The quick answer#
Most homeowners pay $1.00 to $2.00 per square foot to have sod installed on bare, prepared soil in 2026. Replacing an existing lawn runs $1.50 to $4.00 per square foot, because the old grass has to be stripped and hauled first.
New lawn, installed
$1.00–$2.00per sq ftReplace a lawn, installed
$1.50–$4.00per sq ftSod only
$0.30–$0.80per sq ftSod only, per pallet
$130–$360per palletThis guide uses HomeGuide's range, $1.00 to $2.00 per square foot for new sod on bare, prepared soil. The other two surveys read for it come out a little differently: Fixr puts the same job at $0.85 to $1.75 and HomeAdvisor at $1 to $2.50. Before any of that, work out the order. The sod calculator turns your lawn into square feet, pieces and pallets, at 450 square feet to the pallet, inside HomeGuide's 400 to 500.
Before you price anything
Find out how many pallets your lawn takes
Enter the lawn dimensions or total area to get square feet with waste, the piece count and pallets to order.
Cost by grass type#
The grass is set by your climate more than your budget: a cool-season lawn in the north and a warm-season lawn in the south. Within a region, the spread between species is smaller than the spread between a flat, prepared yard and one that needs work.
| Grass | Pallet, sod only | Installed per sq ft | Climate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kentucky bluegrass | $130–$260 | $1.35–$2.40 | Cool and transition |
| Perennial ryegrass | $125–$265 | $1.35–$2.65 | Cool and transition |
| Tall fescue | $270–$295 | $1.35–$2.65 | Cool and transition |
| Bermuda | $200–$375 | $1.35–$2.85 | Warm |
| Zoysia | $215–$325 | $1.40–$2.85 | Transition |
| St. Augustine | $185–$390 | $1.35–$2.75 | Warm |
| Centipede | $350–$385 | $1.75–$2.85 | Warm |
| Bahia | $90–$150 | $1.20–$2.40 | Warm |
Pallet prices are Fixr's, sod only. Installed prices are HomeAdvisor's by grass type, which run above its own and HomeGuide's general figures because they include more prep. HomeAdvisor's installed "fescue" row is used for tall fescue. Climate is HomeGuide's.
Sod has a clock on it
Sod is a live crop. Penn State Extension says it deteriorates rapidly, within 24 to 48 hours in warm weather, and University of Minnesota Extension says to lay it within a day of delivery, which means every bit of prep, grading and soil work has to be finished before the truck arrives. Order for the day you can lay it, not the day the farm can deliver.
Cost by lawn size#
Sod cost scales straight with area, and HomeGuide notes that labor per square foot drops a little on lawns over 1,000 square feet. The pallet column is the sod calculator's count with its default 5 percent waste.
| Lawn | Pallets | Installed | Replacing a lawn |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500 sq ft | 2 | $500–$1,000 | $750–$2,000 |
| 1,000 sq ft | 3 | $1,000–$2,000 | $1,500–$4,000 |
| 2,000 sq ft | 5 to 6 | $2,000–$4,000 | $3,000–$8,000 |
| 3,000 sq ft | 7 to 8 | $3,000–$6,000 | $4,500–$12,000 |
| 5,000 sq ft | 11 to 14 | $5,000–$10,000 | $7,500–$20,000 |
Installed totals are HomeGuide's by lawn size. Replacing a lawn applies HomeGuide's $1.50 to $4.00 per square foot to the same areas. Pallets are counted at both ends of HomeGuide's 400 to 500 square feet, with the sod calculator's 5 percent waste, and pallet coverage varies by farm.
What moves the price#
Taking out the old lawn#
Stripping and hauling an existing lawn adds $0.50 to $2.00 per square foot on HomeGuide's figures, which is the whole difference between a $1.00 to $2.00 new lawn and a $1.50 to $4.00 replacement. Sod laid over old grass does not root well, so the old lawn has to come out.
Grading#
A yard that is uneven, low by the house or draining the wrong way needs regrading before sod. HomeGuide puts regrading at $0.40 to $2.00 per square foot, Fixr at $1 to $2, and HomeAdvisor at $1 to $3. Fixing drainage under the sod is far cheaper than fixing it through a finished lawn. Where water is the problem rather than slope, the French drain calculator sizes the stone for a trench.
Soil#
Sod roots into what is under it, and compacted subsoil left over from construction is what kills new lawns. HomeGuide puts topsoil at $10 to $50 per cubic yard and compost at $20 to $50, with light tilling from $50 to $100 and heavy tilling another $0.10 to $0.65 per square foot. The soil amendment calculator works out how much compost to spread and what share of the tilled layer it makes.
Delivery#
Delivery runs $50 to $250 per load on HomeGuide's figures. Fixr puts a nearby delivery at $50 to $100 and a long haul at $200 to $350, and notes that farms sometimes waive it on large orders. A pallet weighs well over a ton, so a pickup is not an option for most people.
Access and shape#
Curved beds, trees, steep banks and narrow side yards all mean more cutting and more carrying. HomeGuide lists limited access, obstacles and slopes as the factors that push labor up, along with how much prep the soil needs.
