wire, boxes, devices) account for roughly $1,000 to $3,000, while the rest covers running cable, opening and patching walls, and terminating circuits.
The largest price drivers are home size, wall access, home age, and whether the work includes a service panel upgrade.
Rewiring Cost by Home Size
| Home Size | Cost Range | Typical Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 sq ft | $3,500–$6,000 | ~$4,500 |
| 1,500 sq ft | $4,500–$7,500 | ~$6,000 |
| 2,000 sq ft | $6,000–$9,000 | ~$7,500 |
| 2,500 sq ft | $7,500–$10,000 | ~$8,800 |
| 3,000+ sq ft | $9,000–$10,000+ | ~$10,000 |
These ranges assume a full rewire of branch circuits. Partial rewires — a single floor, a kitchen, or replacing only knob-and-tube runs — cost proportionally less.
What Drives the Price
- Wall access. Open framing, unfinished basements, and accessible attics let electricians pull cable quickly. Finished, insulated, or plaster walls must be opened and patched, which is the single biggest cost swing.
- Home age and existing wiring. Knob-and-tube and aluminum wiring take longer to remove and often trigger code-required upgrades.
- Panel upgrade. Replacing an undersized or obsolete service panel adds $1,800 to $4,500 and is frequently bundled with a full rewire.
- Fixture and device count. More outlets, switches, and light fixtures mean more terminations and higher device cost.
- Drywall repair. Patching, sanding, and repainting opened walls may be a separate trade added to the electrical quote.
Rewiring an Older Home
Homes built before the 1970s are the most common rewiring candidates. Knob-and-tube and early aluminum systems lack a ground, can’t safely carry modern loads, and often fail insurance or resale inspections. Because these homes usually have plaster walls and outdated panels, they land 20 to 40 percent above the cost of a comparable newer home, and the work almost always includes a panel upgrade.
Where the Money Goes
Rewiring is a labor project with a materials list attached, not the other way round. The split below is the project record the calculator reads:
| Component | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Materials (cable, boxes, devices, breakers) | $1,000 | $1,800 | $3,000 |
| Labor (pulling cable, opening and patching, terminating, inspection) | $2,200 | $3,800 | $6,500 |
| Installed total | $3,500 | $6,000 | $10,000 |
Labor is around 63% of a typical rewire. Cable and devices cost roughly the same in every state; an electrician’s day does not. That single fact is why a rewire quote in one metro can exceed a quote in another by thousands of dollars for identical work — and why the table below adjusts only the labor half.
Cost by City
| City | Labor Adjustment Factor | Adjusted Rewire Range | Typical Rewire (materials + adjusted labor) | Adjusted Rate per Sq Ft (1,500 sq ft home) | vs. National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago, IL | 1.33 | $4,655–$13,300 | $6,855 | $5.32 | +33% |
| Seattle, WA | 1.29 | $4,515–$12,900 | $6,700 | $5.16 | +29% |
| New York, NY | 1.23 | $4,305–$12,300 | $6,475 | $4.92 | +23% |
| Denver, CO | 1.07 | $3,745–$10,700 | $5,865 | $4.28 | +7% |
| Atlanta, GA | 0.92 | $3,220–$9,200 | $5,295 | $3.68 | −8% |
| San Antonio, TX | 0.85 | $2,975–$8,500 | $5,030 | $3.40 | −15% |
Materials held flat at the national figure; only the labor half is scaled by the metro factor. The per-square-foot column applies the factor to the $4/sq ft mid-point of the $3–$8 national range.
Labor adjustment factors are derived from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025): the median ratio of local to national hourly wages across the trades that do this work. How this is calculated.
A rewire is one of the few projects where waiting for a remodel is worth real money: the labor half is inflated by opening and patching walls, and that work disappears if the walls are already open.
DIY vs Professional
Whole-home rewiring is not a practical DIY project: it requires a permit, inspection, and licensed work in nearly all jurisdictions, and mistakes carry fire and shock risk. Materials alone run $1,000 to $3,000, but the value of professional rewiring is in correct circuit design, code compliance, and passing inspection. Homeowners occasionally handle non-wiring tasks — such as drywall patching after the electrician finishes — to trim the total.
How to Reduce Rewiring Cost
- Rewire while walls are already open during a remodel or before drywall goes up.
- Bundle a panel upgrade with the rewire so the crew mobilizes once.
- Prioritize failing or unsafe circuits if a full rewire isn’t in budget this year.
- Handle post-work drywall repair and repainting yourself where you’re comfortable.
- Get at least three quotes and compare exactly what’s included — panel, drywall, and fixture allowances change the number significantly.
Related Electrical Costs
Rewiring is frequently the point at which other electrical work becomes cheaper to do at the same time, because the walls are already open and the panel is already being touched. Based on aggregated data, a whole-home rewire runs $3,500 to $10,000, with a typical project near $6,000.
The most common add-on is a dedicated 240V circuit. EV charger installation costs $500 to $2,500 on its own, and the wide spread is driven almost entirely by whether the panel has spare capacity and how far the charger sits from it — both of which are already being addressed during a rewire. Running that circuit while the walls are open removes the drywall repair and the second service call that make a standalone installation land at the upper end of its range.