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Get a fair quoteBy Our research team · Last verified · 13 jobs priced · Methodology
For a typical 1,500–2,000 sq ft house, about $14,000, or $5–$14 per square foot. The full price list is below.
How we get this data$7,500–$24,500 for a typical 1,500–2,000 sq ft house, about $14,000, or $5–$14 per square foot. Going room by room costs $500–$3,500 a room, and replacing knob-and-tube wiring runs $12,000–$35,000.
Prices verified November 2026 · Cross-referenced against 52+ American pricing sources · See methodology
Labor and materials with a licensed electrician; wall patching and paint are extra. Most homes land near $8 per square foot.
| Job | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rewire a 1,000 sq ft houseper home | $5,000 | $8,000 | $14,000 |
| Rewire a 1,500 sq ft houseper home | $7,500 | $12,000 | $21,000 |
| Rewire a 2,000 sq ft houseper home | $10,000 | $16,000 | $28,000 |
| Rewire a 2,500 sq ft houseper home | $12,500 | $20,000 | $35,000 |
| Rewiring cost per square footper sq ft | $5 | $8 | $14 |
| Knob-and-tube replacement, whole houseper home | $12,000 | $23,500 | $35,000 |
| Rewiring, per room (average room)per room | $500 | $1,750 | $3,500 |
| Rewire a bathroomper room | $200 | $1,400 | $2,600 |
| Rewire a bedroomper room | $650 | $2,300 | $3,900 |
| Rewire a kitchenper room | $500 | $1,950 | $3,400 |
| Rewire a living roomper room | $1,000 | $1,350 | $1,700 |
| Patch walls after a whole-house rewireper home | $1,000 | $3,000 | $6,000 |
| Rewiring permitper permit | $250 | $580 | $900 |
US prices, November 2026. Low is a simple job in a low-cost area; high is a bigger job or a high-cost city.
Yes. The same job costs more where labor and rent cost more. Here's how electrician prices in the biggest US metros compare with the US typical of $90/hr.
Labor, rent and demand move every job on this page in the same direction. Open your city's guide for its full local price list.
Knob-and-tube wiring (common before the 1940s), cloth-insulated cable, aluminum branch wiring from about 1965–1973, ungrounded two-prong outlets throughout, or breakers and fuses that trip or blow often. Many insurers and lenders ask about knob-and-tube and aluminum wiring before they cover a house.
A full rewire also makes sense during a gut remodel, when the walls are open and the wiring is easy to reach.
Size first: $5–$14 per square foot means $7,500–$21,000 for 1,500 sq ft and $10,000–$28,000 for 2,000 sq ft. Then access — plaster walls, finished basements and low attics take far longer than open framing, and the hardest plaster and knob-and-tube jobs reach about $17 per square foot — and the number of circuits, outlets and fixtures you add.
Most rewires include or need a panel upgrade ($1,500–$4,500), and local labor rates move the total as much as the house does.
Electricians fish new wire through small openings where they can. Expect $50–$400 per drywall patch, or $1,000–$6,000 for patching after a whole-house job; opening walls fully adds 25–30% to the project.
A whole-house rewire takes three to ten days or more, depending on size, age and crew. Most families can stay in the house, with power off in parts of it during the day.
A rewire needs a permit ($250–$900) and usually two inspections: one with the walls open and a final. Your licensed electrician should pull the permit and meet the inspector. This is general information, not legal advice — your building department sets the rules.
Rewire during a remodel, when access is easy — open-wall wiring can run as little as $3–$5 per square foot. Do the worst rooms first if you need to spread the cost, and get two quotes that both include the permit, panel work and patching.
The rewire price is not the whole bill. Here is a typical total once the usual extras are in.
Paint is extra. If your panel is already 200A, take that line off. Ask whether the permit and patching are in the price before you compare quotes.
