How Much Does An Inground Pool Cost?

Average Cost to Install an Inground Pool

The average cost to install an inground pool is $35,000 with most homeowners spending between $28,000 and $55,000. The additional cost of pool ownership for basic maintenance, increased utilities, and repairs add $2,500 to $5,000 every year.

With custom upgrades like waterfalls, hot tubs, lighting, covers, or decking, expect to add $2,000 to $10,000 to your project cost. Your overall price will depend on the size, location, and whether you build the pool with fiberglass, concrete, or vinyl.

A pool is the perfect oasis during the summer months and adds home value. An inground pool gives you a place to entertain your guests or relax in the sun. In this cost guide, we'll cover the costs of a basic pool, all the way up to indoor luxury pools.

Inground Pool Prices Installed

Inground pool prices range from $20,000 to $115,000 installed depending on the material. For an average 14 x 28 underground pool, fiberglass costs $46,000, vinyl runs $36,000, and concrete costs $51,000 to install. Below are the average prices for turn-key installation and yearly pool maintenance costs.

Fiberglass Inground Pool Prices

Fiberglass inground pool prices range from $18,700 for a 10' by 16' to $63,180 for installing a 18' by 30' pool. Over a 10-year period, maintenance and upkeep costs will be around $3,750 and the pool will last for 25 years or more.

• Much easier to clean and maintain than either vinyl or concrete.
• The smooth surface is super resistant to algae and requires less maintenance of pH levels.
• Fiberglass shells are pre-made and typically run smaller than concrete pools.
• Installation can take less than a week.

The significant differences in cost are tied to how much of the work you pay for vs. doing it yourself. Turn-key package deals often save more than you project managing all the individual parts of the installation process. The vast majority of pool owners prefer a turn-key installation from an authorized dealer.

Gunite, Shotcrete, or Concrete Pool Cost

A gunite pool costs between $29,000 and $60,000 with most paying around $50,960 on average for a 14’ by 28’ pool. The long-term 10-year cost of ownership to maintain a concrete pool averages $27,500 which is the highest of any pool material.

• You have more options regarding creative shapes for your pool.
• Typically require more chemicals and electricity to keep them swimmable.
• It may need an acid wash every four years to remove any mold or algae.
• The method used to remove the algae will also weaken the structural integrity of the concrete. This will also hasten the need for it to be resurfaced.
• Gunite pools need to completely be replastered every 10 to 15 years, which costs around $10,000.
• Gunite is the name of the process to apply concrete to a form that will create your pool shape—it’s created by spraying the concrete and sand mix over a metal shape made of rebar.

Vinyl Underground Pool Prices

The average vinyl inground pool costs between $25,000 and $45,000, and between fiberglass, and concrete, vinyl is the most affordable option. Although the initial price is lower, the long-term cost to maintain a vinyl liner pool is $13,250 over ten years.

• Like fiberglass, vinyl pools are available in a range of predesigned shapes or as a custom solution to suit your vision.
• It’s easy to clean, resistant to algae, and have a smooth finish.
• The vinyl is a liner shaped from thermoplastic or steel panels which is placed over the pool structure, and it will have either a concrete or sand floor.
• Vinyl pool liner replacement costs $3,000 to $4,000 and needs to be replaced every 10 years.

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Inground Pool Cost Estimator

When estimating the cost to build an inground pool, the main factors are the size, materials, location, and any custom upgrades. On average, expect to spend $50 to $100 per square foot to build a standard 14’ by 28’ size pool, or $125 to $150 per square foot for larger pools that have 9 to 12 foot deep ends.

Inground Pool Sizes & Prices

The average swimming pool size is 14’ by 28’, and 6.5 feet deep but some homeowners have either a higher budget or less space for an average size pool. For head-first diving, a depth of at least 9 feet is recommended by The Red Cross. Below are standard pool sizes and pool construction costs.

Small Backyard Pools Cost

Small inground pools such as a 10x16 plunge pool or a 10x20 cocktail pool costs $14,500 to $24,500 to install and are 5.5 to 7 feet deep. The cost of a small or mini inground pool rises when selecting concrete instead of vinyl, adding a deck, installing a cover, or adding a privacy fence.

Semi Inground Pool Cost

A semi-inground pool costs under $10,000 on average. Oasis semi-inground pools are constructed from extruded aluminum or steel and cost between $6,800 and $8,500. Semi inground pools are more expensive than an above-ground pool but about a third of the price of an inground pool of equal size. The installation is much faster than that for an inground pool and can often be constructed in 1 to 3 days.

Indoor Pool Cost

An indoor pool costs $110,000 for a 12’ by 16’ vinyl and go up to $220,000 for a 16’ by 32’ concrete inground pool, or higher for more accessories and ornate features. Indoor pool prices are $200 to $250 per square foot and factor in a 4’ perimeter for the room to house the pool.

