This wiring cost guide for homeowners covers what you will pay in 2026. Electrical wiring costs $6 to $12 per linear foot for new circuits in accessible areas like unfinished basements and open-stud walls. Running wire through finished walls costs $12 to $25 per linear foot because the electrician must fish cable through enclosed cavities and patch drywall afterward. A full-house rewire for a 2,000-square-foot home costs $8,000 to $20,000 depending on the home’s age, the accessibility of the walls, and whether the existing wiring must be removed or can be abandoned in place.
Wiring costs are driven by access. The wire itself is cheap — 50 to 75 cents per foot for 12-gauge Romex. The labor to run it through walls, ceilings, and floors is what you are paying for. The difference between wiring a new construction house with open studs and rewiring an occupied 1920s house with plaster walls and a finished basement is a factor of three to five in labor cost.
Wiring Costs by Project Type
Electrical wiring projects span a cost range from $150 for a single outlet to $20,000 for a full-house rewire, with the price driven almost entirely by how much of the work requires fishing cable through finished walls versus running it through open stud bays.
| Project | Cost Range | What It Includes |
| Add a single outlet | $150 – $350 | New receptacle, box, cover plate, 6-15 ft of cable |
| Add a dedicated circuit (outlet or appliance) | $350 – $700 | New breaker, cable run, outlet or hardwire connection |
| Add a 240V circuit (EV charger, dryer, range) | $500 – $1,200 | Double-pole breaker, heavier cable, NEMA outlet |
| Add recessed lighting (per fixture, new construction) | $150 – $300 | Housing, trim, bulb, switch-leg wiring |
| Add recessed lighting (per fixture, retrofit) | $200 – $450 | Same as above plus fishing cable, drywall repair |
| Replace knob-and-tube (per room) | $1,500 – $3,500 | Remove old wiring, run new circuits, patch walls |
| Full-house rewire (2,000 sq ft) | $8,000 – $20,000 | New panel feed, all circuits, outlets, switches, fixtures |
| Service entrance cable replacement | $1,000 – $3,000 | Meter-to-panel cable, weatherhead, conduit |
Adding a New Circuit — What It Actually Costs
A standard 120-volt, 20-amp circuit for outlets or lighting costs $350 to $700 installed. The cost covers the breaker in the panel, the Romex cable from the panel to the new outlet location, the outlet box and receptacle, and the labor to run and secure the cable. If the panel is in the basement and the new outlet is on the second floor, the cost is at the high end because the cable must be fished through two floors of finished walls.
A 240-volt circuit — for an electric vehicle charger, an electric dryer, an induction range, or a heat pump — costs $500 to $1,200. The cable is heavier and more expensive, the breaker is a double-pole unit that costs $30 to $80 compared to $5 to $10 for a single-pole breaker, and the outlet — typically a NEMA 14-50 for EV chargers or a NEMA 14-30 for dryers, costs $15 to $50 for the receptacle alone. The labor is similar to a 120-volt circuit. The materials cost more.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) estimates that electrical fires account for roughly 51,000 home fires annually, many caused by faulty wiring, overloaded circuits, and improper DIY electrical work. A dedicated circuit costs $350 to $1,200. The alternative, an overloaded circuit that trips constantly or, worse, does not trip when it should, costs significantly more.
Full-House Rewire, When You Need It and What It Costs
A full-house rewire replaces every circuit in the home from the panel outward. It is the most disruptive electrical project a homeowner can undertake and the most expensive per square foot. The cost depends primarily on the age of the house and the accessibility of the walls.
Homes built before 1950 often have knob-and-tube wiring, individual wires run through ceramic tubes and supported by ceramic knobs, with no ground wire and no junction boxes by modern standards. Knob-and-tube is not inherently dangerous when it is intact and unaltered, but after 70 to 100 years of insulation breakdown, amateur modifications, and blown-in insulation packed around wires that were designed to dissipate heat in open air, it is a liability. Most insurance companies either refuse to insure homes with active knob-and-tube wiring or require a full rewire as a condition of coverage.
Homes built between 1965 and 1975 may have aluminum branch circuit wiring, solid aluminum conductors instead of copper. Aluminum wiring is prone to oxidation at connection points, which increases resistance, generates heat, and can cause fires at outlets and switches. The CPSC investigated aluminum wiring extensively in the 1970s and found that connections at outlets and switches were the primary failure point. Aluminum wiring can be remediated rather than replaced by pigtailing copper leads onto the aluminum conductors at every outlet, switch, and junction using COPALUM or AlumiConn connectors. Remediation costs $3,000 to $8,000 for a typical home, significantly less than a full rewire.
