How Much Does a Well Cost? Drilling Cost by Depth, Line Item and Region (2026)

Updated 15 October 2026 · Prices checked 1 October 2026

A new drilled well costs $3,500 to $15,000 in the United States, according to PrivateWellClass.org (updated 25 February 2026), and depth, rock type and region can move one quote across that whole range. The page gives no method for the figure, so read it as a stated range, not a measured average.

Drillers price by the foot. Epp Well Solutions states $15 to $25 per foot for drilling alone and $25 to $65 per foot for a complete system (26 January 2026). Both are the best non-aggregator numbers we found for the question of how much a well costs, and both come from sources that do not show their math, so this guide labels every figure with who stated it and when.

Homeowners comparing quotes run into the same wall. Three drillers quote three different per-foot rates, nobody knows the final depth until the rig reaches water, and the published ranges are wide enough to fit almost any quote. The tables below put the sources side by side, show where they disagree, and give you the questions that make quotes comparable.

Well Drilling Cost Challenges Homeowners Face

The first challenge is the per-foot quote. A driller states a rate, but the total depends on how deep the rig has to go, and that depth is unknown until drilling finds a usable flow of water. A $25 per foot rate on a 100 foot well and the same rate on a 300 foot well are a $5,000 difference before casing, pump or tank.

The second challenge is that the published ranges are wide and rarely sourced. PrivateWellClass states $3,500 to $15,000, Epp states $3,000 to $15,000 with most homeowners at $5,500 to $9,000, and Culligan states $1,500 to more than $30,000. None of the three explains how it reached its range.

The third challenge is scope. One quote covers drilling only, another includes casing, a third includes the pump, tank and wiring. Epp separates the two cases itself, drilling alone at $15 to $25 per foot and a complete system at $25 to $65 per foot, which is why a bare rate cannot be compared with an all-in price.

How Much a Well Costs by Depth

Three publishers print depth-based prices, and they give three different answers. The table lines them up at four depths. Where a source does not publish a figure for a depth, the cell says so.

Source: LeafHome, How Much Does It Cost to Drill a Well; Culligan, How Much Does Well Drilling Cost (Culligan lists these for a 6 inch steel pipe well); Epp Well Solutions, Water Well Drilling Costs. Prices checked 1 October 2026.

Note the Culligan column. Its four prices grow by a flat $61 to $62 per foot at every depth (our arithmetic from its own numbers: $3,080 over 50 ft, $6,110 over 100 ft, $9,190 over 150 ft, $12,220 over 200 ft). The same page gives $3,080 as the price of 6 inch steel casing in a 50 foot well, so the list looks like a casing price multiplied by depth. That is an inference from the numbers, not something Culligan states.

Epp’s 150 foot figure is its own arithmetic, 150 feet at $25 to $65 per foot. Nothing in the three sources is a measured average of finished wells.

How much does it cost to drill a 100 foot or 200 foot well?

Our arithmetic from Epp’s stated rates puts a 100 foot well at $2,500 to $6,500 and a 200 foot well at $5,000 to $13,000 (depth times $25 to $65 per foot), while LeafHome’s tiers state $5,000 to $7,500 and $10,000 to $15,000+. Culligan’s stated contractor rate of $25 to $50 per foot gives $2,500 to $5,000 at 100 feet and $5,000 to $10,000 at 200 feet for drilling alone, and its $65 or more complete-system rate gives $6,500 or more and $13,000 or more.

Southern California is a separate market with its own price ladder. These figures are labeled with their source and are never a national number.

Source: Southern California contractor, scwellservice.com, Cost of Water Well Drilling in California (2026 Prices), prices checked 1 October 2026. Regional, not national.

Cost per Foot: What Drilling Alone and a Complete System Cost

The per-foot rate is where the sources disagree most. The plain drilling rate runs from $15 per foot at the low end of one source to $85 per foot at the high end of another, a spread of more than five times. That spread is geology and region, not a typo, and the next section shows how the sources themselves explain it.

Source: Epp Well Solutions; Culligan; LeafHome; scwellservice.com. Each rate is as stated by that source. We did not average them.

When a driller quotes $25 per foot, ask which row of this table the number belongs to. A drilling-only rate and a complete-system rate differ by a factor of two or more in the same source, so a low rate is a good sign only when the scope is the same as the other quotes on your table.

What Goes Into the Total: Casing, Pump, Pressure Tank, Permit and Testing

The drilled hole is only part of the bill. A working well needs casing to keep the hole open and the water clean, a pump to lift the water, a pressure tank, electrical work, a permit, and a test of the finished water. Each range below comes from one named source and none is averaged with another.

Source: Epp Well Solutions, Water Well Drilling Costs, a driller’s blog. Prices checked 1 October 2026.

Pump prices swing the most between sources, and Epp’s $300 to $2,000 is a single driller’s range. Our well pump replacement cost guide carries a larger sourced price set by pump type and well depth, so use it for the pump line before you accept a quote.

The water test row is Epp’s driller-quoted range. Our well water testing cost guide works from laboratory price lists, which price the same tests differently, so check it before you pay a driller for a post-drilling test.

Is a permit needed to drill a well, and what does it cost?

Ask your driller or your county, because Private Well Class states that permits and permissions from local authorities are sometimes required before drilling begins. The published permit prices disagree: Epp states $5 to $500, Culligan states up to $500 in some places, LeafHome states $500 to $3,000, and the Southern California contractor states $500 to $2,000 for a county permit.

