2026 Outdoor Project Cost Report

What the big outdoor projects actually cost this year — national price ranges pulled straight from our calculators, plus a 50-state cost index built from federal wage data. Updated June 2026.

Every number on this page comes out of the same engine that powers our cost calculators — we ran each tool at its typical scenario and the U.S. national average, so the report and the tools always agree. The figures are installed prices (materials and labor) for a hire-a-pro job, before the swing for your state. They're planning ranges, not quotes; see how we build them.

Two things drive almost all of the variation. The first is what you're building and how big — the table below. The second is where you live: the same project can cost a third more in Hawaii or California than in the rural South, almost entirely because of labor wages. That's the state index further down.

What outdoor projects cost in 2026 (national average)

Typical installed cost for a common version of each project, hired out, at the national average. The "labor" column is how much of that bill is the crew's time rather than materials — which is also roughly what you'd save doing it yourself.

Project	Typical 2026 cost	Labor share
Deck Cost a 320 sq ft composite deck with railing and a few steps, professionally installed	$15,172 – $26,918	~55%
Vinyl Fence 150 ft of 6 ft vinyl privacy fence with one gate, installed	$4,583 – $9,518	~45%
Privacy Fence 150 ft of 6 ft wood privacy fence with one gate, installed	$3,383 – $8,018	~50%
Fence Cost 150 ft of 6 ft wood fence with one gate, installed	$3,040 – $7,210	~50%
Artificial Turf installing 500 sq ft of mid-grade artificial turf	$4,500 – $7,000	~50%
Paver Patio a 300 sq ft concrete paver patio, installed	$3,000 – $6,600	~55%
Pergola a 12×12 ft cedar pergola kit, installed	$3,456 – $6,336	~40%
Asphalt Driveway a new 480 sq ft asphalt driveway including the base, professionally paved	$2,880 – $6,240	~50%
Concrete Driveway a 480 sq ft standard concrete driveway, installed	$2,880 – $5,760	~55%
Retaining Wall a 40 ft long, 3 ft tall concrete-block retaining wall, installed	$2,400 – $5,400	~55%
Fence Stain staining 150 ft of 6 ft fence on both sides (2 coats), professionally applied	$1,905 – $4,720	~75%
Concrete Patio a 300 sq ft broom-finish concrete patio, installed	$1,800 – $3,600	~55%
Chain Link 150 ft of 4 ft galvanized chain-link fence with one gate, installed	$1,713 – $3,288	~50%
French Drain a 50 ft standard exterior French drain, installed	$1,250 – $3,000	~65%
Sod sodding 1,000 sq ft with tall fescue on prepped ground, installed	$800 – $1,600	~50%
Tree Removal removing one medium (30–60 ft) tree with stump grinding	$500 – $1,600	~100%
Concrete Slab a 12×12 ft, 4-inch reinforced concrete slab, installed	$720 – $1,440	~55%
Deck Stain staining a 320 sq ft deck (2 coats, semi-transparent), professionally applied	$470 – $1,030	~69%
Landscape Rock covering 200 sq ft with 2 inches of river rock, delivered and spread	$280 – $744	~28%
Gate Cost a 4 ft single wood walk gate, installed	$250 – $600	~40%
Gravel covering 300 sq ft with 3 inches of crushed stone, delivered and spread	$176 – $486	~34%
Mulch covering 200 sq ft of beds with 3 inches of hardwood mulch, delivered and spread	$135 – $339	~36%
Driveway Sealing sealcoating a 480 sq ft asphalt driveway, professionally applied	$150 – $288	~65%

Ranges reflect the scenario noted under each project; change the size, material, or state in any calculator to price your own job. Materials-only jobs (gravel, mulch, rock) show "—" for labor share.

The most — and least — expensive states to build in

Our state index sets the U.S. national average at 1.00 and scales every project up or down from there. It's seeded from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wages for construction laborers in each state, because labor is roughly half of a typical installed price. The spread between the priciest and cheapest states is about 40% on the same project.

Priciest

Hawaii 1.28 · 28% above average
Illinois 1.19 · 19% above average
New Jersey 1.18 · 18% above average
Massachusetts 1.17 · 17% above average
Alaska 1.15 · 15% above average

Most affordable

Alabama 0.89 · 11% below average
Mississippi 0.90 · 10% below average
Arkansas 0.90 · 10% below average
West Virginia 0.91 · 9% below average
Texas 0.91 · 9% below average

2026 construction cost index, all 50 states + D.C.

Multiply any national figure above by a state's index to get a ballpark for that state. A 1.10 means about 10% above the national average; a 0.92 means about 8% below. Sorted priciest first. You're welcome to cite or reuse this table with a link back to this page.

Rank	State	Cost index	vs. national
1	Hawaii	1.28	+28%
2	Illinois	1.19	+19%
3	New Jersey	1.18	+18%
4	Massachusetts	1.17	+17%
5	Alaska	1.15	+15%
6	California	1.15	+15%
7	Minnesota	1.13	+13%
8	New York	1.12	+12%
9	Rhode Island	1.12	+12%
10	Washington	1.11	+11%
11	Missouri	1.08	+8%
12	Wisconsin	1.06	+6%
13	Connecticut	1.05	+5%
14	District of Columbia	1.03	+3%
15	Indiana	1.03	+3%
16	Montana	1.03	+3%
17	Ohio	1.03	+3%
18	Oregon	1.03	+3%
19	Michigan	1.02	+2%
20	North Dakota	1.02	+2%
21	Pennsylvania	1.02	+2%
22	Iowa	1.01	+1%
23	Nevada	1.01	+1%
24	New Hampshire	1.01	+1%
25	Maryland	1.00	—
26	Nebraska	1.00	—
27	Vermont	1.00	—
28	Arizona	0.99	-1%
29	Delaware	0.99	-1%
30	Idaho	0.99	-1%
31	Kentucky	0.99	-1%
32	Maine	0.99	-1%
33	Utah	0.99	-1%
34	Wyoming	0.99	-1%
35	Colorado	0.98	-2%
36	Kansas	0.98	-2%
37	South Dakota	0.97	-3%
38	Tennessee	0.97	-3%
39	North Carolina	0.95	-5%
40	Florida	0.94	-6%
41	South Carolina	0.94	-6%
42	Louisiana	0.93	-7%
43	Oklahoma	0.93	-7%
44	Virginia	0.93	-7%
45	Georgia	0.91	-9%
46	New Mexico	0.91	-9%
47	Texas	0.91	-9%
48	West Virginia	0.91	-9%
49	Arkansas	0.90	-10%
50	Mississippi	0.90	-10%
51	Alabama	0.89	-11%

How to use these numbers

Treat the report as a starting line, not a finish line. A real bid moves with things no index can see: site access and slope, soil and drainage, tearing out what's already there, design complexity, permit fees, the season, and how booked local crews are. The honest way to use this page is to set a budget, then get two or three written quotes and check them against the range — if a quote lands far outside it, ask why before you sign.

Want your own state's number? Open the matching calculator, pick your state, and it does the multiplication for you — including the materials-vs-labor split and a do-it-yourself estimate.

Sources & method. Project prices are cross-referenced from public 2025–2026 cost guides (Homewyse, HomeGuide, Fixr) and retail material pricing, then split into materials and labor; each calculator lists its own sources. The state index is derived from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS (May 2024) median wages for construction laborers, relative to the national median and compressed toward 1.00 to reflect that materials price more uniformly than labor. Full detail on the methodology page. These are well-researched planning estimates, not appraisals or quotes. Price data vintage: June 2026.