Carpet removal costs $140 to $320 per room on average, or $0.70 to $1.60 per square foot including disposal, according to HomeGuide (updated February 2026)1. HomeAdvisor puts the average at $280, with most projects between $120 and $720, at $1.10 to $5.10 per square foot (updated June 2026)2. Fixr reports a national average of $186 to remove and dispose of carpet with padding from a 200-square-foot room plus a flight of 13 stairs, with an average range of $120 to $200 (updated January 2025)3. The per-square-foot ranges diverge across these separately published figures, and the pages state no shared sourcing, so no conclusion about which applies follows from the differences; each figure is labeled with its publisher and date throughout this guide.
Cost by room size
HomeGuide's figures by room size, including disposal (2026)1:
| Room size (sq ft) | HomeGuide average cost, incl. disposal (2026) |
|---|---|
| 100 | $70 – $160 |
| 200 | $140 – $320 |
| 400 | $280 – $640 |
| 600 | $420 – $960 |
| 800 | $560 – $1,280 |
| 1,000 | $700 – $1,600 |
Fixr's low- and high-end figures are $100 to remove carpet from one 200-square-foot room and up to $300 for a 200-square-foot odd-shaped room with furniture (2025)3. HomeAdvisor reports that removing wall-to-wall carpet from a 12-by-12-foot room costs approximately $140 to $290 (2026)2.
Cost by carpet type and location
HomeGuide's per-square-foot figures by type, with extra fees possible for furniture moving and prep (2026)1:
| Carpet type | HomeGuide removal cost per sq ft (2026) |
|---|---|
| Wall-to-wall carpet and pad | $0.70 – $1.60 |
| Glued carpet + padding underneath | $0.75 – $1.80 |
| Basement carpet | $0.95 – $1.55 |
| Stair carpet | $7.00 – $10.00 per stair |
HomeGuide adds that removing wet carpet from a flooded or moldy basement costs $1.20 to $1.55 per square foot, and that removing rusted tack strips costs $0.40 to $0.50 per linear foot (2026)1. Stair prices rise to $25 per step for glued-down carpeting or spiral staircases (2026)1.
HomeAdvisor's per-square-foot figures (2026)2: carpet and pad at $0.60 to $1.60, wall-to-wall at $0.60 to $5.10, basement at $1.10 to $5.10, and glued-down at $3.10 to $5.10, with carpeted stairs at $7.50 to $10.50 per step. Its overall range is $1.10 to $5.10 per square foot, though it states rates can be as low as $0.60.
Fixr's per-square-foot figures by location, materials and labor (2025)3:
| Location | Fixr cost per sq ft, materials + labor (2025) |
|---|---|
| Hardwood | $0.50 – $0.75 |
| Concrete | $0.50 – $1.50 |
| Bedroom | $0.50 – $1.50 |
| Basement | $1 – $1.50 |
| Stairs | $1 – $3.10 |
Fixr also quotes stairs at a flat $7 to $20 per step, and removing glued-down carpet as adding $3 to $5 per square yard, which it states as $0.33 to $0.56 per square foot (2025)3. The publishers' glued-carpet figures diverge – $0.75 to $1.80 per square foot from HomeGuide versus $3.10 to $5.10 from HomeAdvisor – and no conclusion about which applies follows from the differences.
Labor, furniture, and disposal
- Labor. A professional carpet installer costs $40 to $125 per hour for removal, and average handyman rates are $50 to $80 per hour (HomeGuide, 2026)1. Fixr puts labor, including removal and disposal, at $0.50 to $1.50 per square foot (2025)3.
- Furniture moving. HomeGuide puts furniture moving at $25 to $75 per room (2026)1; HomeAdvisor at $0.25 to $0.30 per square foot of furniture shifted (2026)2; Fixr at an added $1.50 to $2 per square yard (2025)3. The three publishers use different units, so the figures are labeled separately.
- Disposal. HomeGuide puts extra hauling and dump fees at $0.45 to $0.60 per square foot, or $50 to $100 on average, with junk removal at $150 to $350 per average load (2026)1. HomeAdvisor puts disposal alone at $0.50 to $0.60 per square foot – about $70 to $80 for a 12-by-12-foot room – or a flat $80 to $160 for junk removal (2026)2.
- Recycling. HomeAdvisor puts carpet recycling at $0.06 to $0.26 per square foot and names the nonprofit Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE) database (2026)2. Fixr puts recycling centers at $0.05 to $0.25 per pound through the same program, which it calculates as $2.33 to $11.67 for carpet from a 200-square-foot room (2025)3.
- Rugs and commercial jobs. Rug removal costs around $0.40 to $0.50 per square foot, and commercial carpet removal usually runs around $1.10 per square foot or less (HomeAdvisor, 2026)2.
Related repairs and refinishing
- Subfloor. The publishers' figures diverge and use different scopes: HomeGuide puts subfloor replacement at $2.20 to $4.75 per square foot (2026)1; HomeAdvisor at $3.10 to $10.10 per square foot (2026)2; Fixr puts subfloor repair at $500 to $700 for a single room and replacement at $1,500 to $1,650 for 300 square feet (2025)3.
- Mold and trim. Mold removal at $15 to $30 per square foot and new trim installation at $4 to $10 per linear foot (HomeGuide, 2026)1; Fixr puts floor trim replacement at $0.60 to $10 per linear foot (2025)3 – separately published figures that diverge, with no conclusion about which applies.
- Refinishing hardwood underneath. Fixr puts sanding, staining, and finishing the hardwood under a removed carpet at $850 to $1,260 for a 200-square-foot room (2025)3.
- Repair instead. Repairing carpet costs around $210 per project, and carpet cleaning is about $190 for a three-bedroom home (HomeAdvisor, 2026)2.
Removing carpet and installing new flooring
HomeGuide's combined remove-and-replace figures per square foot (2026): hardwood at $6.70 to $16.60 and laminate at $4.70 to $15.60, with new flooring installation after removal averaging $4 to $15 per square foot – new carpet at $2 to $8, hardwood at $7 to $25, vinyl at $2 to $12, tile at $10 to $50, and laminate at $4 to $141. HomeAdvisor's figures, which it states typically include the old carpet's removal (2026): hardwood at $6.20 to $12.20 per square foot, laminate at $3.10 to $8.10, and new carpet averaging $1,800 per project at $3.60 to $11.10 per square foot2. Fixr puts the average removal-plus-installation cost at $2.50 to $59 per square foot (2025): vinyl at $2.50 to $14, new carpet at $5 to $14, laminate at $6.50 to $22.50, and hardwood at $11 to $423. Fixr's tile figure is excluded here because its page states two conflicting low ends ($3 and $10 per square foot) for the same remove-and-install scope. These are separately published figures, and no conclusion about which applies follows from the differences.
Hiring a carpet removal service
HomeGuide recommends comparing at least three estimates, selecting licensed, bonded, and insured companies with five or more years of experience, and asking for a written contract and warranty before the project starts (2026)1. HomeAdvisor recommends requesting an itemized quote that lists the removal cost, price per stair if applicable, furniture-moving fees, disposal charges, and cleanup costs (2026)2.
Related guides
Carpet Repair Cost
See our guides to carpet installation cost, carpet cleaning cost, floor repair cost, and subfloor replacement cost.