Carpet installation costs $2 to $8 per square foot installed — carpet at $1 to $5 plus labor at $0.50 to $1.50.2 A 10 x 12 room runs $200 to $9002 and Angi’s average full replacement is $1,777 across 8,740 projects.1 Fixr’s per-foot average is $7.47.3 Prices below are national averages* for 2026.
*National averages, not local quotes. Your price depends on material, room size and shape, padding, stairs, and whether old flooring has to come up first.
$2 – $8
per sq. ft. installed, HomeGuide
$200 – $900
10 x 12 room, HomeGuide
$1,777
average replacement, Angi (8,740 projects)
$0.50 – $1.50
labor per sq. ft., HomeGuide
Quick math: a 12 x 12 room is 144 sq. ft.; at $2 to $8 installed that is $288 to $1,152, our arithmetic — almost exactly HomeGuide’s table row of $250 to $1,100 for the same room.2 Per-foot rates scale cleanly, so measure your rooms before you shop: the material decision moves the total more than the installer does.
Cost by material
| Material (per sq. ft., carpet only) | Angi | HomeGuide | Fixr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polyester | $1 – $3 | — | — |
| Olefin (polypropylene) | $1 – $3 | — | — |
| Nylon | $2 – $5 | — | — |
| Triexta | $3 – $8 | — | — |
| Acrylic | $3 – $8 | — | — |
| Cotton | $2 – $7 | — | — |
| Wool | $4 – $20 | — | — |
| All carpet, any material | — | $1 – $5 | $1.11 – $12.60 |
Nylon at $2 to $5 is the workhorse for kids, pets, and hallways; polyester and olefin at $1 to $3 suit low-traffic bedrooms; wool at $4 to $20 is the premium outlier.1 Budget tier, installed: Fixr prices an olefin Berber with urethane padding at $475 to $1,980 for one to two rooms; mid-range whole jobs run $1,406 to $5,073.3
Cost by room and house size
| Area | HomeGuide |
|---|---|
| 10 x 12 room | $200 – $900 |
| 12 x 12 room | $250 – $1,100 |
| 12 x 15 room | $300 – $1,400 |
| 15 x 15 room | $400 – $1,700 |
| 20 x 20 room | $700 – $3,000 |
| 800 sq. ft. apartment | $800 – $3,200 |
| 1,000 sq. ft. house | $1,100 – $4,500 |
| 1,500 sq. ft. house | $1,600 – $6,700 |
| 2,000 sq. ft. house | $2,100 – $9,000 |
One flag on HomeGuide: its headline says carpeting 1,000 sq. ft. costs $1,800 to $7,500, but its own room table lists a 1,000 sq. ft. house at $1,100 to $4,500 — the table figure assumes not every foot gets carpeted. Angi’s $3 to $11 per square foot installed1 and Fixr’s $1.36 to $13.58 (average $7.47)3 bracket HomeGuide’s $2 to $8.2
The adders: removal, padding, stairs
Old carpet removal: $1 to $5 per square foot (Angi), sometimes folded into the quote — ask.1
Padding: $0.75 to $2.00 per square foot (Angi) or $0.35 to $1.14 (Fixr) — and most manufacturers void the warranty without proper padding, so do not skip it.13
Stairs: +$1 to $2 per square foot, or $11 to $26 per step.1
Custom cuts: irregular rooms add $1 to $2 per square foot on the affected areas.1
Subfloor repairs: average $600; replacement runs $3 to $10 per square foot.1
Thresholds: $15 to $50 each where carpet meets other flooring.3
Worked examples
Example 1 — budget bedroom, 10 x 12 (120 sq. ft.). At HomeGuide’s $2 to $8 installed: $240 to $960, our arithmetic — bracketing its published $200 to $900 for the same room.2 Fixr’s budget build (olefin Berber + urethane pad) lands at $475 to $1,980 for one to two rooms.3
Example 2 — whole-house recarpet, 1,000 sq. ft. Straight multiplication at $2 to $8 gives $2,000 to $8,000, our arithmetic; HomeGuide’s headline says $1,800 to $7,500 and its table says $1,100 to $4,500 — the spread is how much of the floor plan actually gets carpet versus tile or hardwood.2
Example 3 — the adder stack on a 12 x 12 room. Removal $1 to $5 + padding $0.75 to $2 = $1.75 to $7.00 per square foot on top of the install rate, our arithmetic on Angi’s figures1 — $252 to $1,008 extra for 144 sq. ft., before any stair or subfloor work. Quotes that look identical can differ by exactly these lines.1
FAQ
Is carpet priced by the square foot or square yard? Retail carpet often sells by the square yard ($18 to $72 installed per yard,2 $30 to $50 for material alone1) — divide by 9 to compare with per-foot quotes.
Can I install carpet myself? Carpet tiles at $1.50 to $3.50 per square foot are genuinely DIY-friendly (peel-and-stick or glue-down); wall-to-wall broadloom needs a power stretcher and is best left to pros.1
Does padding really matter? Yes — beyond comfort, most manufacturers will not honor the warranty without the specified padding.3
Is carpet cheaper than hard flooring? Yes — carpet is the most economical flooring option per square foot compared with hardwood or laminate.3
How do I avoid surprise charges? Confirm in writing whether removal, furniture moving, disposal, and thresholds are included — those four lines are where quotes diverge.12
DIY shopping: carpet tiles are the realistic DIY route — peel-and-stick, no stretcher, and single tiles replace when stained (plain link, no affiliate relationship).
Sources
- Angi, How Much Does Carpet Replacement Cost? (2026 data, 8,740 projects).
- HomeGuide, How Much Does Carpet Installation Cost? (2026).
- Fixr, How Much Does It Cost to Install New Carpeting?.
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