# Inground pool cost, line by line

Updated 2026-10-10. A planning range from published sources, not a quote.

HomeAdvisor puts the pool itself at about $44,500 to $87,300, with an average near $66,000. This Old House prints $38,000 to $100,000 for a 12 by 24 foot pool. Check what each total leaves out. Treat every figure here as a planning range, not a quote, because the published numbers disagree.

## Line by line

Most of these lines scale with the size of the pool. The [pool size chart](https://rendersplash.com/pool-sizes) shows the water area and edge of every common size, and [Will it fit](https://rendersplash.com/pool-sizes#size-planner) checks a size against your yard. Two sizes are worked through line by line: [a 12x24](https://rendersplash.com/pool-sizes/12x24) and [a 16x32](https://rendersplash.com/pool-sizes/16x32).

### The pool itself, by type
| Item | Planning range | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Vinyl liner | $40,000 to $75,000 | Installed, as the guides print it. Source: HomeAdvisor, in-ground pool cost. |
| Fiberglass | $55,000 to $100,000 | A factory shell set in the hole, installed. Source: HomeAdvisor, in-ground pool cost. |
| Concrete (gunite or shotcrete) | $65,000 to $120,000 | Built on site, with a plaster interior unless you pay for another finish. Source: HomeAdvisor, in-ground pool cost. |
| Per square foot, all types | $90 to $250 a square foot | Installed, on the water surface, as HomeAdvisor prints it. HomeGuide prints $80 to $250; This Old House prints $180 to $350. Source: HomeAdvisor, in-ground pool cost; Fixr, gunite and concrete pool; Pool Research, plunge pool cost; HomeGuide, inground pool cost; This Old House, inground pool cost. |

### Digging and equipment
| Item | Planning range | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Excavation | $1,000 to $5,000 | HomeGuide lists it separately, so ask whether your quote includes it. Source: HomeGuide, inground pool cost. |
| Pump | $300 to $1,600 | HomeGuide's figure for the pump alone. Source: HomeGuide, inground pool cost. |
| Filter | $300 to $1,700 | HomeGuide's figure for the filter alone. Source: HomeGuide, inground pool cost. |
| Heater | $300 to $5,700 | The guides print different bands: HomeGuide $1,600 to $5,200, HomeAdvisor $300 to $5,700, This Old House $3,450 to $5,450. Ask your builder to list the equipment on the quote. Source: HomeGuide, inground pool cost; HomeAdvisor, in-ground pool cost; This Old House, inground pool cost. |

### Around the water
| Item | Planning range | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Pavers deck | $3 to $7 a square foot | HomeAdvisor's installed figure. Fixr's $6 to $8 is materials only. Source: HomeAdvisor, pool deck cost. |
| Stamped concrete deck | $12 to $20 a square foot | HomeAdvisor's installed figure, labor included. Fixr's $15 to $30 is materials only. Source: HomeAdvisor, pool deck cost. |
| Cool-deck concrete | No published range | No guide we use prices cool-deck separately; Fixr prices the coating at about $200. Ask your builder. |
| Travertine deck | $15 to $27 a square foot | HomeAdvisor's installed figure for travertine pavers. Source: HomeAdvisor, travertine pavers. |
| Concrete coping | $6 to $12 a foot | The cap along the pool's edge. Source: Pool Research, pool coping cost. |
| Travertine coping | $45 to $55 a foot | The cap along the pool's edge. Source: Pool Research, pool coping cost. |
| Aluminum fence | $15 to $35 a foot | Installed. Source: Fixr, pool fence. |
| Glass fence | $95 to $210 a foot | Installed. Source: Fixr, pool fence. |
| Removable mesh fence | $1,500 to $2,500 | Priced by the job. Source: Fixr, pool fence. |

### Features that raise the total
| Item | Planning range | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Spa added to the pool | $6,000 to $18,000 | A spa added to a new pool. Source: HomeAdvisor, hot tub cost; Shasta Pools, Arizona costs. |
| Vanishing edge | $10,000 to $30,000 or more | Pool Research's premium over an average inground pool, and it can run higher. Source: Pool Research, infinity pools. |
| Rock waterfall | $4,000 to $10,000 | A medium rock waterfall. A grotto costs more. Source: Simplified Pools, water features guide. |
| Pool lighting | $200 to $1,800 each | Installed. HomeAdvisor prints $200, This Old House $450 to $1,200 and HomeGuide $700 to $1,800. Source: HomeAdvisor, in-ground pool cost; This Old House, inground pool cost; HomeGuide, inground pool cost. |
| Outdoor kitchen | $6,300 to $27,000 | A built-in outdoor kitchen. Source: HomeAdvisor, outdoor kitchen. |

