In 2021 pool prices have gone up. If you are wondering how much it costs to install a pool, you’re not alone. This year pricing went up across the board from large manufacturers. The average cost to install an inground pool is $49,000 with most pool buyers spending between $37,000 and $66,000. The additional costs associated with pool ownership for pool service, increased utilities, and repairs range from $2,700 to $6,000 every year.
With custom features like waterfalls, LED lighting, diving boards, covers, or decking, expect to add $2,000 to $10,000 for each feature you add on to your project. The overall price over your pool will depend on the size, location, and what materials used to build the pool (fiberglass, concrete, or vinyl).
2021 National Average Cost | $49,000 |
Minimum Cost | $33,000 |
Maximum Cost | $210,000 |
Average Range | $37,000 to $66,000 |
A swimming pool is the ideal retreat during hot summer months and adds value to the home. An inground swimming pool provides the perfect setting for entertaining guests or simply relaxing in the sun. In this pool price cost guide, we’ll cover the costs of building a basic swimming pool, all the way up to indoor luxury pools.
Inground pool prices range from $20,000 to $115,000 installed depending on the type of material you choose. For an average 14 x 28 inground pool, fiberglass costs $46,000, vinyl costs $36,000, and concrete runs $51,000 for installation. Below are the average prices for turn-key installation and yearly pool maintenance costs.
MATERIAL | COST TO INSTALL | YEARLY MAINTENANCE | LASTS |
---|---|---|---|
Fiberglass | $18,000 – $65,000 | $375+ | 25+ years |
Concrete | $29,000 – $60,000 | $2,750+ | 50+ years |
Vinyl | $25,000 – $45,000 | $1,325+ | Replace liner every 10 years |
Fiberglass pools prices have gone up in 2021. Typically range from $18,700 for a 10′ by 16′ to $63,180 for installation on a 18′ by 30′ pool. Over a 10-year period, service and upkeep costs will cost around $3,750 and the pool will typically last for around 25 years or more.
The major differences in price are tied to how much labor you pay for vs. doing it yourself. Normally a turn-key package deal can save you more than you trying to manage all of the individual parts of the installation process yourself.
The majority of pool buyers prefer a turn-key installation from a professional pool contractor.
A shotcrete pool costs between $29,000 and $60,000 with many pool buyers paying around $50,960 on average for a 14’ by 28’ pool. The long-term 10-year cost of ownership to service a concrete pool averages $27,500 which is the highest of any pool material discussed on this page.
The average cost to install a vinyl inground pool ranges between $25,000 and $45,000, and between fiberglass, and concrete, vinyl is the most affordable option. Although the initial price is lower, the long-term cost to maintain a vinyl liner pool is $13,250 over ten years.
While estimating the cost to build an inground pool, the primary factors are the materials, size, location, and any custom features. You can expect to spend an average of $50 to $100 per square foot to build a standard 14’ by 28’ size pool, or $125 to $150 per square foot for larger sized pools that have a 9 to 12 foot deep end. For head-first diving, The Red Cross recommends a depth of no less than 9 feet.
The standard size swimming pool is 14’ by 28’, and 6.5 feet deep but some pool buyers have either a higher budget or less space for a standard size pool. In our examples below, we look at average pool sizes and show construction costs using vinyl, fiberglass, and concrete.
