Well Drilling Calculator

Q: How much does it cost to drill a well?

Drilling a residential water well costs $30 to $80 per foot complete, or $4,500 to $24,000 total for most homes. A typical 150 ft well runs $6,000 to $12,000 including the pump, pressure tank, and wiring. Depth is the biggest cost driver: every extra foot adds drilling and casing cost.

Q: What is the cost to drill a well per foot?

Drilling alone costs $20 to $30 per foot in normal soil. Add PVC casing at $6 to $11 per foot (steel runs $30 and up), then the pump, tank, and permits, and a complete well lands at $30 to $80 per foot. Rocky ground, deep water tables, and hard-to-reach sites push toward the top of the range.

Drilling a water well costs $30 to $80 per ft complete, or $4,500 to $24,000 total for most residential wells. A typical 150 ft well runs $6,000 to $12,000 including the pump and pressure tank. Enter your depth below to get an itemized estimate.

Estimated total—

Your well

Well depth

Unit

feetmeters

Price assumptions

Drilling ($/ft) Casing, installed ($/ft) Pump system ($) Permit, testing & wiring ($)

Defaults & assumptions

Defaults: a typical 150 ft well and US national averages: normal soil, PVC casing, submersible pump with pressure tank. Rocky ground can double the drilling rate. Set pump system to 0 if reusing existing equipment.

Enter your well depth above to see results.

Well drilling cost breakdown

A residential water well has two per-foot costs and two fixed ones. Drilling runs $20 to $30 per ft in normal soil, though rock, clay, or a remote site can double it. Casing (the pipe that lines the borehole) adds $6.00 to $11 per ft for PVC, the usual choice; steel runs $30 per foot and up. On top of that come the fixed costs: $1,200 to $4,000 for the pump system (a well pump at $900 to $2,500 plus a pressure tank at $300 to $1,500 installed) and $450 to $1,000 for permits and water testing. Electrical hookup is often part of the pump quote; when it’s priced separately, budget $1,000 to $3,000. Because the fixed costs don't change with depth, shallow wells cost more per foot than deep ones.

Typical complete well cost by depth (US averages, drilled & cased with pump system)
Well depth	Typical total cost
100 ft	$4,500 to $8,000
150 ft	$6,000 to $12,000
200 ft	$7,000 to $16,000
300 ft	$9,500 to $24,000

How the calculator works

Total = depth × drilling rate + depth × casing rate + pump system + permit, testing, and wiring. That mirrors how well contractors quote: per-foot drilling and casing, plus fixed equipment. Default rates reflect published US averages from national cost guides (Angi, HomeGuide, 2026). Not included: water treatment systems ($800 to $4,000 if your water test calls for one), trenching the supply line to the house (roughly $50 to $150 per ft), and geothermal or irrigation wells, which price differently. Repairing the lawn afterward? See our sod calculator.

Well drilling cost FAQ

How much does it cost to drill a well?

Drilling a residential water well costs $30 to $80 per ft complete, or $4,500 to $24,000 total for most homes. A typical 150 ft well runs $6,000 to $12,000 including the pump, pressure tank, and wiring. Depth is the biggest cost driver: every extra foot adds drilling and casing cost.

What is the cost to drill a well per foot?

Drilling alone costs $20 to $30 per ft in normal soil. Add PVC casing at $6.00 to $11 per ft (steel runs $30 and up), then the pump, tank, and permits, and a complete well lands at $30 to $80 per ft. Rocky ground, deep water tables, and hard-to-reach sites push toward the top of the range.

How deep does a residential well need to be?

Most residential water wells are 100 to 300 ft deep, with 150 ft a common average. Depth depends on your local water table: neighbors’ well logs and your county’s well records are the best guide. Deeper wells cost more but are less likely to run dry or pick up surface contamination.

What does a well pump and pressure tank cost?

A well pump costs $900 to $2,500 depending on type, horsepower, and depth rating (a jet pump for a shallow well can run $400 to $1,400), and a pressure tank adds $300 to $1,500 installed. Budget $1,200 to $4,000 for the pump system, plus $1,000 to $3,000 if the electrical hookup is quoted separately, which is the fixed equipment cost on top of per-foot drilling.