### Paperwork and the yard
| Item | Planning range | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Permits and inspections | $450 to $1,800 | This Old House's figure. HomeGuide prints $100 to $300 and says most contractors include permit fees in their price. Your town sets its own fees, and engineering can add to it. Source: This Old House, inground pool cost; HomeGuide, inground pool cost. |
| Landscaping and planting | $3,000 to $5,000 | HomeGuide's range. Ask every builder to price it on the quote or say it is left out. Source: HomeGuide, inground pool cost. |

## Concrete, fiberglass or vinyl

| Type | Typical installed price | Shape | Build time | Surface life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vinyl liner | $40,000 to $75,000 | Any shape a builder can frame, with a liner over it. | 4 to 8 weeks (HomeGuide prints 2 to 3 weeks). | The liner is replaced about every 10 years (HomeGuide prints 6 to 12 years). |
| Fiberglass | $55,000 to $100,000 | A factory mold, so you pick from the shapes and sizes a maker offers. | 2 to 4 weeks. | Lasts 25 years or more. The gel coat is the finish, so there is no plaster to redo (HomeGuide says it may need refinishing about every 10 years). |
| Concrete | $65,000 to $120,000 | Poured to your drawing, so any shape and depth. | About three to six months (HomeGuide prints 6 to 8 weeks), before permits. | Plaster is redone about every 5 to 15 years, depending on the guide. Pebble lasts 15 to 20 years or more. |

Build time and surface life are mostly as HomeAdvisor prints them, with HomeGuide's figures beside them. HomeGuide prints shorter times for vinyl and concrete, so ask any builder for a schedule in writing, and add your town's permit time.

## By state

These are our own adjustment of the HomeAdvisor national range, moved by a damped regional factor (half the gap in the state's Regional Price Parity), not a published state price. This Old House says the Northeast runs 15 to 25 percent higher and Florida and Texas lower. Our table moves less than that and puts Florida slightly above the middle, because it follows the cost of living, not pool prices.

| State | Typical range, adjusted | Factor |
|---|---|---|
| California | $47,000 to $92,000 | 1.05 |
| Florida | $45,000 to $89,000 | 1.02 |
| Arizona | $45,000 to $88,000 | 1 |
| Texas | $44,000 to $86,000 | 0.99 |
| New York | $46,000 to $91,000 | 1.04 |
| Georgia | $44,000 to $86,000 | 0.98 |
| North Carolina | $43,000 to $85,000 | 0.97 |
| Ohio | $43,000 to $84,000 | 0.96 |

## Guides put yearly upkeep anywhere from about $960 to $5,000

HomeAdvisor's 2026 guide puts yearly upkeep at $3,000 to $5,000, including power, water, chemicals, service and repairs. HomeGuide prints $80 to $150 a month for maintenance, about $960 to $1,800 a year. The gap may be partly what each counts, and This Old House prints $90 to $270 a month, about $1,080 to $3,240 a year, in between. Ask what is in the number. Your bill moves with the size of the pool, your climate, how long you swim and whether you heat it.

- Power: the pump is the biggest steady draw, and a heater or a long swim season adds to it.
- Chemicals and water: a bigger pool holds more, and evaporation in a hot, dry place adds top-up water.
- Service: a weekly visit costs money, and doing it yourself costs time.
- Repairs: pumps, heaters and covers wear out, so a pool with more equipment has more to fix.

Every few years the surface needs redoing too: plaster about every 5 to 15 years depending on the guide, and pebble lasts 15 to 20 years or more. No guide we use prices resurfacing in a way we could stand behind, so ask a local builder for a quote.

