Cost to build a house
Enter the finished floor area and a construction cost per square foot. The calculator starts from the national average in the NAHB Cost of Constructing a Home survey, splits the total by stage of construction, and shows a low and high end at a margin you set.
Cost to build a house
Finished living space, which is what the survey divides by: not the garage or an unfinished basement.
NAHB's 2024 survey averaged $162 per ft² nationally. Local costs vary a lot: type your builder's figure if you have one.
Your own assumption, not the survey's: it reports one national average, not a range.
In the survey, construction was 64.4% of a new home's sale price. The finished lot (13.7%), financing, overhead, marketing, sales commission and the builder's profit made up the rest.
Likely construction cost
$243,000
- Low
- $207k
- High
- $279k
- Survey home (2024)
- 2,647 ft²
Low, likely, high
Where the money goes
- Interior finishes$58,67224%
- Major systems rough-ins$46,71419%
- Framing$40,28017%
- Exterior finishes$32,63513%
- Foundations$25,39310%
- Site work$18,5678%
- Final steps$15,7256%
- Other$5,0142%
NAHB cost per ft², by survey
- 2011$80
- 2013$95
- 2015$103
- 2017$86
- 2019$114
- 2022$153
- 2024$162
The formula
- Finished floor area: the heated living space, in ft² or m². The survey divides its cost by finished area, so a garage, porch or unfinished basement is not in it.
- Times the cost per square foot: the default is the survey's national average, $162 per ft² ($1,741 per m²) of finished floor. Use a local builder's figure when you have one.
- Low and high: the likely cost less and plus a margin you choose. The survey publishes one national average, not a range, so the margin is your own assumption and the chart says so.
- By stage: the likely cost split in the survey's proportions: interior finishes 24.1%, major systems rough-ins 19.2%, framing 16.6%, exterior finishes 13.4%, foundations 10.5%, site work 7.6%, final steps 6.5% and other 2.1%.
Worked example
A 1,500 ft² single-storey house at the survey's $162 per ft²: 1,500 × 162 = $243,000 of construction. With a ±15% margin, $206,550 to $279,450. Split as the survey splits its average home: interior finishes about $58,670, major systems rough-ins $46,710, framing $40,280, exterior finishes $32,640, foundations $25,390, site work $18,570, final steps $15,730 and other $5,010. The land, the loan and a builder's overhead and profit come on top.
| Finished area | Likely | Low (−15%) | High (+15%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 ft² | $162,000 | $137,700 | $186,300 |
| 1,500 ft² | $243,000 | $206,550 | $279,450 |
| 2,000 ft² | $324,000 | $275,400 | $372,600 |
| 2,500 ft² | $405,000 | $344,250 | $465,750 |
| 3,000 ft² | $486,000 | $413,100 | $558,900 |
In metric, 140 m² at $1,741 per m² is about $243,700. The survey is of US builders in US dollars; outside the US, use a local cost per square metre.
Why your number will differ
- Place. Labour, land and to some extent materials cost different amounts from one area to the next, which is why the survey is a national average and not a local price.
- The house itself. A two-storey house puts the same floor area on a smaller foundation and roof; a complex shape adds corners, valleys and labour. Finishes (cabinets, flooring, fixtures) are the largest stage and the most variable.
- Time. The survey's cost per ft² was $114 in 2019, $153 in 2022 and $162 in 2024, not adjusted for inflation. A price from a past year needs bringing forward.
- What is counted. A builder's quote usually includes overhead and profit; the survey's construction cost does not.
Price it from a plan
The finished area is the number that matters most, and it is easy to get wrong. Draw the house in FloorGen and it measures every room; the Schedules and budget panel (in the account menu) lists floor, wall and opening quantities and multiplies them by rates you enter. See how to calculate square footage for what counts as finished area, and materials estimate from a floor plan for a worked house.
Questions
How much does it cost to build a house per square foot?
In NAHB's 2024 Cost of Constructing a Home survey, builders' average construction cost was about $162 per square foot of finished floor ($428,215 for a 2,647 ft² home). That excludes the lot, financing, overhead, marketing, commission and profit. Local costs can be well above or below it.
How much does it cost to build a 2,000 sq ft house?
At the survey's $162 per ft², about $324,000 of construction, or $275,400 to $372,600 with a ±15% margin. Add the land and, if a builder builds it, their overhead and profit.
Does the cost include the land?
No. In the survey the finished lot is a separate line, 13.7% of the average sale price in 2024. Financing, overhead, marketing, commission and profit are also outside the construction cost.
Which stage of building a house costs the most?
Interior finishes: 24.1% of construction cost in the 2024 survey (cabinets and countertops, flooring, drywall, trim and doors, painting, fixtures, appliances). Next come the major systems rough-ins (plumbing, electrical and HVAC, 19.2%) and framing (16.6%).
Why is there no finish-level or state option?
Because there is no sourced figure to base it on: NAHB publishes national averages only, as its sample is too small for regional results. Rather than invent multipliers, the calculator lets you type a local cost per square foot from a builder or estimator.