Toilet installation cost dataset
This is the complete dataset behind the toilet calculator. It is deliberately built to answer one question, because that is the question people actually ask: how much of the bill is the toilet and how much is the fitting. Every figure here keeps those two apart. Last reviewed 2026-08-22.
The fixture and the labour, kept apart
National figures with the shutoff valve replaced and the old toilet hauled away.
| Toilet | Fixture | Plumber’s labour | Total fitted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Two-piece | $335 | $119–$128 | $587 |
| One-piece | $610 | $119–$128 | $862 |
| Wall-hung | $1,300 | $476–$512 | $1,923 |
| Bidet or smart toilet | $1,400 | $119–$128 | $2,031 |
A wall-hung toilet is the outlier, and not because the fixture is dearer. It needs a carrier frame inside the wall, which turns a two-hour swap into a day of construction. Anyone quoting one as a like-for-like replacement has misunderstood the job.
What the flange adds
The closet flange is the collar the toilet bolts to. It is the only real surprise in this job, and it is almost always found rather than quoted.
| What is found | Total | Added |
|---|---|---|
| Straight swap | $587 | — |
| Flange needs work | $781 | +$194 |
| Subfloor damaged | $949 | +$362 |
| Both | $1,143 | +$556 |
A toilet that rocked for months has been leaking for months, so a soft subfloor and a corroded flange usually arrive together. That is the row at the bottom, and it is roughly double the straight swap.
Labour hours modelled
- 2 plumber-hours for a straight swap.
- +1 hour where the flange needs repairing or raising.
- +1 hour where the subfloor has to be cut out and patched.
- 8 hours for a wall-hung unit, because the wall is opened and a carrier is set.
- 3 electrician-hours only where an outlet has to be added for a bidet or smart toilet.
The wages behind these hours are official BLS figures for your metropolitan area. The hours are our estimate. If a quote is far outside them, this is the number to ask about.
Flush volume, and what the law requires
| Gallons per flush | Status |
|---|---|
| up to 6.0 | Older toilets still in service. The EPA names these as a major source of wasted water in many homes. |
| 1.6 | The current federal standard. |
| 1.28 or less | WaterSense, a voluntary specification twenty percent below the federal standard. Some states have since made it mandatory. |
All three figures are from EPA WaterSense, Residential Toilets, retrieved 2026-08-22. Whether your own state has adopted the lower number is a question for your local building department; we do not model it.
Line items
The four fixture lines are alternatives, never more than one. Optional lines appear only when the corresponding answer is yes.
| Line item | Unit | Material | Equipment / hr | Trade | Data |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Two-piece toilet (conditional)1 unit | each | $150 – $520 | — | — | estimated±55% |
| One-piece toilet (conditional)1 unit | each | $320 – $900 | — | — | estimated±48% |
| Wall-hung toilet and carrier frame (conditional)1 unit with carrier | each | $700 – $1,900 | — | — | estimated±46% |
| Bidet or smart toilet (conditional)1 unit | each | $600 – $2,200 | — | — | estimated±57% |
| Wax ring or seal, bolts and caps1 per installation | lot | $12 – $45 | — | — | estimated±58% |
| Shutoff valve and supply line (conditional)1 where the valve and line are replaced | lot | $25 – $85 | — | — | estimated±55% |
| Repair or raise the closet flange (conditional)1 where the flange needs work | lot | $45 – $220 | — | — | estimated±66% |
| Repair the subfloor (conditional)1 where the subfloor is damaged | lot | $120 – $480 | — | — | estimated±60% |
| Outlet beside the toilet (conditional)1 where the toilet needs power | lot | $90 – $300 | — | — | estimated±54% |
| Electrician (conditional)3 electrician-hours where power is needed (modelled) | hour | — | — | Electricians | sourced |
| Plumber: remove, set, connect and test2 h swap, +1 bad flange, +1 subfloor, 8 h wall-hung (modelled) | hour | — | — | Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters | sourced |
| Remove and dispose of the old toilet (conditional)1 when replacing an existing toilet | each | $20 – $70 | — | — | estimated±56% |
The reasoning behind each figure
Written out so a plumber can point at the exact assumption that is wrong. A number with no reasoning behind it cannot be corrected.
