Sod costs $0.30 to $0.80 per square foot for the grass itself and $1 to $2 per square foot installed, per HomeGuide.1 A pallet runs $130 to $360 and covers about 450 square feet.1 Professionally installed, a typical project averages $2,077 ($1,081 to $3,074) per HomeAdvisor and Angi project data – the two are sister brands sharing one dataset, so read them as a single estimate.2,3*
$0.30 – $0.80
per sq ft, grass only
$1 – $2
per sq ft installed
$130 – $360
per pallet (~450 sq ft)
$2,077
average installed project
Quick math: a 1,000 sq ft new lawn needs about 3 pallets with the 5 to 10% extra HomeGuide recommends ordering.1 Material: $300 to $800 at $0.30 to $0.80 per sq ft. Installed: $1,000 to $2,000 at $1 to $2 per sq ft – our multiplication.
Published prices at a glance
Three references, all fetched and read October 2026 (HomeAdvisor and Angi share one project dataset):
| Measure | HomeGuide1 | HomeAdvisor2 | Angi3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sod per sq ft | $0.30 – $0.80 | $0.35 – $0.85 | – |
| Per pallet (~450 sq ft) | $130 – $360 | – | – |
| Installed per sq ft | $1 – $2 all-in | $1 – $6 all-in | – |
| New lawn on bare soil | – | $1 – $2.50 per sq ft | – |
| Resod over old lawn | – | $2 – $4.50 per sq ft | – |
| Old sod removal | $0.50 – $2.00 per sq ft | – | $1 – $2 per sq ft |
| Average project | – | $2,077 | $2,077 (same data) |
Cost by grass type
HomeGuide’s per-square-foot material prices by variety: Bahia $0.20 to $0.40, Kentucky bluegrass $0.30 to $0.55, fescue $0.35 to $0.70, Bermuda $0.40 to $0.85, St. Augustine $0.45 to $0.90, Zoysia $0.70 to $1.30.1 Climate rules the choice – Bahia and Bermuda are warm-season, bluegrass and fescue cool-season – so the cheapest sod is not always the cheapest lawn.
Three worked examples (we did the math)
Pallet counts include 5% extra and round up, using HomeGuide’s 450 sq ft per pallet.1
| Project | Pallets needed | Material ($130-$360/pallet) | Installed ($1-$2/sq ft) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patch 500 sq ft | 2 | $260 – $720 | $500 – $1,000 |
| New lawn 1,000 sq ft | 3 | $390 – $1,080 | $1,000 – $2,000 |
| Resod 2,000 sq ft | 5 | $650 – $1,800 | $4,000 – $9,000 at $2-$4.50/sq ft resod rate2 |
Angi’s own table agrees with the math: $1,000 to $2,500 for 1,000 sq ft new and $2,000 to $4,500 to resod it.3
What else to budget for
Delivery: $65 to $230 per truckload per HomeAdvisor; some suppliers also charge a refundable $5 to $20 pallet deposit per HomeGuide.1,2
Grading: $1 to $3 per square foot if the yard is uneven.2,3
Soil test: $20 to $100 per Angi.3 Topsoil or compost: $0.20 to $0.50 per square foot per HomeGuide – see our topsoil cost guide.1
Sprinklers: $1,650 to $3,600 if installed with the sod.2
Cheaper alternative: seeding costs $0.04 to $0.18 per square foot per HomeGuide – a fraction of sod, but slower and fussier to establish.1
Related guides and tools
Sod calculator, sprinkler system cost, lawn aeration cost | Hydroseeding cost | Sod cost calculator | Artificial turf cost | Yard leveling cost | How much does a pallet of sod cover? | Topsoil cost | Mulch cost
FAQ
How much does a pallet of sod cost? $130 to $360 covering about 450 sq ft per HomeGuide – $0.30 to $0.80 per square foot before delivery and deposits.1
Is sod or seed cheaper? Seed by far: $0.04 to $0.18 per sq ft versus $1 to $2 installed for sod per HomeGuide.1 Sod buys an instant lawn; seed buys a cheap one that takes a season.
Can you lay sod over an existing lawn? HomeAdvisor says resodding properly means stripping the old grass first, which is why resodding runs $2 to $4.50 per sq ft against $1 to $2.50 on bare soil.2
How much does it cost to sod an average lawn? HomeGuide puts a 1/5-acre lawn (8,712 sq ft) at $2,600 to $7,000 installed.1
Sources
*Prices are 2025-2026 national averages from the cited sources and vary by grass variety, region and site prep. Get local quotes before budgeting.