Roofing is priced by the square — one square equals 100 square feet of roof surface. A contractor quoting “$450 a square” is quoting $4.50 per square foot. Every number below converts to per-square-foot so the quotes you collect are comparable.
One thing to fix before you compare anything: your roof is bigger than your house. A 1,500 square foot single-story home with a common 6/12 pitch has roughly 1,700 square feet of roof once you account for slope and overhangs.
What does a roof replacement cost in 2026?
The national range for a complete asphalt shingle replacement on a typical single-family home is $9,000 to $16,000, with most homeowners landing between $11,000 and $13,000. That figure assumes one layer torn off, standard 6/12 pitch, architectural shingles, and no structural repair.
Materials account for roughly 40% of the total and labor for the other 60%. That ratio is why a roof in Boston costs more than the identical roof in Tulsa: the shingles cost about the same in both places, and the crew does not.
What does each roofing material cost per square foot?
This is the number that actually differentiates quotes. All figures are installed — material, labor, underlayment, flashing, and disposal of one existing layer.
| Material | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| 3-tab asphalt shingle | $4.50 | $7.00 |
| Architectural asphalt shingle | $5.50 | $9.00 |
| Exposed-fastener metal panel | $6.00 | $12.00 |
| Cedar shake | $9.00 | $16.00 |
| Standing-seam metal | $10.00 | $18.00 |
| Concrete or clay tile | $12.00 | $25.00 |
| Natural slate | $18.00 | $40.00 |
Per square foot of roof surface, not house footprint. Multiply by 100 for the per-square figure contractors quote.
Three-tab shingles have effectively been discontinued as a first choice — the price gap to architectural is small, and architectural carries a 30-year rather than a 20-year warranty and much better wind rating. If a bid comes in unusually low, check whether it is 3-tab.
Standing-seam metal costs roughly twice asphalt and lasts roughly three times as long, which makes it the cheaper roof per year of service. It only pays off if you intend to still own the house in 2045.
How much roof do I have?
Multiply your home’s footprint by a pitch factor. This is the calculation that turns a per-square-foot price into a real quote.
| House footprint | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 sq ft footprint (~1,150 sq ft roof) | $6,300 | $10,350 |
| 1,500 sq ft footprint (~1,700 sq ft roof) | $9,350 | $15,300 |
| 2,000 sq ft footprint (~2,300 sq ft roof) | $12,650 | $20,700 |
| 2,500 sq ft footprint (~2,900 sq ft roof) | $15,950 | $26,100 |
| 3,000 sq ft footprint (~3,450 sq ft roof) | $18,975 | $31,050 |
Assumes a single-story gable roof at roughly 6/12 pitch. Two-story homes with the same footprint have a similar roof area but higher labor.
The pitch multipliers, if you want to be precise: 4/12 pitch is about 1.05, 6/12 is about 1.12, 8/12 is about 1.20, and 12/12 is about 1.41. Add roughly 8% for eave and rake overhangs.
How much does region change the price?
Labor rates, permit costs, disposal fees, and code requirements vary enormously across the US. The same 1,700 square foot architectural asphalt roof:
| Region | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| South (TX, GA, TN, AL) | $8,000 | $13,500 |
| Midwest (OH, IL, MO, MN) | $8,500 | $14,500 |
| Mountain West (CO, UT, AZ) | $9,500 | $16,000 |
| Northeast (NY, MA, NJ, CT) | $11,000 | $19,000 |
| West Coast (CA, WA, OR) | $12,000 | $20,500 |
| National average | $9,800 | $16,700 |
Hail-belt states (CO, TX, NE, OK) show high variance: insurance-driven demand spikes pricing for months after a major storm.
Coastal Florida and the Gulf are a category of their own. High-velocity hurricane zone requirements — secondary water barrier, enhanced fastening schedules, engineered attachment — add 15% to 30% over the Southern numbers above, and they are not optional.
What is actually in a roofing estimate?
A legitimate bid itemizes. If yours is one line and one number, ask for the breakdown — this is the list you are checking against:
- Tear-off and disposal. $1,000 to $2,500 per layer for a typical home. A second layer costs nearly as much again.
- Underlayment. Synthetic underlayment is the current standard; ice-and-water shield at eaves and valleys is code in cold climates and should appear as its own line.
- Flashing. New step flashing, valley metal, and pipe boots. Reusing old flashing is the single most common corner cut, and it is where the next leak starts.
- Ventilation. Ridge vent and intake. Inadequate ventilation cooks shingles from underneath and voids warranties.
- Drip edge. Required by code in most jurisdictions since 2012 and still occasionally missing from bids.
- Decking repair allowance. Priced per sheet, typically $70 to $130 installed, and quantified only after tear-off.
- Permit and inspection. $150 to $1,000 depending on the jurisdiction.
- Warranty. Distinguish the manufacturer’s material warranty from the contractor’s workmanship warranty. The second one is the one that matters in year three.
What pushes the price up?
Pitch. Anything over 8/12 requires staging, harnesses, and slower work. Expect 20% to 50% more labor.
Stories. A second story adds material handling and often a taller dumpster placement. Budget 10% to 20%.
Complexity. Valleys, dormers, skylights, chimneys, and multiple planes all add cut waste and flashing labor. A simple gable and a cut-up Victorian of identical area are not the same job.
Rotten decking. Invisible until tear-off. On a roof that has leaked for years, replacing 10 to 20 sheets adds $700 to $2,600. Insist that the per-sheet price is written into the contract before work starts, not negotiated from the driveway.
Skylights. Reflashing an existing skylight is $300 to $600; replacing one during a re-roof is $900 to $2,500 and is almost always the right call if the unit is over 15 years old.
How do you cut the cost without cutting the roof?
Schedule in the off-season. Late winter and early spring are slow in most markets, and crews price accordingly — 5% to 15% below peak. September and October are the worst time to ask for a discount.
Get three itemized bids and compare the line items, not the totals. A bid that is $2,000 cheaper usually differs in underlayment grade, flashing, or ventilation, and those differences are the roof.
Check that the contractor carries both general liability and workers’ compensation, and ask for the certificate directly from the insurer rather than a PDF. An uninsured crew member injured on your roof becomes your homeowners policy’s problem.
Finally, be skeptical of the storm-chaser pattern: an unsolicited knock after a hail event, an offer to “handle the insurance claim,” and pressure to sign a contingency agreement on the spot. Legitimate local contractors do not need your signature that afternoon.