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Cost of Inground Saltwater Pools

The average cost of an inground saltwater pool is $35,000 for the pool and another $1,100 to $2,200 for the salt water generator, bringing the total cost to around $36,100 to $37,200. Saltwater pools do not need any chemicals added, are easier to maintain, and don't have a chlorine smell.

For homeowners who would prefer not to use traditional chemicals in their pool, a saltwater swimming pool uses a system that converts the salt in the water to chlorine, but the levels are much lower than in a chlorine pool, so it is kinder to clothes and your skin.

Estimating Long-Term Salt Water Pool Costs

• Replacing the cell in the generator every 3–6 years at the cost of $800 ($100 less than if you had a regular chlorinated pool).
• Adding salt to run your saltwater pool – An average pool measuring 14 by 28 with a depth of 6.5 feet has a water volume of just under 20,000 gallons, and for that much water, you will need around 11 x 40-pound bags of salt, which should total just under $100.

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Custom Underground Pool Prices

An inground pool can go up by $2,000 to $10,000 with custom upgrades that add value to your pool, but they don’t need to be a part of the initial installation and can be added later to help spread out the overall cost.

Inground Swimming Pool Designs, Shapes, & Prices

Inground swimming pool designs, shapes, and prices will match the level of customization desired, the materials, and the square footage. The most popular inground pool designs are:

• Rectangle Inground Pools
• Free Form (Radius)
• Classic (Roman / Greek)
• Kidney
• Geometric Shapes (Circle, Oval, Heart)
• L-shaped

Beach Entry or Zero Entry Pool Costs

Beach entry pools cost $87 per square foot on average, with most homeowners paying between $50 and $125 per square foot. Also known as a walk-in pool or a zero-entry pool, it has a gradually sloped entry into the pool—in the same way you would walk into the water on a beach. Typically the water at that shallow end is warmer than it is in the rest of the pool.

Lap Pool Cost

An inground lap pool costs $20,000 to $70,000 on average depending on the size and materials. You could either build something long or do more laps to end up with the same swimming distance. A traditional lap pool in a competition setting will be somewhere between 6’ and 9’ deep and our pricing below is based on 6.5’ deep.

Indoor Lap Pool Cost

Building an indoor lap pool costs $95,600 and $305,900 more than an indoor pool at an average cost of $226 to $241 per square foot because of the construction and excavation access to your backyard. Also, factor in the cost to build a room around the pool, and to buy a large dehumidifier to prevent moisture damage to the home.

Backyard Lagoon Pool Costs

A lagoon pool costs $50,000 to $150,000, or between $70 and $110 per square foot depending on the complexity in the design of your pool and the degree of landscaping you want to augment the design. Lagoon pools are perfect for homeowners looking to have something more tropical in appearance for their backyard escape.

Inground Pool with Hot Tub Prices

The average cost of an inground pool and hot tub is $30,000 to $70,000, depending on the size. Adding an in-ground hot tub costs $6,000 to $15,000 more when building simultaneously with a pool, or $8,000 to $25,000 when adding to an existing pool.

Prices depend on the style of hot tub and how integrated it is with the rest of the pool. Pool companies typically offer to include the hot tub with the inground pool in their quote, with discounts for getting both done as one project. Hot tubs vary in price depending on the number of jets, quality of materials, and the number of people the hot tub can accommodate.

• Entry Level – $2,000 to $4,000
• Medium Quality – $5,000 to $8,000
• High End – $9,000 to $12,000
• Premium – $13,000 to $20,000

Inground Pool Lights

Inground pool lighting costs $700 to $1,800, with LED and fiberoptic solutions that can often be controlled from your phone. While lighting can be added after the pool has been installed, it is a lot more cost effective to have them installed at the time the pool is being built.

Waterfalls or Water Features

The cost for a horizontal slit waterfall starts around $200, while the price of a rock waterfall for a pool costs about $1,500 for a prefabricated imitation rock installation or up to $15,000 or more for a custom installation constructed with real rocks.

Diving Board or Slide

Diving boards for inground pools cost $300 to $800 for a surface mounted board, and even more for one that is elevated for use in deeper pools. An inground pool slide can cost anywhere from $900 to $20,000.

Pool Steps

Inground pool steps cost $200 to $2,500. The lower end of the price range includes products from a variety of manufacturers that the homeowner can place in position once the pool is built. Common more expensive styles include wedding cake steps, end steps, end steps with benches, corner steps, corner steps with benches, full-width end steps, end steps with side benches, and roman steps.

Pool Deck Cost

The cost for a pool deck ranges between $2,800 and $23,200 depending on the number of sides the deck is installed on, the width of the deck, and the selected deck materials. Material options include wood, and engineered or composite wood, and each has cost and durability considerations which should make the right choice easy to make.