- Two-piece toiletestimated, ±55%
- The band spans a basic round-front builder model at the bottom and an elongated, comfort-height, well-glazed unit at the top.
- What you actually pay for at the top of the band is the flush valve and the glaze, not the shape. A cheap flush valve is why some toilets need two flushes, which defeats the point of a low-consumption model.
- One-piece toiletestimated, ±48%
- Moulded as one piece, so there is no seam between tank and bowl to clean. That is most of what the extra buys.
- Heavier than a two-piece and awkward to carry, which occasionally adds a second pair of hands to the labour.
- Wall-hung toilet and carrier frameestimated, ±46%
- The price includes the in-wall carrier frame and concealed tank, which is most of the cost and all of the complexity.
- This is not a swap. The wall has to be opened, the frame fixed to the structure and the drain re-routed, and the wall then has to be closed and finished again.
- Bidet or smart toiletestimated, ±57%
- Wide band because the category runs from a heated seat with a spray to a fully integrated unit with a tankless heater.
- All of them need power at the toilet, which is the line below and the reason these installations cost more than the price tag suggests.
- Wax ring or seal, bolts and capsestimated, ±58%
- Trivial in money and not trivial in consequence: a seal that fails leaks under the floor for months before anyone notices.
- The top of the band is a waxless rubber seal, which can be reseated if the toilet is lifted again and is worth the few dollars.
- Shutoff valve and supply lineestimated, ±55%
- Old shutoff valves seize, and the moment you discover it is the moment you need it. Replacing it while the water is already off costs almost nothing.
- Braided stainless supply line rather than the plastic one, which is the top of the band and still under ten dollars of difference.
- Repair or raise the closet flangeestimated, ±66%
- The one real surprise in this job. A flange that is cracked, corroded or sitting below the finished floor cannot seal, and no amount of extra wax fixes it properly.
- It ends up below the floor whenever someone lays new tile or vinyl over the old floor without lifting the flange, which is extremely common.
- The band covers a repair ring at the bottom and cutting out and replacing the flange at the top.
- Repair the subfloorestimated, ±60%
- A toilet that has been leaking at the seal usually leaves soft subfloor around the flange. It has to be cut out and replaced or the new toilet will rock, and a rocking toilet breaks its seal again.
- Wide band because the damage is only visible once the toilet is off the floor.
- Outlet beside the toiletestimated, ±54%
- Bidet and smart toilets need power, and almost no bathroom has an outlet within reach of the toilet because there was never a reason to put one there.
- It has to be a protected circuit, and running it means opening and repairing a wall unless there is a convenient one behind.
- Electrician
- Only where an outlet has to be run. Metro-adjusted wage from official BLS data; the hours are our estimate.
- Plumber: remove, set, connect and test
- Two hours for a straightforward swap, which is what most of these jobs are. Add one for a bad flange, one for subfloor repair, and six for a wall-hung unit, which is a different job entirely.
- This is the number to compare against an installed quote. The wage behind it is official BLS data adjusted to your metropolitan area; the hours are our estimate.
- Remove and dispose of the old toiletestimated, ±56%
- Vitreous china is not recyclable in most places and is heavy, so transfer stations charge to take it. Small money, and a line that appears on real invoices.
Not included in this dataset
- Permit fees
- A like-for-like replacement rarely needs one; moving the drain does. Fees vary by city with no national source and are excluded rather than averaged.
- Moving the toilet to a different position
- Relocating means opening the floor and re-routing the drain with the right fall. That is a different job, several times this size, and often structural.
- Finished flooring around the toilet
- If the floor is being replaced too, the toilet comes off for that work anyway and the sequence changes. This models replacing the fixture on an existing floor.
- Wall finishing on a wall-hung installation
- The carrier frame price includes the frame, not closing up, tiling or making good the wall it went into.
- Fixing a blocked drain
- A toilet that backs up is usually a drain problem rather than a fixture problem, and replacing the fixture will not fix it.
Use the calculator to price it in your own area, or read the full method.