How much does an in-ground pool cost?

A 30 × 15 ft pool with decking typically runs $50,000 to $95,000 for vinyl liner, $60,000 to $115,000 for fiberglass, and $74,000 to $145,000 for gunite at national pricing, before a heater or enclosure.

Which pool type is cheapest overall?

Vinyl liner is cheapest to build but needs a new liner every eight to ten years at $4,000 to $6,500. Fiberglass costs more up front and almost nothing to resurface for twenty-five years, so over twenty years the two are close.

How much does it cost to run a pool each year?

Budget $3.50 to $9.00 per square foot of water surface — roughly $1,600 to $4,000 a year on a 450 sq ft pool for chemicals, pump power, water and service. Heating adds $400 to $1,600 on top.

Is a saltwater pool cheaper to run than chlorine?

Slightly, on chemicals. It costs $1,200 to $2,600 more to install and the salt cell needs replacing every five to seven years at $500 to $900. Most owners choose it for how the water feels, not for the running cost.

How often does a pool need resurfacing?

Vinyl liners every eight to ten years, gunite plaster every ten to fifteen, and fiberglass gel coat every twenty-five or more. Put the money aside from the year you build, not the year it fails.

Do I need a screen enclosure?

Only really in Florida and along the Gulf coast, where it controls insects and debris and cuts chemical use. Expect $16 to $30 per square foot of enclosed area. Elsewhere most pools are open with a safety fence instead.

Swimming Pool Cost Calculator

Enter the pool type, water surface size, average depth and how much deck goes around it to get a low-to-high installed cost broken into the lines a pool builder quotes. The estimate also shows annual running cost, because owning the pool is the larger half of the decision.

Pool type

Pool length(ft)

Pool width(ft)

Average depth(ft)

Average shallow and deep end. A flat 4 ft play pool is the cheapest profile.

Deck area around the pool(sq ft)

A 4 ft walkway all round a 30×15 pool is about 400 sq ft.

Deck material

Screen enclosure (regional — Florida and the Gulf coast)

Heater

Sanitation

Automation & lighting control

Regional market

Estimated total cost

$73,800 – $144,520

Gunite / shotcrete concrete, 450 sq ft of water

Annual running costchemicals, pump power, water and routine service: $1,575 – $4,050/year
Excavation & site workdig, spoil removal, backfill and compaction: $9,360 – $18,720
Shell / structuregunite / shotcrete concrete, 5 ft average depth: $44,460 – $81,900
Decking700 sq ft of pavers: $9,800 – $19,600
Equipmentpump, filter, sanitation, heater and automation: $7,980 – $17,000
Screen enclosurecommon in Florida and the Gulf coast only: Not included (regional)
Electrical & plumbingbonding, sub-panel, GFCI circuits and gas or water tie-in: $1,800 – $5,500
Permits & inspections: $400 – $1,800
Resurfacing / liner intervalbudget for this from day one: every 12 yrs, $7,000 – $15,000

What this figure includes

This is a planning range for a standard in-ground residential pool on a flat, accessible lot with normal soil. It does not include rock excavation, a high water table requiring dewatering, retaining walls or elevated pool structures, landscaping beyond the deck, fencing or safety barriers required by code, spas, slides or diving boards, a pool house, or the cost of restoring the access route the excavator drove over. Running cost assumes a variable-speed pump and a typical season for the region.

How this is calculated

How a pool is priced

Pool builders price the water surface, then add everything around it. The formula behind this estimate is:

Total = excavation + shell + decking + equipment + enclosure + electrical and plumbing + permits

Water surface area — length × width — drives the first three lines. A 30 ft × 15 ft pool is 450 sq ft. Average depth adds about 8 percent per foot above 4.5 ft, because a deeper hole is more spoil to remove and more shell to build.

Construction type sets the base rate. Vinyl liner shells run about $45 to $85 per sq ft of water, fiberglass $70 to $130, and gunite $95 to $175. Vinyl is cheapest to build and needs a new liner roughly every nine years. Fiberglass arrives as one moulded shell, installs in days rather than months, and comes in fixed shapes and sizes. Gunite is sprayed concrete over steel, costs the most, takes the longest, and is the only one that will be any shape you want.