Inground Pool Heater Cost

An inground pool heater costs $1,600 to $5,200 installed on average. Prices depend on how much water you need to heat, and what the rise in temperature is from the average coldest temperature to the desired water temperature.

• Electric tankless water heaters generally start between $500 and $600.
• Larger and more powerful electric pool water heaters average between $1,200 and $6,000.
• Similar gas-powered pool water heaters fall between $1,500 and $4,500.

On the high-end, a heat pump or solar pool heater costs $2,500 to $6,500. These work in hotter climates and transfer the heat in the air to the water in the pool, and they do so very economically.

Pool Fence or Enclosure Costs

Pool Fence

A pool fence installation costs between $600 and $4,400 or more depending on the size of the pool, fencing materials you select, and how far back from the edge of the pool the fence is installed. Gates with a self-closing latch for your pool fence average an additional $200 to $250 each including installation.

Pool Enclosure

A pool enclosure costs $5 to $65 per square foot or between $4,000 and $50,000 on average. Pool cages are either custom-built or prefabricated with either screen mesh, glass, plastic, or vinyl. Enclosures reduce insects, debris, and pollen, provide UV protection, and enable swimming year-round.

Pool Cover Cost

An automatic pool cover costs $8,000 to $20,000, while a manual costs $1,000 to $3,600 on average. A pool cover is excellent for safety, keeping in more of the heat in the water, and helping restrict more of the moisture from doing any damage to the structure of the home.

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Cost Factors to Build a Swimming Pool

The average cost to build a swimming pool increases depending on the location, surrounding landscaping, and additional features like lighting, decking, enclosures, and more.

Built-In Pool Cost by Location

The cost for built-in pools or inground pools will vary because of location in two respects–local location and geographic location. Built-in pool costs will increase if:

• If your home is located in a northern state, you'll pay 20% more, versus in a southern state such as Texas or Florida you'll usually pay less.
• Your home is more than 50 miles away from your pool company – it could add $50 to and from your property per day overage for transportation.
• The site of your future pool in on a steep hill – this slows down daily productivity and could add thousands of dollars if the job takes longer.
• There are lots of rocks to be excavated in the site.
• Access to the pool installation site is difficult.
• Various states and large cities have different labor costs that affect price. Nebraska and South Dakota have the lowest labor costs, and Hawaii has the highest.

Backyard Pool Landscaping Prices

Landscaping costs $3,000 to $5,000 on average for a new installation or around $4 to $12 per square foot to add plants, trees, and shrubs around your new pool. Three of the more common styles of landscaping design for built-in pools are tropical, modern, and desert. Here are average prices if you are starting with a bare-bones yard, or you want to add features to the backyard to complement the pool area:

• Sod installation costs $0.90 – $1.80 per square foot and will help regrow your grass.
• Installing a yard drainage system costs $3,400.
• Re-sloping your lawn costs $1,850 on average.
• Cutting down a tree costs $825 on average.
• Retaining wall costs $5,000 and helps level your yard.
• Installing a prefab outdoor kitchen starts at $3,000.
• Cost to build a deck or patio is $3,000 to $10,000.
• The cost to build a pergola is $3,450, while a gazebo runs $6,925.
• Installing a water mister to keep cool costs $230.

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Additional Costs to Put in a Pool

On top of the cost to put in a pool, other prices include pool covers, building permits, electrician fees, increased insurance, and more.

• Inground pools can cause your home's value to go up, thus increasing your property taxes.
• A pool increases the chances of someone getting hurt on your property which directly increases the cost of your homeowner’s insurance.

Electrician Cost for Inground Pool

The electrical work to bring power to your pool for the pump and filter costs around $2,200. Also, if there is a water heater being installed and there is insufficient capacity at the breaker panel, you may need to upgrade to a 300amp, as well as change the meter base, for about $6,000.

Pool Permit Cost

Pool building permits from the building department at your local city, or any other local governing authorities, could range between $500 and $2,000.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Cheapest Inground Pool?

For homeowners looking for cheap inground swimming pools, vinyl pools are the cheapest at around $35,000 installed.

What’s the Most Affordable Inground Pool Shape?

For either a custom-built pool or a prebuilt liner shape, the most affordable inground pools are those with the least-interesting shape—those with a rectangle or an oval shape will generally be the most inexpensive.

How Does the Type of Pool Affect Cost?

In addition to the material you choose for your pool to be built from, the style of pool has the next cost impact on the bottom line for your project, with some of the more significant projects being inground pools compared to above-ground pools ($35,000 versus $5,000) and plunge pools compared to lap pools ($20,000 versus $35,000).

What’s a Walk-In Pool and How Much Does It Cost to Build?