Materials by component#
Here is the DIY material list for a 2,000 square foot lawn on bare soil that needs only light preparation. The sod quantity is the sod calculator's: 2,100 square feet with 5 percent waste, which is 5 to 6 pallets at 400 to 500 square feet each.
| Component | Quantity | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Sod | 2,100 sq ft | $630–$1,680 |
| Delivery | 1 load | $50–$250 |
| Starter fertilizer | 1 bag | $15–$65 |
| Soil test kit | 1 | $10–$40 |
| Rototiller rental | 1 day | $50–$100 |
| Lawn roller rental | 1 day | $10–$25 |
| Total | 2,000 sq ft | $765–$2,160 |
Sod is HomeGuide's $0.30 to $0.80 per square foot; the other lines are HomeGuide's DIY price list. Tools you may need to buy, a wheelbarrow, a sod knife and a hand tamper, add $130 to $430 if you own none of them. Topsoil or compost, if the soil needs it, is on top.
The sod is most of it, and the price per pallet moves with the grass and the farm more than with anything you control. What you do control is the order size. Ordering short means a second delivery fee and a seam of sod a day younger than the rest; ordering long means sod you throw away, since it will not keep.
Preparing the soil?
How much compost to spread before the sod
Enter the area and spread depth to get cubic yards or bags of compost and what share of the tilled layer it makes.
DIY versus contractor#
Labor to lay sod runs $0.50 to $1.00 per square foot on HomeGuide's figures, or $35 to $80 an hour, and HomeGuide puts the DIY saving at up to 50 percent. Fixr notes that installers will lay sod you buy yourself for $0.57 to $0.93 per square foot, which is a middle option worth asking about.
| Approach | Cost | Time |
|---|---|---|
| DIY, materials and rentals | $765–$2,160 | A weekend of prep, a long day to lay |
| Contractor, installed | $2,000–$4,000 | A day or two |
| Labor inside the installed price | $1,000–$2,000 | — |
Installed is HomeGuide's figure for 2,000 square feet. Labor is HomeGuide's $0.50 to $1.00 per square foot on the same area. HomeGuide puts one pallet at 4 to 5 hours to install, prep and cleanup included.
Laying sod is heavy but simple work. The pieces go down in a staggered pattern like brick, butted tight with no gaps and no overlaps, rolled, and watered within the hour. The part people underestimate is the prep, not the laying. HomeAdvisor's view is that once rentals, soil tests and materials are added, DIY can cost close to what a pro charges on a small lawn, which is true when the ground needs a lot of work and less true on a flat lot of new construction topsoil.
Sod or seed?
Seed is a fraction of the cost and asks for patience instead of money. HomeGuide puts overseeding at $0.04 to $0.18 per square foot and hydroseeding at $0.12 to $0.35. The sod vs. seed comparison covers timing, watering and slopes, and the grass seed calculator gives pounds by grass type.
Checking a quote in two minutes#
Measure the lawn, then hold the quote against the per square foot range for the job you actually have.
Take a 2,000 square foot lawn on bare soil. At $1.00 to $2.00, that is $2,000 to $4,000. A quote of $3,000 is mid-range. If an old lawn has to come out first, the range is $3,000 to $8,000, so the same $3,000 quote is now at the bottom, and worth asking whether removal is in it at all. Run the area through the sod calculator and check the pallet count on the quote matches.
The same test runs the other way. A quote near the price of the sod alone usually means no soil preparation: sod laid on compacted fill, or over the old lawn. Ask every bidder what prep is included, whether the old grass is removed, which grass and which farm, and the cheap quotes tend to explain themselves. For the wider yard budget, the landscaping cost guide prices mulch, stone and beds alongside the lawn.
Save the sod cost chart#
Pallets and installed cost for five lawn sizes, new and replacing an old lawn. Save it and you can hold a sod quote against your own yard.
Save to PinterestOpens Pinterest with the chart and link ready to go.
Common questions#
How much does it cost to sod a 5,000 square foot yard?#
HomeGuide puts a 5,000 square foot lawn at $5,000 to $10,000 installed on bare, prepared soil. If an existing lawn has to be stripped first, the range at $1.50 to $4.00 per square foot is $7,500 to $20,000. The sod alone is 11 to 14 pallets at 400 to 500 square feet each.
How much does a pallet of sod cost?#
A pallet of sod costs $130 to $360 on HomeGuide's figures, and Fixr's prices by grass run from $90 for Bahia to $390 for St. Augustine. A pallet covers 400 to 500 square feet on HomeGuide's figures, and it varies by farm. Delivery is extra, at $50 to $250 a load.
Is it cheaper to lay sod yourself?#
Usually, by up to half. Labor is $0.50 to $1.00 per square foot of a $1.00 to $2.00 installed price. On a lawn that needs heavy grading or soil work, renting equipment and buying amendments narrows the gap, and paying an installer to lay sod you bought yourself, at $0.57 to $0.93 per square foot, is a middle option.
Do you have to remove old grass before laying sod?#
Yes. Sod laid over an existing lawn roots poorly, so the old grass has to be stripped or tilled in first. Removal and haul-away add $0.50 to $2.00 per square foot, which is why replacing a lawn costs $1.50 to $4.00 per square foot against $1.00 to $2.00 for bare soil.