POOL SIZE | VINYL | FIBERGLASS | CONCRETE |
---|---|---|---|
10×16 | $14,560 | $18,720 | $20,800 |
10×20 | $18,200 | $23,400 | $26,000 |
10×30 | $27,300 | $35,100 | $39,000 |
12×16 | $17,472 | $22,464 | $24,960 |
12×20 | $21,840 | $28,080 | $31,200 |
12×24 | $26,208 | $33,696 | $37,440 |
12×30 | $32,760 | $42,120 | $46,800 |
14×20 | $25,480 | $32,760 | $36,400 |
14×28 | $35,672 | $45,864 | $50,960 |
14×30 | $38,220 | $49,140 | $54,600 |
15×20 | $27,300 | $35,100 | $39,000 |
15×30 | $40,950 | $52,650 | $58,500 |
16×32 | $46,592 | $59,904 | $66,560 |
16×36 | $52,416 | $67,392 | $74,880 |
18×30 | $49,140 | $63,180 | $70,200 |
18×36 | $58,968 | $75,816 | $84,240 |
18×40 | $65,520 | $84,240 | $93,600 |
20×40 | $72,800 | $93,600 | $104,000 |
25×45 | $102,375 | $131,625 | $146,250 |
30×15 | $40,950 | $52,650 | $58,500 |
32×16 | $46,592 | $59,904 | $66,560 |
30×50 | $136,500 | $175,500 | $195,000 |
Small inground pools also known as Cocktail Pools or “Spools” are typically a 10×16 plunge pool or a 10×20 small pool costs around $14,500 to $24,500 to install and are usually 5 ½ to 7 feet deep. The cost of a spool or small inground pool can rise if you select something like concrete instead of vinyl, add a deck, install a cover, or add a privacy fence.
A semi-inground pool will typically cost under $10,000. Semi-inground pools are normally constructed from extruded aluminum or steel and are often priced between $6,800 and $8,500, making them more expensive than a traditional above-ground pool but costing about a third of the price of an inground pool of equal size. The installation is much faster than that for an inground pool and can often be constructed in 1 to 3 days.
Indoor pools usually start at around $110,000 for a 12’ by 16’ vinyl and go up to $220,000 for a 16’ by 32’ concrete inground pool, or even higher for a larger pool with more features and elaborate customizations. Customized indoor pool prices range from $200 to $250 per square foot and factor in a perimeter of 4’ around the entire pool for the room the pool will reside in.
MATERIAL | POOL COST | STRUCTURE | DEHUMIDIFIER | TOTAL |
---|---|---|---|---|
Vinyl | $35,672 | $121,968 | $25,000 | $182,640 |
Fiberglass | $45,864 | $121,968 | $25,000 | $192,832 |
Concrete | $50,960 | $121,968 | $25,000 | $197,928 |
The average price of an inground saltwater pool is $35,000 for the swimming pool and another $1,100 to $2,200 for the salt water generator, bringing the entire cost to around $36,100 to $37,200. Saltwater pools typically don’t require any chemicals added, are easier to maintain, and don’t have an offensive chlorine smell.
For pool buyers who opt not to use traditional chemicals in their pool, a saltwater pool uses a special system that converts the salt in the water into chlorine, but the levels are much lower than in a chlorine pool, so it is easier on your eyes and skin.
An inground pool can go up by $2,000 to $10,000 with custom features that add value and functionality to your pool, but they don’t necessarily need to be a part of the initial installation and are options that can be added on later to help spread out the entire cost of the pool.
Inground swimming pool designs, shapes, and prices will match the level of customization desired, the materials, and the square footage. The most popular inground pool designs are:
Beach entry pools cost an average of $87 per square foot, with most pool buyers paying between $50 and $125 per square foot. Beach entries are also known as a walk-in pool or a zero-entry pool. A beach entry has a gradually sloped entry into the swimming pool— identical to the way you would walk into the water on a beach. Normally the water at that shallow end is warmer than it is in the rest of the pool.
An inground lap pool typically costs between $20,000 and $70,000 depending on the size and materials. Many pool buyers opt to build longer pools in order to do more laps. An average lap pool in a competition setting will be somewhere between 6’ and 9’ deep and these prices below are based on 6.5’ deep.
SIZE | VINYL | FIBERGLASS | CONCRETE |
---|---|---|---|
10 x 20 | $18,200 | $23,400 | $26,000 |
20 x 30 | $54,600 | $70,200 | $78,000 |
20 x 60 | $109,200 | $140,400 | $156,000 |
Building an indoor lap pool typically costs between $95,600 and $305,900. Construction for an indoor pool costs an average of $226 to $241 per square foot because of the construction and excavation access involved with the project. Also, factor in the cost of buying and installing a large dehumidifier to prevent moisture damage to the home.
