Fence Cost: Complete Guide by Material and Type

Professionally installed fencing averages $15 to $25 per linear foot, with most complete projects totaling $2,000 to $4,500, and up to $8,000 or more for premium materials or larger yards. Material is what drives most of that range, chain link and picket fences sit at the affordable end, wrought iron and composite privacy fences at the expensive end, so this guide is organized by material first.

Cost by Fence Material

Labor alone typically runs $25 to $80 per hour, depending on terrain and job complexity.

Chain Link Fencing

The most affordable option by a wide margin, $8 to $40 per linear foot depending on height and gauge. Chain link is durable and low-maintenance but offers little privacy on its own, adding privacy slats or fabric inserts pushes cost up but is still typically cheaper than a solid wood or vinyl privacy fence for the same footprint.

Privacy Fencing

"Privacy fence" isn't a single material, it's a style, and it can be built from several different materials with very different price points:

A standard 6-foot wood privacy fence, the most common style searched, typically runs $13 to $45 per foot depending on wood grade, with cedar and redwood costing more than pressure-treated pine.

Invisible Fences Are a Different Product Entirely

"Invisible fence" doesn't mean a physical fence, it's an underground wire or wireless system paired with a receiver collar that keeps pets within a set boundary. It's a completely different category from everything else in this guide, and much cheaper: $3 to $9 per linear foot, since there's no physical barrier being built. If you're comparing an invisible fence quote to a wood or vinyl fence quote, you're comparing two different products that solve different problems, a physical fence provides privacy and security for people; an invisible fence only contains pets.

What Affects the Cost

Material. The single biggest factor, spanning roughly a 10x range from cheapest to most expensive.

Height. Taller fences need more material per linear foot. A 6-foot fence costs meaningfully more than a 4-foot fence in the same material.

Yard size and terrain. Longer runs cost more in total but often less per foot. Sloped or heavily wooded terrain adds labor time.

Gates. Each gate adds hardware and labor cost beyond the basic per-foot fence price.

Old fence removal. If you're replacing an existing fence, removal and disposal adds to the project, sometimes significantly if the old fence is concrete-set.

Fence Repair Cost

Repairs are typically priced per section or per hour rather than per linear foot of the whole yard, common repairs (a leaning post, a damaged panel, a broken gate latch) usually run a few hundred dollars rather than requiring a full re-quote of the fence.

Getting an Accurate Quote

Have ready: your yard's approximate perimeter or the specific run you're fencing, your material preference, desired height, and how many gates you need.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a fence cost?

$15 to $25 per linear foot on average, with most complete projects totaling $2,000 to $4,500.

How much does a chain link fence cost?

$8 to $40 per linear foot depending on height and gauge, the most affordable common material.

How much does a privacy fence cost per foot?

$12 to $90 per foot depending on material, chain link with slats at the low end, aluminum privacy fencing at the high end. Wood, the most common choice, runs $13 to $45 per foot.

How much does a 6-foot privacy fence cost per foot?

$13 to $45 per foot for wood, the most common material for this height and style.

How much does vinyl fencing cost?

$15 to $40 per linear foot for a standard vinyl fence, more for privacy-style solid panels.

How much does an invisible fence cost?

$3 to $9 per linear foot, since it's an underground wire system for pet containment rather than a physical barrier, a fundamentally different product from the fences elsewhere on this page.

Bottom Line

Fence cost comes down to material more than anything else, chain link starts under $10 per foot, wrought iron and aluminum privacy fencing can run over $50. Decide what the fence actually needs to do, contain pets, add privacy, mark a boundary, before comparing quotes, since that determines which part of this table you're actually shopping in.

Related reading

National averages are useful for planning. Verify pricing against a quote for your home before treating any range as final.