Well pump cost dataset
This is the complete dataset behind the well pump calculator. The thing worth understanding here is how depth works: it does not scale the bill smoothly, it drives it through three separate lines that behave differently, and one of them is a threshold rather than a slope. Last reviewed 2026-08-22.
The three ways depth drives the price
- Two lines priced by the foot. The drop pipe and the drop cable both run the full depth of the well, so both scale directly and linearly with it.
- A pump that has to work harder. Horsepower steps up with the head to be overcome, and the pump price with it.
- A threshold, not a slope. Past 250 feet the column of pipe, cable and pump is too heavy to pull by hand and a hoist truck comes out. That is a step change, and it is why a 300-foot well is not 20% dearer than a 250-foot one.
Below 25 feet of lift a surface jet pump can be used instead of a submersible, which is cheaper to buy and much cheaper to service later because it is not down the hole. The calculator decides that from the depth rather than asking, because it is physics rather than preference.
Pump type and power by depth
| Depth | Pump type | Horsepower | Hoist truck |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 ft | Shallow-well jet pump | 0.5 | no |
| 60 ft | Submersible | 0.5 | no |
| 100 ft | Submersible | 0.5 | no |
| 150 ft | Submersible | 0.75 | no |
| 200 ft | Submersible | 0.75 | no |
| 250 ft | Submersible | 1 | no |
| 300 ft | Submersible | 1 | yes |
| 400 ft | Submersible | 1.5 | yes |
| 500 ft | Submersible | 2 | yes |
These horsepower steps are the usual industry bands and they are our estimate, not a published standard. The real figure comes from a total dynamic head calculation that accounts for the lift to your pressure tank and the friction in your pipe run, neither of which a calculator can see.
Line items
The submersible and jet pumps are alternatives, never both. The pipe and cable lines only appear when they are being replaced alongside the pump, which is usual but not universal.
| Line item | Unit | Material | Equipment / hr | Trade | Data |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Submersible well pump (conditional)horsepower, sized from depth | horsepower | $560 – $1,500 | — | — | estimated±46% |
| Shallow-well jet pump (conditional)horsepower, sized from depth | horsepower | $340 – $900 | — | — | estimated±45% |
| Drop pipe (conditional)full well depth, when the pipe is replaced | linear ft | $2.20 – $5.50 | — | — | estimated±43% |
| Submersible drop cable (conditional)full well depth, on submersible pumps | linear ft | $1.80 – $4.60 | — | — | estimated±44% |
| Pressure tank (conditional)1 when the pressure tank is replaced too | each | $320 – $950 | — | — | estimated±50% |
| Pressure switch, gauge and fittings1 per replacement | lot | $60 – $190 | — | — | estimated±52% |
| Pitless adapter and well cap (conditional)1 when the adapter and cap are replaced | lot | $110 – $340 | — | — | estimated±51% |
| Pump hoist truck (conditional)1 day where the well is deeper than 250 ft | day | $650 – $1,800 | — | — | estimated±47% |
| Pull the old pump, set the new one, prime and test6 hours + 1 hour per 50 ft of depth (modelled) | hour | — | — | Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters | sourced |
| Electrician: control box and connections2 electrician-hours (modelled) | hour | — | — | Electricians | sourced |
| Shock chlorination and water test1 per replacement | lot | $90 – $280 | — | — | estimated±51% |
The reasoning behind each figure
Written out so that a well contractor can point at the exact assumption that is wrong. A number with no reasoning behind it cannot be corrected.
- Submersible well pumpestimated, ±46%
- Priced per horsepower, so a three-quarter horsepower pump for a 200-foot well lands around $420 to $1,120 for the pump alone.
- The band spans stamped stainless units at the bottom and cast or franklin-motor units with longer warranties at the top. Deep wells justify the expensive end: pulling a cheap pump twice costs more than buying a good one once.
- Shallow-well jet pumpestimated, ±45%
- Cheaper than a submersible and only usable to about 25 feet, because it pulls water rather than pushing it and atmospheric pressure sets the limit.
- It also sits above ground, which makes it far cheaper to service later — the saving is not only in the purchase.
- Drop pipeestimated, ±43%
- The pipe that hangs the pump down the well. Priced per foot, so it scales directly with depth: this is one of the three ways depth drives the bill.
- The band spans polyethylene at the bottom and galvanised or stainless at the top, which deep wells often require because the column has to carry the pump weight.
- Submersible drop cableestimated, ±44%
- Waterproof cable from the surface to the pump. Also per foot, and also scaling with depth.
- Gauge has to rise with depth to keep voltage drop within limits, which is why the band widens rather than the price simply multiplying.
- Pressure tankestimated, ±50%
- A bladder tank that stops the pump cycling on and off every time a tap opens. Short-cycling is the most common cause of premature pump failure, so replacing a tired tank alongside the pump is usually money well spent.
- The band reflects capacity, which should match the pump rather than the house.
- Pressure switch, gauge and fittingsestimated, ±52%
- Standardised parts that are always replaced with the pump, because refitting a ten-year-old switch to a new pump is how you get a callback.
- Pitless adapter and well capestimated, ±51%
- The fitting that takes the water line out through the casing below the frost line, plus a sanitary cap. Replaced when corroded, which is common on older wells.
- Pump hoist truckestimated, ±47%
- Above roughly 250 feet the column of pipe, cable and pump is too heavy to pull by hand and a hoist truck comes out. This is a threshold cost, not a gradual one, and it is the third way depth drives the bill.
- A deep well is not proportionally more expensive than a shallow one. It is a different job.
- Pull the old pump, set the new one, prime and test
- Six hours plus roughly one hour per fifty feet of depth. Pulling and re-setting a column of pipe is the slow part, and it gets slower the deeper it goes.
- The wage is official BLS data adjusted to your metropolitan area. The hours are our estimate.
- Electrician: control box and connections
- Wiring the control box and the pressure switch. Modest hours, and metro-adjusted from official wage data.
- Shock chlorination and water testestimated, ±51%
- Opening a well introduces surface bacteria, so the well is disinfected afterwards and the water is tested before it goes back into use.
- Skipped surprisingly often, and it is the step that decides whether you are drinking what you think you are drinking.
Not included in this dataset
- Drilling a new well
- This models replacing the pump in an existing well. Drilling is a different project priced per foot of hole, and an order of magnitude more expensive.
- A collapsed or silted casing
- If the well itself has failed rather than the pump, no pump will fix it. That is found when the old one comes out, and it changes the job entirely.
- Permit fees and well reports
- Many states require a well report to be filed on pump replacement. Fees vary and are excluded rather than averaged.
- Water treatment
- Iron, sulphur, hardness or bacterial problems need their own equipment and are not part of a pump replacement.
- Emergency call-out premiums
- A well pump usually fails without warning, and out-of-hours work is charged accordingly. These figures assume scheduled work.
Use the calculator to price a replacement at your own depth, or read the full method.