## Where the published sources disagree

Three guides print three different answers for the same job. Totals are only comparable when the size, the type and what is included match, and they rarely do.

| Guide | Dated | Total | Per sq ft | Vinyl | Fiberglass | Concrete |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HomeAdvisor | updated June 19, 2026 | $44,499 to $87,349 | $90 to $250 | $40,000 to $75,000 | $55,000 to $100,000 | $65,000 to $120,000 |
| HomeGuide | updated July 16, 2025 | $25,000 to $100,000 | $80 to $250 | $35,000 to $80,000 | $45,000 to $100,000 | $50,000 to $120,000 |
| This Old House | updated June 6, 2025 | $38,000 to $100,000 | $180 to $350 | $38,000 to $70,000 | $50,000 to $95,000 | $58,000 to $100,000 |

HomeGuide's live page blocks automated visits, so we checked its figures on the Internet Archive copy of February 10, 2026 (the page is dated July 16, 2025). HomeAdvisor, This Old House and Thursday Pools were opened directly. ([live page](https://homeguide.com/costs/inground-pool-cost), [Internet Archive copy](https://web.archive.org/web/20260210013512/https://homeguide.com/costs/inground-pool-cost))

Thursday Pools estimates three prices for a 16 by 32 foot pool: $61,500 for vinyl, from HomeGuide's 2024 rate of $123 a square foot; $89,600 for gunite, from another site's $175 a square foot; and $64,000 for fiberglass, from its own rule of $2,000 a linear foot. Thursday makes fiberglass pools. Its site says some content may be out of date.

- Size. HomeAdvisor's typical pool is about 14 by 28 feet, HomeGuide prints a size table, and This Old House prices 12 by 24. Thursday Pools prices a 16 by 32.
- Type. Concrete, fiberglass and vinyl sit in different bands, and a guide that blends them lands in the middle.
- What is counted. This Old House says its prices cover pool installation only, not decking or fencing, so a full job costs more than a pool-only total.
- Date. The pages are dated from June 2025 to June 2026, and pool prices move.

We do not average these. Use them as a fence: if a quote lands far outside every one of them, ask why.

## What pushes the price up

Size is the swing that comes first. A [20x40](https://rendersplash.com/pool-sizes/20x40) has far more water and edge to build, heat and fence than a [14x28](https://rendersplash.com/pool-sizes/14x28), and the [size guide](https://rendersplash.com/pool-sizes/what-size-pool-do-i-need) shows what each step up adds.

- A vanishing edge: $10,000 to $30,000 or more. Pool Research's premium over an average inground pool. It needs a catch basin and a wall built to level.
- A spa: $6,000 to $18,000. Added to a new pool, with its own equipment.
- Water features: $4,000 to $10,000. A medium rock waterfall. Sheer descents, scuppers and jets are priced separately.
- A pebble or tile finish. Both cost more per square foot than plaster, and they last longer. Prices are on the features page.
- An outdoor kitchen: $6,300 to $27,000. A built-in kitchen is usually its own project after the pool.
- A glass fence: $95 to $210 a foot. Against an aluminum fence at $15 to $35 a foot.
- Lighting: $200 to $1,800 each. Underwater lights, installed. The guides disagree, so ask for the model and the price. Plan them in before the pool is poured.
- A sloped yard: $5,500 to $23,000. A retaining wall and a structural engineer.
- Hard access: Up to $20,000 extra. Bob Vila puts the average excavation at $3,400, which the pool price already includes, and says it can reach $20,000 when the site is hard to access.

Every feature in plain words: https://rendersplash.com/pool-features

## Estimate yours

Add a photo of your yard and see the pool in it. Pick the size and the features you are weighing to get the picture and, where the visualizer shows one, a planning range for what you chose. Take both to your builder. To check what fits your yard first, use [Will it fit](https://rendersplash.com/pool-sizes#size-planner) on the pool size chart. A range to plan with, never a quote.

https://rendersplash.com/pool-visualizer

## Questions people ask

**How much does an inground pool cost?** HomeAdvisor puts the pool itself at about $44,500 to $87,300, with an average near $66,000; vinyl runs $40,000 to $75,000, fiberglass $55,000 to $100,000 and concrete $65,000 to $120,000. That is a planning range, not a quote, and other guides print wider bands.

**Why do the published prices disagree so much?** They price different sizes, types and scopes, and some are older: This Old House quotes a 12 by 24 foot pool at $38,000 to $100,000 and HomeAdvisor puts the pool itself at about $44,500 to $87,300. See [where the sources disagree](https://rendersplash.com/inground-pool-cost#sources-disagree).

