Window Replacement Cost Calculator

Getting an installed price takes five quick entries. The tool prices one window first, then multiplies it across the job.

1. Enter the number of windows you plan to replace.
2. Pick the window type. A double-hung is the common choice, a bay or bow window costs far more because it is a three-unit assembly.
3. Pick the frame material. Vinyl is the cheapest and the most common, wood costs the most and needs painting.
4. Enter the labor and disposal cost per window, then press Calculate, or press Enter. The total appears first and large, with the cost per window and the split between units, labor and disposal below. Press Reset to clear the form and start over.

The window replacement cost formula is total = count x (type cost x frame multiplier + labor + disposal). Each part means one thing, and the frame multiplier scales the window unit cost, not the labor, because the installer spends about the same time whatever the frame is made of.

Type cost is the average installed unit price for that window style, before the frame is chosen. A double-hung averages $700, a casement $900, a slider $550 and a bay or bow window $2,500, based on national HomeAdvisor averages. The frame multiplier is 1.0 for vinyl, 0.85 for aluminum, 1.6 for fiberglass and 1.8 for wood, which matches the spread between vinyl at $375 to $1,350 and wood at $975 to $2,550 for a standard window. Our insulation calculator covers the other half of the comfort question, since new windows only help if the walls hold heat too.

A home replaces 8 double-hung windows with vinyl frames, at $250 labor and $50 disposal per window. Here is exactly what the calculator does.

1. Window unit: $700 x 1.0 vinyl = $700.
2. Cost per window: $700 + $250 labor + $50 disposal = $1,000.
3. Total: 8 x $1,000 = $8,000.
4. Split: units $5,600, labor $2,000, disposal $400.

As a second check, the same 8 windows in wood frames cost $700 x 1.8 = $1,260 per unit, or $1,560 per window installed, for a total of $12,480. That sits inside the HomeAdvisor range of $6,000 to $9,000 for 8 to 12 vinyl windows, so try your own numbers in the tool above.

Vinyl is the default for about 70 percent of US window replacements. It costs the least, needs no painting and insulates well, and a standard vinyl double-hung runs $375 to $1,350 installed. Its weakness is that it cannot be painted, so the color you buy is the color you keep.

Wood insulates best and suits historic homes, but it costs the most at $975 to $2,550 and needs repainting or resealing. Fiberglass sits between the two at $875 to $2,250, and it expands at almost the same rate as glass, so seals last longer. Aluminum is the cheapest frame and the strongest per inch, but it conducts heat, so it suits mild climates and large commercial-style openings best. Our framing calculator helps price the wall framing that a full-frame replacement touches.

An insert, or pocket, replacement fits the new window inside the old frame. It costs less, takes about half a day per window and leaves the trim and siding untouched, and it suits frames that are square and rot-free. The trade is a slightly smaller glass area, since the new window sits inside the old frame.

A full-frame replacement removes the whole old window down to the studs, then fits a new frame, insulation and trim. It costs more and takes longer, but it fixes rot, lets you change the window size or style, and seals better. If your frames are soft, out of square or pre-1978 with lead paint, the full-frame route is usually the right call, and lead-safe removal can add $250 to $500 per window.

Labor usually runs $100 to $400 per window, and it is the part that varies most by city. Disposal runs $25 to $100 per window for the old units and the haul-away, and a permit runs about $150 for the job where one is needed. None of these show in the window price, so a quote that looks cheap on the unit can still land high once they are added.

Volume helps. Whole-house jobs of 10 or more windows often earn a 5 to 10 percent discount per window, so ask for the whole-house price before you split the job across years. Energy savings are real but slow, since low-e or triple-pane glass trims heating and cooling bills a little each month, and the payback is measured in years, not months. Our siding calculator prices the exterior work that often goes with a full-frame job.