| Wiring Type | Era | Action Required | Cost Range |
| Knob-and-tube | 1880–1950 | Full rewire | $8,000 – $20,000 |
| Aluminum branch wiring | 1965–1975 | Remediation (pigtailing) or rewire | $3,000 – $8,000 (remediate) / $8,000 – $15,000 (rewire) |
| Cloth-covered Romex (no ground) | 1950–1965 | Rewire recommended | $6,000 – $15,000 |
| Copper Romex (grounded) | 1970–present | No action needed unless damaged | N/A |
What Happens During a Rewire
A full-house rewire takes one to three weeks depending on the size of the house and the number of electricians on the crew. The power is off for most of that time. The electricians cut access holes in the drywall or plaster, typically 4-inch by 4-inch squares at the top and bottom of each wall cavity, to fish new cable from the basement or attic through the walls. The holes are patched and painted after the electrical work is complete, usually by a drywall contractor, not the electrician. That cost is separate: $2,000 to $5,000 for drywall repair and painting throughout the house.
The electrician does not patch the holes they cut. Their contract covers running wire and installing devices. The wall repair is a separate contractor and a separate invoice. Ask the electrician whether their estimate includes drywall repair or whether you need to hire a separate contractor. Most estimates do not include it. The ones that do will be higher by exactly the amount a drywall contractor would charge, plus a coordination fee.
Living in a house during a rewire is difficult but possible. The power is off during working hours. The furniture must be moved away from the walls. The dust from cutting plaster and drywall is pervasive, it gets into carpets, curtains, and HVAC ductwork. Most homeowners who can afford to stay elsewhere for the duration of the rewire do so. Those who cannot cover furniture with plastic sheeting, seal off rooms that are not being worked on, and run an extension cord from the neighbor’s house or a generator for a refrigerator and a few lights.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to rewire a house?
A full-house rewire costs $8,000 to $20,000 for a 2,000-square-foot home. The cost depends on the home’s age, the accessibility of the walls, whether the old wiring can be abandoned or must be removed, and whether the service panel needs to be upgraded at the same time. Drywall repair after the rewire adds $2,000 to $5,000.
How much does it cost to add an electrical outlet?
Adding a standard 120-volt outlet costs $150 to $350 if the wall is open or accessible from an unfinished basement or attic. Adding an outlet in a finished wall costs $250 to $500 because the electrician must fish cable through the wall cavity and patch the drywall afterward. A 240-volt outlet for an EV charger or appliance costs $500 to $1,200.
Do I need to rewire my old house?
If your house has knob-and-tube wiring, active aluminum branch wiring, or cloth-covered cable without a ground wire, a rewire or remediation is strongly recommended. Knob-and-tube wiring is insurable only if it is intact and unaltered, a condition that is rare in homes over 70 years old. Aluminum wiring can be remediated with COPALUM or AlumiConn connectors rather than fully replaced.
How long does a house rewire take?
A full-house rewire takes one to three weeks with a crew of two to three electricians. The power is off during working hours for most of that period. Drywall repair and painting after the rewire takes an additional three to five days. Total disruption is typically two to four weeks from start to fully finished and painted.
Can I do electrical wiring myself?
Homeowners can legally perform electrical work on their own owner-occupied single-family home in most jurisdictions, but the work still requires a permit and an inspection. Wiring a single outlet or switch is within the capability of a careful DIYer who studies the code requirements. Wiring an entire house or adding a new circuit to the panel is not. The risk of a wiring error is fire, and the savings from DIY labor do not justify that risk for any project larger than a single device swap.
Does homeowners insurance cover electrical wiring problems?
Insurance covers fire damage caused by electrical failures, but it does not cover the cost of replacing old or defective wiring as a preventive measure. A fire caused by knob-and-tube wiring is covered. Replacing the knob-and-tube wiring before a fire happens is not. The insurance company may also require a rewire as a condition of renewing the policy if the inspection reveals active knob-and-tube or un-remediated aluminum wiring.
What Your Wiring Is Telling You
Wiring is invisible until it is not. It lives inside the walls, does its job silently for decades, and announces its failure through a tripping breaker, a burning smell, or a fire. The cost of addressing it proactively, $350 for a new circuit, $8,000 to $20,000 for a full rewire, is large in the moment and small compared to the alternative.
If your house was built before 1950 and has not been rewired, the wiring is past its service life. If it was built between 1965 and 1975 and has aluminum branch wiring, the connections at every outlet and switch are a known fire risk that can be remediated for a fraction of the cost of a rewire. If it was built after 1980 with copper Romex and a ground wire, the wiring is probably fine. The age of the house answers most of the question before the electrician even arrives. The electrician confirms what the calendar already suggested. The smell of ozone around an old outlet — faint, sharp, a little like the air after a lightning strike — is not your imagination. That is arcing inside the box. Call the electrician today, not next week.
Last modified: July 15, 2026
