How much does a fence cost?
A new fence costs $20 to $60 per linear foot installed in the United States, which works out at $4,000 to $12,000 for a two-hundred-foot run, according to HomeGuide, updated in February 2026. The calculator further down this page multiplies your own boundary length by the per-foot rate you were quoted, and adds your gates, so the figure that comes out is yours. Replacement runs higher than new installation because the old fence has to come out first.
$20 – $60
per linear foot, installed
$4,000 – $12,000
total, 200 linear feet
$30 – $80
per linear foot, replacement
The 3 figures above, drawn to one scale so the distance between them is visible rather than only stated. Each bar spans its own range, and the amount beside it is the one printed above.
Cost breakdown
Each table below comes from one source, named underneath it, with the date that source last revised the figures. Everything is a United States figure in USD.
Fence cost by length
| Fence length (linear feet) | Average cost installed |
|---|---|
| 50 | $1,000 – $3,000 |
| 100 | $2,000 – $6,000 |
| 150 | $3,000 – $9,000 |
| 200 | $4,000 – $12,000 |
| 300 | $6,000 – $18,000 |
| 400 | $8,000 – $24,000 |
| 500 | $10,000 – $30,000 |
Privacy fence cost per linear foot, and every other material, installed
| Material | Cost per linear foot installed |
|---|---|
| Barbed wire | $3 – $6 |
| Invisible dog fence | $2 – $7 |
| Chain-link | $9 – $30 |
| Wood | $20 – $50 |
| Metal | $20 – $85 |
| Composite | $20 – $85 |
| Aluminium | $25 – $75 |
| Vinyl | $30 – $60 |
| Wrought iron | $50 – $85 |
Installed cost per linear foot, from a second source, 2026
| Material | Installed, per linear foot | Typical project |
|---|---|---|
| Aluminum | $17 – $90 | $3,550 – $18,800 |
| Chain-link | $8 – $40 | $1,650 – $8,300 |
| Composite | $11 – $45 | $2,250 – $9,400 |
| Privacy | $25 – $40 | $5,250 – $8,300 |
| Steel | $17 – $90 | $3,550 – $18,800 |
| Vinyl (PVC) | $15 – $40 | $3,150 – $8,300 |
| Wood | $10 – $45 | $2,100 – $9,400 |
| Wrought iron | $25 – $55 | $5,250 – $11,400 |
| Concrete (cinder block) | $10 – $30 | $2,100 – $6,250 |
A bar for each row of the table above, 7 of them, drawn to the same scale so the spread is visible at a glance. The figure beside each bar is the one the table prints.
Fence cost calculator
This is the part the address has been promising. The calculator holds no figures of its own: it multiplies what you type, in your browser, and nothing is sent anywhere. The sourced rates sit beside the boxes rather than inside them, so the number that comes out is yours and carries your name rather than ours.
The fence run $0.00
The gates $0.00
Your own estimate $0.00
What changes the price
- Length, first
- Everything on this page is priced per foot, so measure the run before anything else. Pace the boundary if you have no plan to hand.
- Material
- The per-foot table spans a factor of more than twenty from barbed wire to wrought iron. It is the biggest decision you make.
- Height: a 6-foot privacy fence against a 4-foot picket
- A 6-foot privacy fence uses more material per foot than a 4-foot picket and often needs deeper posts, and it is the height most people mean when they ask what a fence costs per foot. Local rules frequently cap front-boundary height, so the height you are allowed may not be the height you want.
- Ground and access
- Rock, slope and tree roots slow post-setting down. A garden a machine cannot reach is dug by hand.
- Gates
- Gates are priced individually, not by the foot, and a double driveway gate is a meaningful line of its own.
- Taking the old one out
- HomeGuide prices replacement above new installation for exactly this reason: removal and disposal is real work.
How to pay less
- Fence only what needs fencing
- Per-foot pricing means the cheapest saving is a shorter run. Fencing three sides rather than four, or the dog yard rather than the boundary, is the largest lever here.
- Split the cost with a neighbour
- A shared boundary is a shared fence in most places. Agreeing it before you order is easier than agreeing it afterwards.
- Choose chain-link where it does not show
- On the per-foot table chain-link is a fraction of wood or vinyl, and along a back boundary nobody looks at, it does the same job.
- Check the line before you build
- A fence on the wrong side of the boundary is moved at your expense. A survey costs less than moving it.
Questions
How do I estimate my own fence cost?
Measure the boundary in linear feet, pick a material from the per-foot table, and multiply. Add each gate separately and add a contingency for removal if there is an old fence in the way.
Do I need a permit to build a fence?
Frequently, especially above a set height or on a front boundary. Homeowner association rules are a separate layer on top of the municipal ones.
What is the cheapest fence that lasts?
Chain-link, by a distance, on the per-foot table. Pressure-treated wood is the cheapest that most people consider attractive, and it needs maintenance to reach its lifespan.
Is it cheaper to repair or replace a fence?
Repair, while the posts are sound. Once the posts are rotting at ground level the panels keep failing and replacement is the cheaper answer over any reasonable horizon.
Where these figures come from
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How Much Does Fence Installation Cost?
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How Much Does Fence Installation Cost? [2026 Data]