A walk-in pool is also known as a zero-entry pool or a beach entry pool, and they average around $87 per square foot with most homeowners paying between $50 and $125 per square foot. How it differs from the more traditional pool is it has an area where you can walk into the pool in the same way you would walk into the water on a beach, and typically the water at that shallow end is warmer than the rest of the pool.

How Much Does an Underground Pool Liner Cost?

Pool liners come in a range of thicknesses, and this affects the price you will pay. For example, a 28/20 mil 14’ by 28’ pool liner will average $600 while a thicker 28/28 20’ by 40’ pool liner will average $1,700. If you are replacing an existing pool liner with a new one, the labor costs associated with draining the existing pool, removing the current liner, and replacing it with the new liner are around $2,500.

What Does it Cost to Convert a Liner Pool to Gunite?

For an average-size pool, most homeowners will pay an average of $4,000 to convert a vinyl liner pool to a gunite pool because you are not paying to dig the hole for the pool to be installed. With some pool companies, you may still need to pay additional fees for draining the existing pool and removing the old pool liner.

How Much Does It Cost To Maintain An Inground Pool?

Depending on the size of your pool and type of pool, your monthly inground pool maintenance costs could be between $50 and $300. Common elements included in maintenance packages from pool companies include the following:

• Pool cleaning service 
• Testing the water and balancing levels
• Inspecting water heater equipment
• Inspecting and replacing water filter when needed

How Much Does It Cost To Open or Close A Pool?

The average costs to open a pool is around $400, and for pool closing expect to spend $300. These services include taking the cover off, cleaning the water of any debris, checking for leaks, and getting the chemicals to the right balance. At the end of the season, they can also take the water level down, drain pumps and the filter system, and place the cover to protect the pool for the winter.

How long does it take to install an inground pool?

Installing an inground pool takes two to eight weeks on average, depending on the type. A vinyl liner pool takes two weeks to install, while a concrete pool takes 6 to 8 weeks to install.

Do Swimming Pools Add Value To Your Home?

According to Realtor.com, most homeowners can expect to see a maximum return of 7% on the investment in their pool when they are selling the home. Not all home buyers want to take on the ongoing maintenance cost of a swimming pool, and some homeowners might only see a swimming pool as a liability.

What Is The Average Cost Of An Inground Pool In Florida?

According to Reef Tropical, the pool cost in Florida averages between $35,000 and $60,000 for a basic inground concrete pool without any add-ons. With custom features, you could be looking at $80,000 to $200,000 or more. Also, going for a larger-than-average pool with a connected spa can start your pool prices at around $95,000. For a more elaborate pool with a tile surface and an attached spa, the cost for an inground pool would start at about $220,000.

How Much Does A Pool Cost In Houston, Texas?

According to Premier Pools and Spas, pool prices in Houston, Texas have an average base price which starts around $20,000 to $28,000 in most areas. From there, costs rise as you add upgrades like spas, pool covers, etc. If your land needs grading or extra excavation because of rocky terrain, this can add significantly to your pool cost in the Houston area.

How Much Does Inground Pool Resurfacing Cost?

A concrete pool should last 10 to 15 years before it needs to be resurfaced, at which point you will be spending in the region of $10,000 to $13,000 depending on size and the type of finish on the pool, and potentially as much as a total of $20,000 if replacing the tile at the waterline at the same time.

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DIY Inground Pool Cost

A DIY inground pool project is a way to save money by taking on some of the tasks yourself. According to River Pools and Spas, a do-it-yourself inground pool project could save you $6,000 to $10,000 on an inground fiberglass pool project that would have cost $40,000 to $55,000 with a professional pool company.

Hiring someone to dig the pool hole for you costs between $400 and $1,500 in an area with optimal soil conditions or as much as $15,000 in hard to get to areas with rocky terrain. Additional expenses you might incur might include the following:

• Fiberglass pool shell: $500 to $5,000
• Equipment rental (one week): $2,000
• Crane: $400–$800
• Dirt hauling and disposal: $13,000
• Water (trucked in): $700–$1,200
• Backfill material: $1,000–$2,000
• Miscellaneous plumbing: $300–$600
• Pool equipment: $700–$1,200

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Hiring A Below Ground Pool Installer

When looking to hire a professional pool contractor, create a list of the top 3 to 5 companies and schedule an on-site consultation with each. Compare the bids, services, features, and warranty from each company before making your final decision. Things to look for are:

• A/A+ rated members with the Better Business Bureau.
• Have been in business for longer than five years.
• Offers a clear written warranty.
• Are insured and bonded.
• Rated highly on HomeGuide and Google.
• Have examples and references of pools they have installed.
• Have APSP (Association of Pool & Spa Professionals) and CMS (Certified Maintenance Specialist) certification for maintenance providers.
• Have APSP CBP (Certified Pool & Spa Building Professional) certification.

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