Most professional lighting installations range between $120 and $500 for labor alone. You can hire an individual by the hour at a rate between $60 and $100. Larger companies that bring their own lights offer packages that cost between $300 and $1,200 and include the strands, installation, and takedown.
Price of Professional Christmas Light Hanging Per Foot
Experts typically charge between $1.25 and $3.00 per linear foot. That includes all aspects of the installation, but not the lights themselves. If you don't own your own holiday lighting, add another $0.50 to $2.00 per foot to that cost depending on the type of bulb you purchase. Clarify whether the per-foot quote includes takedown after the season.
Prices by Home Size
A small ranch home may only cost $120, while a multi-story residence can range up to $1,000 for installation alone. The size of your home will be one of the largest factors in the price of your holiday lighting installation. The more space you need to cover, the more money you will spend on both lights and labor.
Home & Square Footage | Average Installation Price |
---|---|
Ranch, 1,000 | $120-$350 |
Ranch, 2,000 | $200 - $400 |
Two-story, 1,500 | $350 - $600 |
Two-story, 2,500 | $500 - $900 |
Home and Property, 4,000 | $700 - $1,000 |
Hanging on a High Roof
Expect to pay $150 to $1,200, or about 20% above regular installation prices if your roof and eaves are difficult to reach. That increased budget is due to the special equipment, like extended height ladders, your installer might have to bring for the job. Any cost increase should be mentioned in the initial quote.
Holiday Lights Wiring
If you need to install new electrical wires for the lights, hire an electrician for $50 to $100 per hour. Most installation pros won't install outlets or ground outdoor wires. They do provide extension cords and stakes to keep lighting in place.
You may choose to use timers for your holiday lights, which cost between $10 and $30 per unit. Some wreaths come with small battery packs to keep them illuminated without a cord to trip over. Some lighting may also work with battery power. Discuss options with your pro.
Christmas Lights Price List
On average, Christmas lights cost between $80 and $300. That's based on a price of $4 to $30 per strand. Most strands feature 100 to 200 bulbs. Expect to use 10 to 20 strands to cover an average-sized home between 1,000 and 2,000 square feet.
When you buy holiday lighting as part of a professional installation, you may pay by the foot. Expect anywhere between $0.50 to $2.00 per linear foot for the bulbs alone.
The type of lights you pick will affect the cost of installation. Options range from standard lights to LED lighting, dome bulbs, and C9 alternatives.
Incandescent Lighting
Expect to pay between $4 and $10 per incandescent strand. This is the traditional and most common choice of lighting. Incandescent bulbs cost the least but use more energy compared to LED and other premium options. They also burn out quickly.
Price of LED Christmas Lights
LED bulbs average between $6 and $25 per strand. They typically last longer than other types and are brighter. They also use less electricity, making them more energy efficient. However, LED is more expensive and will raise the costs of your installation.
Dome Lighting Costs
Dome bulbs are smaller and round, ranging between $5 and $15 per strand. They give off a soft, wide-spread light and come in a variety of colors. Use them for landscape lighting and other spaces in which the focus is on brightening a larger area.
C9 Light Bulbs for Christmas
The price of C9 lights fall between $10 and $30 per strand. These bulbs are larger and put am especially bright emphasis on your home or landscape. Individual strands are as long as the other options above, but you get fewer lights per strand in comparison.
Return to Top
Average Cost of Christmas Light Rental and Installation
If you don't want to buy the entire holiday lighting set, you can rent lights from your installer for a package price of $200 and $550 including installation. In this scenario, the expert will install their own set, and take them back down after the season is complete.
Renting Christmas lights costs more than installation alone, but less than purchasing the lighting set. That makes sense if you want to try out professional installation once. Beyond that, it can get expensive because you must pay for the lights every year. As an added benefit, you don't have to worry about storage in the off season.
– Home Advisor