Ethernet installation costs $100 to $400 for a single room with 1 to 2 ports, or $1,500 to $5,000+ for whole-home wiring – Angi’s national average is $1,500.1 A large new-build install (2,000 ft of Cat6, 8 connections) averages $3,800 professionally, versus about $410 DIY.2,3 Prices below are national averages* for 2026.
*National averages, not local quotes. Your price depends on port count, cable type, finished walls vs. open framing, and network hardware.
$1,500
national average (Angi)
$50 – $100
labor per port (Angi)
$3,800
2,000-ft new install avg (Forbes)
$410
DIY average (Forbes)
Cost by project size (Angi)
| Project size | Description | Average cost |
|---|---|---|
| Single room | 1 – 2 ports | $100 – $400 |
| Multi-room | 4 – 8 ports | $400 – $1,500 |
| Whole home | 10+ ports, multi-story | $1,500 – $5,000+ |
Labor runs $60 to $120 per hour with per-port labor of $50 to $100; some pros charge a $100 to $200 minimum service fee.1 HomeAdvisor’s much lower $424 average ($186 to $690) reflects its mix of small single-drop jobs – the same source prices a full 2,000-ft install at $2,500 to $4,600 in labor alone.2
Cable cost per foot (HomeAdvisor)
| Cable type | Per foot | Speed |
|---|---|---|
| Cat 5 | $0.20 | 100 Mbps |
| Cat 5e | $0.25 | 1 Gbps |
| Cat 6 | $0.30 | 1 Gbps, larger bandwidth |
| Cat 6a | $0.35 | 10 Gbps |
| Cat 7 | $0.35 | 10 Gbps, larger bandwidth |
| Cat 8 | $0.45 | 40 Gbps |
| Fiber optic | $3.00 | up to 100 Gbps |
Cat6 is the current home standard; Cat6a is the future-proof step up for about $0.05 more per foot. Forbes prints the same $3,800 new-install average and $2,000 to $3,000 cabling component as HomeAdvisor – read those as one shared dataset, not two independent estimates.2,3
Hardware and extras
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Network switch | $10 – $100 (Forbes); $100 – $500 with patch panels/racks (Angi) |
| Ethernet ports / wall plates | $10 – $25 each (Forbes); $5 – $20 (Angi) |
| Modem | $50 – $125 (Forbes, HomeAdvisor) |
| Router | $80 – $275 (Forbes, HomeAdvisor) |
| Conduit / raceway | $1 – $3 per foot (Angi) |
| Low-voltage permit | $50 – $200 + $50 – $150 inspection (Angi) |
| Single port repair | $75 – $200 (Angi) |
Retrofitting into finished walls is the budget-breaker: HomeAdvisor puts retrofit labor at $2,500 to $3,500 for a full install because of wall opening, patching, and repainting. New construction, wired before drywall, avoids most of that.2
DIY or hire
Forbes prices a basic DIY network at $187 to $667 (average $410) – cable, a crimping kit, keystone jacks, and plates.3 Running cable along basements, attics, or through a single wall is realistic DIY; Home Depot’s Cat6 section shows current bulk cable prices (plain link, not affiliate). Hire a low-voltage pro or electrician for multi-room runs through finished walls, multi-story fishing, or anything needing a permit. A licensed install also matters for resale – unpermitted low-voltage work can complicate inspection.1
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Sources
1. Angi — Ethernet Installation Cost
2. HomeAdvisor — Ethernet Installation Cost
3. Forbes Home — Ethernet Installation Costs and Services