Electrical Subpanel Installation Cost: $400–$2,000 (Average $1,200) in 2026

Why does subpanel installation cost so much?

A subpanel installation costs $400 to $2,000 for most homes, averaging around $1,200 nationally (Angi, Forbes Home, HomeGuide, This Old House). Bob Vila’s figures land close by, at $530 to $1,940 typical. A subpanel is a smaller service panel fed by a 240V breaker on your main panel, used to add circuit capacity to a garage, addition, basement, or detached structure without upgrading the whole electrical service. Amperage sets the floor: a 100-amp subpanel starts around $400 to $1,000, a 125-amp panel runs $500 to $1,250, and a 150-amp panel costs $600 to $1,750 (Angi). Distance from the main panel is the other big variable — Angi calls it the single biggest driver of wiring requirements, and HomeGuide prices new feeder wire at $7 to $10 per linear foot. A close-in subpanel in a finished basement is a straightforward job; one feeding a detached garage or ADU across the yard means more wire, possibly trenching, and sometimes its own grounding rod, which is why the same “subpanel installation” line item can land anywhere in the published range.

What affects the cost?

A few factors explain most of the spread between a $400 job and a $2,000+ one:

• Amperage. A 100-amp subpanel runs $400 to $1,000, 125 amps costs $500 to $1,250, 150 amps costs $600 to $1,800, and 200 amps runs $800 to $2,000 (Angi, HomeGuide). Sizing isn’t guesswork: as This Old House master electrician Heath Eastman explains, “electricians account for heating and cooling systems, cooking equipment, and overall square footage when determining how much power a home needs” (This Old House).
• Distance and feeder wire. New subpanel wiring costs $7 to $10 per linear foot (HomeGuide), and Angi notes that the farther the subpanel sits from the main panel, the more wiring and planning the job requires.
• Trenching for detached structures. A subpanel feeding a garage, shop, or ADU across the yard often needs an underground feeder run, which costs $6.00 to $13.50 per linear foot to trench and bury (HomeGuide), or about $6 per linear foot (Forbes Home, Bob Vila).
• Grounding. A subpanel in a separate building needs its own grounding rod, adding $200 to $500 (Angi), plus roughly $1.50 per linear foot for copper grounding wire (Bob Vila).
• Number of circuits. Subpanels typically carry 4 to 20 additional circuits (Bob Vila) — more circuits mean more breakers and more labor.
• Labor rate. Electricians charge $40 to $150 per hour depending on market and experience (HomeGuide, Angi, Forbes Home, Bob Vila).
• Permits and inspection. Electrical permits run $50 to $350, often with a separate $100 to $250 inspection fee (HomeGuide, Angi, Forbes Home, Bob Vila).
• Relocation. Moving an existing subpanel costs $1,000 to $3,000, or $1,500 to $2,500 if it’s moving outdoors (Angi, HomeGuide, Bob Vila, Forbes Home).

How to lower your subpanel installation cost

• Keep the amperage matched to actual need. Jumping from a 100-amp to a 200-amp subpanel roughly doubles the base cost, from $400-$1,000 to $800-$2,000 (Angi, HomeGuide), so size it to what the space will really draw.
• Position the subpanel close to the main panel whenever the layout allows it. Since feeder wire runs $7 to $10 per linear foot (HomeGuide), a subpanel just inside the wall from the main panel avoids the cost of a long run.
• Avoid trenching where possible. If a detached garage or shop subpanel can be fed overhead or through an existing conduit instead of a new underground run, it sidesteps the $6.00 to $13.50 per linear foot trenching cost (HomeGuide, Forbes Home, Bob Vila).
• Bundle the permit into your electrician’s quote. Most electricians pull the $50 to $350 permit and handle the $100 to $250 inspection as part of the job (HomeGuide, Angi, Forbes Home, Bob Vila) — confirm it’s included before comparing bids.
• Get multiple quotes, since labor alone ranges $40 to $150 per hour across markets (HomeGuide, Angi, Forbes Home, Bob Vila), and that swing affects a labor-heavy job like this more than most.

A subpanel adds capacity without a full electrical panel upgrade to your main service, though if your main panel is already maxed out, an upgrade may be the better fix. If your home’s wiring throughout is outdated rather than just short on circuits, that’s a house rewiring project instead. And once the subpanel’s in, adding electrical outlets off it is a smaller, separate line item. Prices vary by region, amperage, and feeder distance, so treat the figures above as a planning budget. Get two or three local quotes, and confirm whether permits, trenching, and grounding are included before committing to a final number.