Lagoon style pool costs typically range from $50,000 to $150,000, or between $70 and $110 per square foot depending on the features in the design of your pool and the degree of complexity involved in the design. Lagoon pools are ideal for homeowners seeking a resort style pool resembling the a tropical vacation.
For an inground pool with a hot tub, you can expect to add $8,000 to $25,000 to the base price depending on the style of hot tub and how it’s integrated with the rest of the swimming pool. Pool contractors normally offer to include the hot tub with the inground pool as part of their estimate, with discounts for getting both done simultaneously. Hot tubs vary in price depending on the number of jets, quality of materials, and the number of people they seat.
Inground pool lighting ranges from $700 to $1,800, with LED and fiberoptic technology that can often be controlled from your smartphone or tablet. While pool lighting can be added after installation, it is a lot more cost effective to have them installed while the pool is being built.
The cost for a horizontal slit waterfall starts around $200, while the price of a rock waterfall for a pool costs about $1,500 for a prefabricated imitation rock installation or up to $15,000 or more for a custom installation constructed with real rocks.
Diving boards for inground pools can range from $300 to $800 for a surface mounted board, and even more for one that is elevated for use in deeper pools. An inground pool slide can cost anywhere from $900 to $20,000.
Inground pool steps cost between $200 to $2,500. The lower end of the price range includes products from a variety of manufacturers that the homeowner can place in position once the pool is built. Common more expensive styles include wedding cake steps, end steps, end steps with benches, corner steps, corner steps with benches, full-width end steps, end steps with side benches, and roman steps.
The cost for a pool deck ranges between $2,800 and $23,200 depending on the number of sides the deck is installed on, the width of the deck, and the selected deck materials. Material options include wood, and engineered or composite wood, and each has cost and durability considerations which should make the right choice easy to make.
DECK SIDES | 4” DEEP | 8” DEEP | AVERAGE COST |
---|---|---|---|
2 sides | 184 SF | 400 SF | $4,600 – $10,000 |
4 sides | 400 SF | 928 SF | $10,000 – $23,200 |
An inground pool heater cost can range from $550 to over $10,000, with another $400 to $500 for installation. The difference in prices for inground pool heaters is primarily how much water you need to heat, and what the rise in temperature is from the average coldest temperature to the desired water temperature.
On the high-end, you will see solar pool heaters or electric pump water heaters for anywhere from $2,500 to $10,000. These work in hotter climates and transfer the heat in the air to the water in the pool, and they do so very economically.
A pool fence installation costs between $600 and $4,400 or more depending on the size of the pool, fencing materials you select, and how far back from the edge of the pool the fence is installed. Gates with a self-closing latch for your pool fence average an additional $200 to $250 each including installation.
Installing a manual or automatic pool cover at the cost of $550 to $3,000 is excellent for safety, keeping in more of the heat in the water, and helping restrict more of the moisture from doing any damage to the structure of the home. A high-end motorized cover will cost $4,800 to $6,000 depending on the pool’s size.
The average cost to build a swimming pool increases depending on the location, surrounding landscaping, and additional features like lighting, decking, enclosures, and more.
The cost for built-in pools or inground pools will vary because of location in two respects–local location and geographic location. Built-in pool costs will increase if:
Landscaping costs $3,000 to $5,000 on average for a new installation or around $4 to $12 per square foot to add plants, trees, and shrubs around your new pool. Three of the more common styles of landscaping design for built-in pools are tropical, modern, and desert. Here are average prices if you are starting with a bare-bones yard, or you want to add features to the backyard to complement the pool area:
On top of the cost to put in a pool, other prices include pool covers, building permits, electrician fees, increased insurance, and more.
