What should your water heater replacement cost?
Answer as much as you like. The range updates as you go — no button to press, nothing to sign up for.
How this calculator works
The base ranges come from HomeGuide's January 2026 installed-cost tables and NerdWallet's 2026 guide: $500–$1,900 for a 30-gallon tank up to $1,200–$4,000 at 80 gallons, $1,400–$5,600 for tankless, $2,000–$4,600 for heat pump units. We then apply a regional multiplier by the first digit of your ZIP — California and the Northeast price 20–35% above national, Texas and the Southeast 10–25% below, per PlumbingSniper's 2026 regional analysis. It's a broad regional adjustment, not a city-level one. Without a full 5-digit ZIP we show the national number and say so rather than implying a local figure we don't have.
Same-day urgency widens the top of the range; plumbers charge a premium for immediate availability, and that premium varies by market.
It's an estimate, not a quote. Code extras (expansion tank, venting, strapping) are the usual reason a real quote lands above the midpoint — see the full cost guide for those line items.
Questions people ask
How accurate is this water heater cost estimate?
It's built from 2026 national installed-cost data with a regional adjustment, so it brackets most real quotes. Code-required extras like expansion tanks, new venting, or difficult access are what push an actual quote above the midpoint.
Does the estimate include removing my old water heater?
The national data ranges generally include basic haul-away, but some plumbers line-item it at $75–$500. Ask any quote to state removal explicitly.