Decking is priced separately at $7 to $34 per sq ft depending on surface, and it is a bigger line than most people expect — a 4 ft walkway all round a 30 × 15 pool is about 400 sq ft, and a usable entertaining deck is closer to 700.

Annual running cost is the honest number

The purchase price is the smaller half of the decision. Budget $3.50 to $9.00 per square foot of water surface per year, so roughly $1,600 to $4,000 annually on a 450 sq ft pool, before heating.

That covers:

Chemicals — $300 to $800 a year for chlorine, acid and balancers. A salt system does not remove this; it generates chlorine from salt and still needs acid, stabiliser and periodic cell replacement at $500 to $900 every five to seven years.
Power — the pump is the load. An old single-speed pump running eight hours a day can cost $700 to $1,200 a year. A variable-speed pump running longer at low RPM does the same filtration for $150 to $300. This is the single best efficiency decision in the whole project.
Water — evaporation and backwash, typically 1 to 2 inches a week in summer. Usually $100 to $300 a year, more in a dry climate without a cover.
Service — $80 to $200 a month if someone else does the weekly chemistry and cleaning.
Heating — a gas heater in a shoulder season can add $200 to $500 a month while running. A heat pump is cheaper per degree but slow. Solar is nearly free to run and only works when the sun is out.

Then the long-term line: resurfacing. A vinyl liner is $4,000 to $6,500 every nine years or so. Gunite plaster needs redoing every ten to fifteen years at $7,000 to $15,000. Fiberglass gel coat lasts twenty-five years or more, which is most of its cost argument.

Screen enclosures are a Florida line item

A screen cage over the pool and deck runs $16 to $30 per square foot of enclosed area, so $18,000 to $35,000 on a typical pool and deck footprint. In central and south Florida it is close to standard: it keeps out mosquitoes and love bugs, cuts the leaf and pollen load enormously, and reduces chemical use. Elsewhere in the country it is rare and can look out of place. The calculator prices it only if you switch it on, and labels it regional for that reason.

A worked example

A 30 × 15 gunite pool, 5 ft average depth, 700 sq ft of paver deck, salt system, no heater, basic automation, no enclosure, national pricing:

Water surface: 30 × 15 = 450 sq ft; depth factor 1 + (5 − 4.5) × 0.08 = 1.04
Excavation: 450 × $20 to $40 × 1.04 = $9,360 to $18,720
Shell: 450 × $95 to $175 × 1.04 = $44,460 to $81,900
Decking: 700 × $14 to $28 = $9,800 to $19,600
Equipment: 450 × $14 to $28, plus salt $1,200 to $2,600, plus basic automation = $8,280 to $16,000
Electrical, plumbing and permits: $2,200 to $7,300
Total: roughly $74,100 to $143,500
Annual running cost: 450 × $3.50 to $9.00 = $1,575 to $4,050

Cost figures last reviewed 9 Sept 2026 · In-ground pool structure and excavation prices per square foot of water surface, national averages by construction type.

Frequently asked questions

How much does an in-ground pool cost?: A 30 × 15 ft pool with decking typically runs $50,000 to $95,000 for vinyl liner, $60,000 to $115,000 for fiberglass, and $74,000 to $145,000 for gunite at national pricing, before a heater or enclosure.
Which pool type is cheapest overall?: Vinyl liner is cheapest to build but needs a new liner every eight to ten years at $4,000 to $6,500. Fiberglass costs more up front and almost nothing to resurface for twenty-five years, so over twenty years the two are close.
How much does it cost to run a pool each year?: Budget $3.50 to $9.00 per square foot of water surface — roughly $1,600 to $4,000 a year on a 450 sq ft pool for chemicals, pump power, water and service. Heating adds $400 to $1,600 on top.
Is a saltwater pool cheaper to run than chlorine?: Slightly, on chemicals. It costs $1,200 to $2,600 more to install and the salt cell needs replacing every five to seven years at $500 to $900. Most owners choose it for how the water feels, not for the running cost.
How often does a pool need resurfacing?: Vinyl liners every eight to ten years, gunite plaster every ten to fifteen, and fiberglass gel coat every twenty-five or more. Put the money aside from the year you build, not the year it fails.
Do I need a screen enclosure?: Only really in Florida and along the Gulf coast, where it controls insects and debris and cuts chemical use. Expect $16 to $30 per square foot of enclosed area. Elsewhere most pools are open with a safety fence instead.