- Basement finishing usually costs $12,000 to $34,500, about $23,000 typical.
- Finishing an unfinished basement into living space.
What basement finishing costs
Basement finishing usually runs $12,000 to $34,500. A typical job lands near $23,000. Finishing an unfinished basement into living space.
| Price | |
|---|---|
| Low end | $12,000 |
| Typical | $23,000 |
| High end | $34,500 |
Sources: Fixr, HomeAdvisor and Bob Vila, combined as shown below. Local wages shift the typical price from about $20,093 in Arkansas to $27,865 in Hawaii.
What drives the price
- Size. Bob Vila says $7 to $23 a square foot for a typical finish.
- Bathroom and kitchenette. Plumbing for a bath or wet bar adds a lot.
- Moisture. A dry basement is a must before finishing.
- Egress. A basement bedroom needs an egress window.
Extra costs to plan for
| Item | Price | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Permits | $500 to $2,000 | HomeAdvisor |
Ask whether each of these is in the quote. Two bids for the same basement finishing can be far apart only because one includes them.
Basement finishing cost by state
These state figures are Koira estimates. The labor share of the national price, about 55%, moves with each state's median wage for construction and extraction workers; materials stay at the national price. Use them to sanity-check a basement finishing quote.
| State | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $10,700 | $20,508 | $30,762 |
| Alaska | $13,782 | $26,415 | $39,623 |
| Arizona | $11,832 | $22,677 | $34,016 |
| Arkansas | $10,483 | $20,093 | $30,139 |
| California | $13,344 | $25,576 | $38,364 |
| Colorado | $12,182 | $23,349 | $35,024 |
| Connecticut | $13,339 | $25,567 | $38,351 |
| Delaware | $11,979 | $22,960 | $34,440 |
| District of Columbia | $13,171 | $25,245 | $37,867 |
| Florida | $10,870 | $20,835 | $31,252 |
| Georgia | $10,919 | $20,928 | $31,392 |
| Hawaii | $14,538 | $27,865 | $41,797 |
| Idaho | $11,624 | $22,280 | $33,420 |
| Illinois | $14,331 | $27,467 | $41,201 |
| Indiana | $12,256 | $23,490 | $35,236 |
| Iowa | $11,991 | $22,982 | $34,473 |
| Kansas | $11,493 | $22,028 | $33,042 |
| Kentucky | $11,290 | $21,639 | $32,459 |
| Louisiana | $10,935 | $20,959 | $31,438 |
| Maine | $12,085 | $23,163 | $34,745 |
| Maryland | $12,037 | $23,071 | $34,606 |
| Massachusetts | $13,987 | $26,809 | $40,213 |
| Michigan | $12,182 | $23,349 | $35,024 |
| Minnesota | $13,445 | $25,770 | $38,656 |
| Mississippi | $10,587 | $20,291 | $30,437 |
| Missouri | $12,242 | $23,464 | $35,196 |
| Montana | $12,157 | $23,300 | $34,951 |
| Nebraska | $11,361 | $21,776 | $32,664 |
| Nevada | $12,242 | $23,464 | $35,196 |
| New Hampshire | $12,060 | $23,115 | $34,672 |
| New Jersey | $13,542 | $25,956 | $38,934 |
| New Mexico | $10,930 | $20,950 | $31,425 |
| New York | $13,203 | $25,306 | $37,960 |
| North Carolina | $10,875 | $20,844 | $31,266 |
| North Dakota | $12,180 | $23,345 | $35,017 |
| Ohio | $12,288 | $23,552 | $35,328 |
| Oklahoma | $10,790 | $20,680 | $31,020 |
| Oregon | $12,728 | $24,396 | $36,594 |
| Pennsylvania | $12,108 | $23,208 | $34,812 |
| Rhode Island | $12,387 | $23,742 | $35,613 |
| South Carolina | $10,893 | $20,879 | $31,319 |
| South Dakota | $10,956 | $20,998 | $31,498 |
| Tennessee | $11,000 | $21,082 | $31,624 |
| Texas | $10,850 | $20,795 | $31,193 |
| Utah | $11,735 | $22,492 | $33,738 |
| Vermont | $12,021 | $23,040 | $34,560 |
| Virginia | $11,657 | $22,342 | $33,512 |
| Washington | $13,768 | $26,389 | $39,583 |
| West Virginia | $11,786 | $22,589 | $33,884 |
| Wisconsin | $12,454 | $23,870 | $35,806 |
| Wyoming | $12,023 | $23,044 | $34,566 |
Cities inside a state can run well above or below the state figure.
How we got these numbers
| Guide | Range | Average | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fixr | $27,000 to $81,000 | $50,000 | Counted |
| HomeAdvisor | $12,031 to $34,649 | $22,897 | Counted |
| Bob Vila | $2,800 to $34,500 | $18,398 | Counted |
How the basement finishing range is combined: low end from the middle of the guides' lows, high end from the middle of their highs, typical from the middle of their averages (a range's midpoint where no average is given). Figures read on each guide's page on October 9, 2026.
Labor share used: 55%. None of the guides splits labor out for this job, so this share is Koira's working assumption for basements and foundations work. State factor: the state's median hourly wage for construction and extraction workers over the national $28.63 (BLS, May 2025), kept between 0.7 and 1.4.
For contractors: price this job in Koira
Foundation and basement work is a big, worried purchase, so a clear scope and a fast written price help.
Koira's free Office plan turns a basement finishing quote into a clean estimate the customer approves on their phone, then into an invoice they can pay. Price this job in Koira, free.
Sources: Fixr, basement finishing cost; HomeAdvisor, basement finishing cost; Bob Vila, basement finishing cost; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (state and national files). Prices checked October 9, 2026. More for your trade: how the trade runs on Koira.