A vinyl double-hung window runs $350 to $800 installed, with $600 typical. Wood runs $600 to $2,000. A bay or bow window runs $1,500 to $5,000, because it isn’t really a window — it’s a small structural project.
Windows are the one home project priced almost entirely per unit, which makes the arithmetic simple and the total surprising. Ten windows at $600 is $6,000 before anyone discusses trim.
Labour is a third of it, and it doesn’t scale down
Window installation labour runs $150 to $350 per window, typical $250, against $600 typical for a vinyl unit installed. So roughly 40% of a standard vinyl window is the fitting.
That ratio explains two things people find odd about window quotes.
Cheaper frames don’t save proportionally. Dropping from vinyl to aluminium saves on the unit, but the crew still removes the old window, sets the new one square, insulates, seals, flashes and re-trims. The labour is identical.
One window costs more per window than ten. A crew travelling to a house, setting up and protecting the interior has a fixed overhead that gets divided across however many openings they do that day. This is the strongest argument for doing several at once — see replacing windows in phases.
What’s actually in the opening
A window opening, outside in. The two layers that stop leaks are the ones you can't see once it's finished.
The unit is the part you choose. The flashing and the air seal are the parts that decide whether the wall stays dry and the room stays warm.
This matters when comparing quotes, because those two layers are invisible when the job is finished and cost real money to do properly. A quote that specifies how the opening will be flashed has thought about the wall. One that lists only the units has priced the shopping.
The extras, priced per unit
- Interior trim and casing — $75 to $250 per window
- Window screens — $50 to $150 each
- Glass block panels — $25 to $60 per square foot
- Skylights — $1,500 to $4,500 each
- Basement egress window — $2,500 to $6,000, including excavation
Egress and skylights are worth separating out mentally. Both involve cutting a new opening rather than replacing an existing one, which means structure, waterproofing and — for egress — excavation. They’re projects that happen to involve a window.
What isn’t in the per-window price
Rot in the opening. Only visible once the old unit is out. Same pattern as roof decking and shower subfloor: the thing nobody can quote in advance is the thing that most often pushes a job over.
Changing the opening size. Structural work, and a different conversation.
Interior finishing beyond casing. Drywall repair, painting, and matching existing trim profiles on an older house.
Disposal. Usually included, worth confirming.
Repairs are priced differently, and not from here
If some of your windows need repair rather than replacement, no honest number exists remotely. A broken balance, a failed seal and cracked glass are three different jobs at three different prices, and which one you have can only be determined on site.
That’s covered in window repair or replace.
Getting a number for your house
These figures are national. The same job prices 14% below national in some ZIP codes and 23% above in others — and since labour is around 40% of a window, that spread lands harder here than on material-heavy projects.
The windows cost guide has modelled totals by how many windows you’re replacing, adjusted for your market.