**How much does it cost to run a pool each year?** HomeAdvisor puts yearly upkeep at $3,000 to $5,000, including power, water, chemicals, service and repairs. HomeGuide prints $80 to $150 a month for maintenance, about $960 to $1,800 a year. Climate, size and heating move it. See [the running cost](https://rendersplash.com/inground-pool-cost#running-cost).

**Is the advertised pool price the final price?** Not always. This Old House says its prices cover pool installation only, not decking or fencing, so ask every builder to price the deck, fence, electrical and landscaping on their own lines.

**What does an inground pool cost in my state?** It moves with local prices. Our damped regional factor takes the typical range up by about 5 percent in California and down by about 4 percent in Ohio. See [the state table](https://rendersplash.com/inground-pool-cost#by-region) and treat it as a planning range.

**How much does a 16x32 inground pool cost?** It depends on the build type and what the quote counts. Our [16x32 page](https://rendersplash.com/pool-sizes/16x32) prices the pool by water area at published rates and lists the deck, coping and fence beside it. The [size chart](https://rendersplash.com/pool-sizes) does the same for every common size.

**Is there a pool cost calculator?** Our [free pool visualizer](https://rendersplash.com/pool-visualizer) draws a pool in a photo of your yard, and each design in [pool ideas](https://rendersplash.com/pool-ideas) prints a planning range built from the same published rates. Neither is a quote.

## Sources and date checked

Guide figures collected 2026-10-10; unit rates collected 2026-10-06. A planning range from published sources, not a quote.

- [HomeAdvisor, in-ground pool cost, 2026](https://www.homeadvisor.com/cost/swimming-pools-hot-tubs-and-saunas/inground-pool)
- [HomeGuide, inground pool cost, 2025](https://homeguide.com/costs/inground-pool-cost)
- [HomeGuide, inground pool cost, Internet Archive copy of February 10, 2026; the page is dated July 16, 2025](https://web.archive.org/web/20260210013512/https://homeguide.com/costs/inground-pool-cost)
- [This Old House, inground pool cost, 2025](https://www.thisoldhouse.com/home-finances/inground-pool-cost)
- [Thursday Pools, 16x32 inground pool cost, 2026](https://thursdaypools.com/blog/how-much-does-a-16-x-32-inground-pool-cost/)
- [Fixr, gunite and concrete pool, 2025](https://www.fixr.com/costs/inground-gunite-concrete-swimming-pool)
- [Pool Research, plunge pool cost, undated](https://poolresearch.com/plunge-pool-cost/)
- [HomeAdvisor, pool deck cost, 2026](https://www.homeadvisor.com/cost/swimming-pools-hot-tubs-and-saunas/pool-deck)
- [HomeAdvisor, travertine pavers, 2026](https://www.homeadvisor.com/cost/outdoor-living/travertine-pavers-install/)
- [Pool Research, pool coping cost, 2026](https://poolresearch.com/coping-cost/)
- [Fixr, pool fence, 2025](https://www.fixr.com/costs/swimming-pool-fence)
- [HomeAdvisor, hot tub cost, 2026](https://www.homeadvisor.com/cost/swimming-pools-hot-tubs-and-saunas/install-a-hot-tub)
- [Shasta Pools, Arizona costs, 2026](https://shastapools.com/blog/breaking-down-the-cost-of-an-arizona-pool)
- [Pool Research, infinity pools, undated](https://poolresearch.com/infinity-pools/)
- [Simplified Pools, water features guide, undated](https://simplifiedpools.com/blog/pool-water-features-fountains-guide/)
- [HomeAdvisor, outdoor kitchen, 2026](https://www.homeadvisor.com/cost/outdoor-living/build-an-outdoor-kitchen)
- [Blue Haven Pools, how long a gunite pool takes, 2026](https://articles.bluehaven.com/how-long-does-it-take-to-build-a-gunite-pool-8-delay-factors)
- [HomeAdvisor, pool resurfacing, 2026](https://www.homeadvisor.com/cost/swimming-pools-hot-tubs-and-saunas/pool-resurfacing)
- [Shasta Pools, plaster versus pebble, undated](https://shastapools.com/blog/plaster-vs-pebble-pool-finish)
- [US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by state, 2024](https://www.bea.gov/data/prices-inflation/regional-price-parities-state-and-metro-area)
- [Pool Research, pool retaining wall, undated](https://poolresearch.com/?p=2044)
- [Bob Vila, in-ground pool cost, 2024](https://www.bobvila.com/articles/inground-pool-cost/)