The EPA’s private well page, last updated 26 February 2026, points owners to the local health department and state environmental agency officials for guidance, which is the same place to ask what your permit covers. A fee that is a few dollars in one county and a few thousand in another is a reason to ask early, not to guess.

What does a new well cost beyond the drilling?

Beyond the drilling, Epp lists casing, a pump, a pressure tank, electrical work, a permit, a water test and treatment as separate line items, and LeafHome adds a storage tank at $500 to $3,000 and a septic system at $3,000 to $10,000 as separate jobs. Treatment is its own bill: LeafHome states a water filtration system at $1,000 to $4,000 and a water softener at $400 to $2,500.

What Drives the Number

Several things move a well quote. Depth to a usable flow comes first, since every extra foot is billed, and Epp, Culligan and the Southern California contractor all rank it at or near the top. Rock and soil come next, because the same rig drills sand faster than granite. The rest are casing, distance from the house, drilling method and any remedy for a low-yield well.

Source: Epp Well Solutions; Culligan; LeafHome; scwellservice.com. Prices checked 1 October 2026.

Well Cost by Region, as Reported by Drillers

No state geological survey, extension office or driller association we opened publishes a regional well price, so the table below is driller-reported only. Each row is the area the source named, labeled with who reported it.

Source: Epp Well Solutions; scwellservice.com. As reported by each source, not verified by us.

None of these rows is a state average, and no government price source was found. The California county rows are one contractor’s ranges for one region, so never read them as a national price.

Drilled, Dug and Driven Wells: What Each Costs

Well type sets the floor of the price. A drilled well reaches deep aquifers, a dug well is a shallow excavation, and a driven well is a pipe pushed into soft ground. Our guide to how well water works explains each type and where the water comes from, so this section covers price only.

Source: Epp Well Solutions; Culligan. Prices checked 1 October 2026.

How much does it cost to dig a shallow well?

Epp states $1,800 to $3,000 for a dug well of 25 to 50 feet, and Culligan states dug wells start at about $2,500.

What is the cheapest way to get a well?

LeafHome names three levers: choose a shallow well, position it near the home, and collect multiple contractor quotes. Each one cuts a different line of the bill, since depth sets the footage, distance sets the plumbing and electrical run, and quotes set the rate.

Can I get help paying for a new well?

Funding exists, but it is limited and local. Private Well Class says loans and grants come from non-profit organizations and government agencies, names the Groundwater Foundation’s Water Well Wish program (started in fall 2023, for families in need), and recommends asking local health departments, Soil & Water Conservation Districts and cooperative extension offices. That Private Well Class funding article (24 February 2026) gives no dollar amounts, so confirm eligibility directly.

How long does a drilled well last?

LeafHome states that a properly constructed and maintained well lasts 30 to 50 years or more, and it lists annual maintenance at $100 to $500. Spread over that life, a $9,000 well works out to about $180 to $300 a year before maintenance (our arithmetic from the 30 to 50 year figure).

How to Get Three Well Drilling Quotes You Can Compare

Start by deciding what each quote must include, and write the same list to every driller. The NGWA’s well owner guidance says to choose a licensed contractor if your state licenses them, to ask for a written contract that spells out terms and conditions, and to ask what record the contractor gives you when the well is built, such as a well log or well construction report.

Then ask these six questions, in writing:

1. What is the drilling rate per foot, and what is the casing rate per foot, quoted separately?
2. What total depth does the price assume, and what happens to the price if the driller goes deeper?
3. Is the permit included, and who pays the fee?
4. Is the first water test included, and does it come from a certified laboratory?
5. What pump horsepower, tank size and electrical work does the price cover?
6. Does the driller carry liability and workers’ compensation insurance, and can they give references?

Insurance and references come from the NGWA’s own list of questions. Call 811 before any digging starts, as Private Well Class lists in its job order, so the driller knows where buried utilities run.

A new well is only the first bill, and treatment is the next one, so price the filtration system your test results call for before you sign the drilling contract.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How much does it cost to drill a well?

PrivateWellClass.org states that a new water well in the United States costs $3,500 to $15,000. Epp Well Solutions states $3,000 to $15,000 with most homeowners at $5,500 to $9,000, and Culligan states $1,500 to more than $30,000. None of the three shows a method, so treat each as a stated range.

How much does it cost per foot to drill a well?

The sources disagree. Epp states $15 to $25 per foot for drilling alone, Culligan states $25 to $50, and a Southern California contractor states $35 to $85. A complete system runs $25 to $65 per foot or more, so confirm what scope a rate covers.

How much does a 200 foot well cost?

Our arithmetic from Epp’s $25 to $65 per foot puts a 200 foot well at $5,000 to $13,000. LeafHome states $10,000 to $15,000+ for wells deeper than 150 feet, and Culligan lists $12,220 for 200 feet. Depth is only one input, so the rock type moves the total as well.

Do I need a permit to drill a well?

Private Well Class says permits and permissions from local authorities are sometimes required before drilling begins. Published permit prices run from $5 to $3,000 across four sources. Ask your driller or your county for the actual fee.

How much does it cost to dig a shallow well?

Epp states $1,800 to $3,000 for a dug well of 25 to 50 feet, and Culligan states dug wells start at about $2,500. Both are stated figures without a method, and the price covers the hole, not the pump, tank or treatment.