Insulation Cost by City (2026)

Metro-level installed insulation prices. Big-city labor can run 50% above a rural quote for identical work, so start with your own market before judging a bid.

Albuquerque, NM$1.67/sq ft Arlington, TX$1.70/sq ft Atlanta, GA$1.81/sq ft Austin, TX$1.81/sq ft Baltimore, MD$2.11/sq ft Birmingham, AL$1.59/sq ft Boise, ID$1.81/sq ft Boston, MA$2.48/sq ft Buffalo, NY$2.00/sq ft Charleston, SC$1.72/sq ft Charlotte, NC$1.74/sq ft Chicago, IL$2.13/sq ft Cleveland, OH$1.79/sq ft Columbus, OH$1.81/sq ft Dallas, TX$1.74/sq ft Denver, CO$2.04/sq ft Des Moines, IA$1.72/sq ft Detroit, MI$1.92/sq ft Fort Worth, TX$1.72/sq ft Fresno, CA$2.04/sq ft Hartford, CT$2.18/sq ft Honolulu, HI$2.78/sq ft Houston, TX$1.70/sq ft Indianapolis, IN$1.76/sq ft Jacksonville, FL$1.67/sq ft Kansas City, MO$1.74/sq ft Las Vegas, NV$1.92/sq ft Little Rock, AR$1.55/sq ft Los Angeles, CA$2.41/sq ft Louisville, KY$1.67/sq ft Memphis, TN$1.57/sq ft Mesa, AZ$1.74/sq ft Miami, FL$1.85/sq ft Milwaukee, WI$1.96/sq ft Minneapolis, MN$2.07/sq ft Nashville, TN$1.78/sq ft New Orleans, LA$1.70/sq ft New York, NY$2.55/sq ft Oakland, CA$2.59/sq ft Omaha, NE$1.70/sq ft Philadelphia, PA$2.15/sq ft Phoenix, AZ$1.78/sq ft Pittsburgh, PA$1.94/sq ft Portland, OR$2.11/sq ft Providence, RI$2.22/sq ft Raleigh, NC$1.76/sq ft Richmond, VA$1.81/sq ft Sacramento, CA$2.22/sq ft Salt Lake City, UT$1.85/sq ft San Antonio, TX$1.63/sq ft San Diego, CA$2.33/sq ft San Francisco, CA$2.81/sq ft San Jose, CA$2.63/sq ft Seattle, WA$2.29/sq ft St. Louis, MO$1.76/sq ft Tampa, FL$1.70/sq ft Tucson, AZ$1.67/sq ft Tulsa, OK$1.57/sq ft Washington, DC$2.41/sq ft Wichita, KS$1.59/sq ft

Don't see your city? Check your state page for a statewide average.

Metro prices run above their own state average

City pricing is state pricing plus density. Crews working a major metro carry higher wages, higher insurance, longer drives between jobs and parking that costs money, and all of it lands in the per-square-foot rate. A quote inside the city limits routinely runs above the same company's quote an hour out.

The gap is widest on small jobs. Mobilising a rig and a two-person crew costs about the same whether the attic is 800 square feet or 2,500, so the fixed part of that cost is spread over less work — which is why small metro jobs often carry a minimum charge rather than a per-square-foot price.

If you are near a metro boundary, it is worth getting one quote from a suburban contractor as well. The material is identical.

What varies between metros beyond labor

Housing stock matters as much as wages. Metros built mostly after 1980 have accessible trussed attics with decent headroom and standard framing, and they price predictably. Older metros have more knee walls, more dormers, more balloon framing and more attics you cannot stand up in — all of which raise the rate rather than adding a line to the quote.

Climate drives the target R-value, and the target drives how much material the same square footage consumes. A Phoenix attic and a Chicago attic of identical size are not the same job.

Local incentives vary too. Utility rebates are administered at the utility level rather than nationally, so two cities in the same state can offer quite different amounts for the same work.

Not seeing your city?

These are the 60 largest US metros. If yours is not here, use your state page — the state figure is the better base for anywhere outside a major metro, because it is not carrying big-city labor premiums you would not be charged.

For a specific attic rather than a regional average, the cost calculator takes your actual square footage, target R-value and material and returns the job total.

Every figure on these pages is a 2026 national average adjusted for local labor. They are estimates to sanity-check a quote against, not quotes themselves.