The electrical work to bring power to your pool for the pump and filter costs around $2,200. Also, if there is a water heater being installed and there is insufficient capacity at the breaker panel, you may need to upgrade to a 300amp, as well as change the meter base, for about $6,000.
Pool building permits from the building department at your local city, or any other local governing authorities, could range between $500 and $2,000.
For homeowners looking for cheap inground swimming pools, vinyl pools are the cheapest at around $35,000 installed.
For either a custom-built pool or a prebuilt liner shape, the most affordable inground pools are those with the least-interesting shape—those with a rectangle or an oval shape will generally be the most inexpensive.
In addition to the material you choose for your pool to be built from, the style of pool has the next cost impact on the bottom line for your project, with some of the more significant projects being inground pools compared to above-ground pools ($35,000 versus $5,000) and plunge pools compared to lap pools ($20,000 versus $35,000).
A walk-in pool is also known as a zero-entry pool or a beach entry pool, and they average around $87 per square foot with most homeowners paying between $50 and $125 per square foot. How it differs from the more traditional pool is it has an area where you can walk into the pool in the same way you would walk into the water on a beach, and typically the water at that shallow end is warmer than the rest of the pool.
Pool liners come in a range of thicknesses, and this affects the price you will pay. For example, a 28/20 mil 14’ by 28’ pool liner will average $600 while a thicker 28/28 20’ by 40’ pool liner will average $1,700. If you are replacing an existing pool liner with a new one, the labor costs associated with draining the existing pool, removing the current liner, and replacing it with the new liner are around $2,500.
For an average-size pool, most homeowners will pay an average of $4,000 to convert a vinyl liner pool to a gunite pool because you are not paying to dig the hole for the pool to be installed. With some pool companies, you may still need to pay additional fees for draining the existing pool and removing the old pool liner.
Depending on the size of your pool and type of pool, your monthly inground pool maintenance costs could be between $50 and $300. Common elements included in maintenance packages from pool companies include the following:
The average costs to open a pool is around $400, and for pool closing expect to spend $300. These services include taking the cover off, cleaning the water of any debris, checking for leaks, and getting the chemicals to the right balance. At the end of the season, they can also take the water level down, drain pumps and the filter system, and place the cover to protect the pool for the winter.
According to Realtor.com, most homeowners can expect to see a maximum return of 7% on the investment in their pool when they are selling the home. Not all home buyers want to take on the ongoing maintenance cost of a swimming pool, and some homeowners might only see a swimming pool as a liability.
The average inground pool cost between $35,000 and $60,000 for a basic inground concrete pool without any add-ons. With custom features, you could be looking at $80,000 to $200,000 or more. Also, going for a larger-than-average pool with a connected spa can start your pool prices at around $95,000. For a more elaborate pool with a tile surface and an attached spa, the cost for an inground pool would start at about $220,000.
Inground pools have an average base price which starts around $20,000 to $28,000 in most areas. From there, costs rise as you add upgrades like spas, pool covers, etc. If your land needs grading or extra excavation because of rocky terrain, this can add significantly to your pool cost.
A concrete pool should last 10 to 15 years before it needs to be resurfaced, at which point you will be spending in the region of $10,000 to $13,000 depending on size and the type of finish on the pool, and potentially as much as a total of $20,000 if replacing the tile at the waterline at the same time.
A DIY inground pool project is a way to save money by taking on some of the tasks yourself. According to River Pools and Spas, a do-it-yourself inground pool project could save you $6,000 to $10,000 on an inground fiberglass pool project that would have cost $40,000 to $55,000 with a professional pool company.
Hiring someone to dig the pool hole for you costs between $400 and $1,500 in an area with optimal soil conditions or as much as $15,000 in hard to get to areas with rocky terrain. Additional expenses you might incur might include the following:
When looking to hire a professional pool builder, create a list of the top 3 to 5 companies and schedule an on-site consultation with each. Compare the bids, services, features, and warranty from each company before making your final decision.
Article Last Updated: March 21, 2021
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