Fence Cost Calculator
How much a fence costs installed per linear foot in wood, vinyl, chain link and aluminum, with gates and removal priced, plus the posts and pickets to buy.
Results
Typical installed cost
$3,100 to $6,800wood privacy, 6 ft, 150 ft
Posts
21posts
Sections
19sections
Rails
57rails
Pickets
314pickets
Installed cost is your fence length times a published range of $18 to $40 per linear foot for wood privacy, 6 ft, materials and labor included, plus $400 to $800 per walk gate. Post, rail, and picket counts are for a wood fence and assume a 1/4 in gap between pickets.
Prices last checked . Sources are listed below.
How much does a fence cost?
Installed, a 6 ft wood privacy fence costs $18 to $40 per linear foot, materials and labor together. Chain link runs $10 to $25 and vinyl privacy $30 to $55. Each walk gate adds $400 to $800.
| Fence line | Wood privacy | Vinyl privacy | Chain link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small yard100 ft, 1 gate | $2,200 to $4,800 | $3,400 to $6,300 | $1,400 to $3,300 |
| Typical backyard150 ft, 1 gate | $3,100 to $6,800 | $4,900 to $9,050 | $1,900 to $4,550 |
| Large backyard200 ft, 1 gate | $4,000 to $8,800 | $6,400 to $11,800 | $2,400 to $5,800 |
Every row includes one walk gate. Removing an old fence adds about $3 to $5 per foot. Slopes, rocky soil, and a lot of corner posts push a bid toward the top of the range.
How the fence calculator works
The calculator gives a typical installed cost range for the fence type you pick. It also counts the posts, rails, and pickets you'd need to build a wood fence yourself.
Cost = fence length × the per-foot range for your fence type + gates × the gate range + removal if you're replacing an old fence. Material counts: sections = fence length ÷ post spacing, rounded up. Posts = sections + 1 + gates. Rails = sections × rails per section. Pickets = (fence length in inches) ÷ (picket width + gap), rounded up.
The per-foot ranges come from published 2026 fence installation cost guides (Fixr, Inch Calculator, Bob Vila), materials plus labor. Removal per foot is derived from the guides' totals of about $350 to $800 for a typical 100 to 200 ft fence. These are published ranges, not a price index, so get local quotes before you budget against a number.
Setting posts in concrete yourself? Use the Concrete Calculator to work out how many bags each post hole needs.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
Installed, a 6 ft wood privacy fence runs about $18 to $40 per linear foot, so a typical 150 ft backyard with one gate comes to $3,100 to $6,800. Chain link is the cheapest at $10 to $25 per foot, and vinyl privacy is the most expensive of the common types at $30 to $55. Fixr's 2026 fence installation cost guide puts the average project at $4,500.
Installed, per linear foot: chain link $10 to $25, 4 ft wood picket $12 to $30, 6 ft wood privacy $18 to $40, aluminum $25 to $55, and 6 ft vinyl privacy $30 to $55. Those figures cover posts, concrete, labor, and the panels or pickets. Gates are extra.
The new fence plus about $3 to $5 per foot to tear out and haul away the old one, or $450 to $750 on a 150 ft run. Pulling old posts set in concrete takes the most time. Some contractors waive the removal charge if you take the old fence down yourself.
About $400 to $800 installed for a standard 4 ft walk gate. Double drive gates across a driveway cost several times that, and an automated gate is a separate project. Each gate needs a post on each side, and the calculator's post count already includes them.
Chain link, at $10 to $25 per foot installed. For a privacy fence, pressure-treated wood is the cheapest at $18 to $40. Vinyl costs more upfront but never needs staining, so the gap narrows over 15 to 20 years.
6 to 8 feet on center for residential wood fencing. Use 6 feet for a tall privacy fence or in a windy spot, because a solid fence catches wind like a sail and the posts take the load. 8 feet is fine for open picket or rail fences, where the wind passes through.
2 per section up to about 4 feet tall, 3 per section on a 6-foot privacy fence. The third rail mainly keeps long pickets from bowing out in the middle, which is what makes an old fence look wavy from down the street.
Divide the fence length in inches by the space one picket takes up: its width plus the gap beside it. The calculator assumes a 1/4 in gap. For a privacy fence with no gaps at all, enter a slightly wider picket to close the gap, and the count goes up to match.
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