The type of wiring you have decides whether you need a full rewire or a smaller fix.
| Wiring type | When it was used | The problem | Usual fix and cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knob-and-tube: single wires on white ceramic knobs and tubes | About 1880 to the 1940s | No ground wire. A fire risk when buried in insulation. Many insurers won't cover it. | Full replacement: $12,000–$35,000 |
| Aluminum branch wiring: dull silver wire, often marked AL | About 1965 to the mid-1970s | Connections can overheat. The CPSC found these homes 55 times more likely to have an outlet connection reach fire hazard conditions than copper-wired homes. | Rewire in copper, or a CPSC-approved repair at every connection (COPALUM crimps or AlumiConn connectors). Get a quote for both. |
| Two-prong outlets with no ground wire | Older homes, before grounded outlets were standard | No ground for three-prong plugs, so surge strips can't fully protect your devices. | Code allows a GFCI outlet in place of each one, marked 'No Equipment Ground': $90–$350 each. Full rewire only if the wiring itself is bad. |
| Old cloth-covered cable | Older homes | The covering can turn brittle and crack. | Replace the brittle runs. Full rewire if it is everywhere. |
Not sure what you have? An electrician or home inspector can tell you in one visit.
If you can't do the whole house at once, start where the risk and the load are highest.
| Order | Room | Why this order | Typical cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kitchen | Most heavy appliances. Needs several circuits of its own and GFCI outlets. | $1,950 ($500–$3,400) |
| 2 | Bathrooms | Water near outlets. GFCI protection matters most here. | $1,400 ($200–$2,600) |
| 3 | Bedrooms | People sleep there, and heaters and chargers run for hours. | $2,300 ($650–$3,900) |
| 4 | Living room | Usually lighter loads. | $1,350 ($1,000–$1,700) |
Stages cost more overall, because each one has its own setup and permit. If you have a fuse box or a panel that is too small, fix that first.
Most homes go through the same seven steps.
Two quotes are only comparable if they cover the same work.
Walk away, or get another quote, if you see these.
If you have knob-and-tube or aluminum wiring, ask your insurer what they need. Some want a full rewire. Some accept a letter from a licensed electrician saying the system is safe. Get the answer in writing, so you don't pay for more work than your policy requires.
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Three to ten days or more for a whole house, depending on size, wall type and crew size, plus inspection scheduling.
Usually, yes. The electrician works in sections, so power is off in part of the house during the day. Older plaster homes are dustier, so plan to cover furniture.
Not always by law, but it has no ground wire, wasn't designed for today's loads or for being buried in insulation, and many insurers ask about it. Replacing it runs $12,000–$35,000.
Often, but not always — ask. A 100A to 200A panel upgrade adds $1,500–$4,500 if it's not in the quote.
Per room it costs $500–$3,500, so doing it in stages spreads the bill, but the whole house at once is usually cheaper overall because the electrician sets up and gets permits once.
It can be. The CPSC found that homes built before 1972 with aluminum wiring were 55 times more likely to have an outlet connection reach fire hazard conditions than copper-wired homes. It lists three lasting fixes: rewire with copper, or join copper to every aluminum end with COPALUM crimps or AlumiConn connectors. Warning signs include warm switch plates, flickering lights and a burning plastic smell.
Not on their own if there is no ground wire. The code allows a GFCI outlet instead, marked 'No Equipment Ground'. That costs about $170 each, far less than a rewire. A three-prong outlet with no ground and no GFCI is unsafe and will not pass inspection.
Look in the attic or basement. Knob-and-tube is single wires held by white ceramic knobs, passing through ceramic tubes in the wood. It was used from about 1880 to the 1940s. An electrician or home inspector can confirm it and tell you if any of it is still live.
Usually not. Rewiring is an upgrade, not sudden damage. Many insurers won't cover homes with knob-and-tube wiring at all, so a rewire may be what gets your home covered.
Some places let owners pull a permit and wire their own home, but the work still has to pass inspection. It is slow, hard work in old walls, and mistakes can start fires. Most people hire a licensed electrician and save money by doing the prep, patching and painting themselves.