Short answer
Published cost guides put asphalt shingle roofs at roughly $3–$6 per square foot installed, and up to $12 or more in the widest estimates. Metal, tile and slate cost more. Your total depends on roof size, steepness, material, and where you live, so treat any figure as a range and get local quotes.
Roofs are priced by area (usually in “squares”, where one square is 100 square feet) and by how hard the job is. Two houses the same size can be thousands of dollars apart.
How roofs wear out
Most roofs are replaced because the surface is worn, not because they suddenly fail. The NAHB life-expectancy study lists asphalt shingles at about 20 years, with metal and tile lasting much longer, and says real lifespans depend on installation quality, maintenance, climate and intensity of use. [1] That study dates from 2007, so treat its numbers as a guide, not a guarantee.
Signs a roof may be near the end: curling or missing shingles, bald patches where granules have worn off, daylight in the attic, stains on ceilings, and leaks after rain. If the problem is a leak in one place, a repair may be enough. See repair or replace?
What can you do?
- Get a roof inspection before deciding. A small leak or a few missing shingles may be fixable for a fraction of replacement cost.
- Use the calculator to get a range for your house: Roof Replacement Cost Calculator.
- Get at least three written local quotes. Ask each to list the material, the tear-off, the underlayment, flashing, disposal, permit and warranty separately, so you can compare like with like.
- Check what is and is not included. Rotted decking found after tear-off is a common extra.
- Plan the timing. A planned replacement is cheaper and calmer than an emergency one after water damage.
Typical cost
Per-square-foot prices below are installed. Multiply by your roof’s surface area (which is larger than the floor area of the house, because roofs slope).
| What | Typical range | Per | Scope and date | Notes and source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asphalt shingles, installed | $3–$6 | per sq ft | US national Nov 2025 | Another source gives $4.25–$12.25. [2] |
| Asphalt shingles, installed (wider estimate) | $4.25–$12.25 | per sq ft | US national Jul 2025 | [3] |
| Metal roof, installed | $5–$16 | per sq ft | US national Nov 2025 | [2] |
| Tile roof, installed | $7–$25 | per sq ft | US national Nov 2025 | [2] |
| Wood shakes, installed | $7–$15 | per sq ft | US national Nov 2025 | [2] |
| Slate or stone, installed | $10–$30 | per sq ft | US national Nov 2025 | [2] |
| Flat roof, installed | $3–$11 | per sq ft | US national Nov 2025 | [2] |
| Tear-off (removing old roofing) | $1–$5 | per sq ft | US national Nov 2025 | [2] |
| Permit | $250–$500 | per job | US national Jul 2025 | [3] |
| Flashing, chimney or vent repairs | $150–$1,000 | per job | US national Jul 2025 | [3] |
| Total roof replacement, spread across states | $5,400–$17,400 | total | US national Nov 2025 | The cheapest and most expensive states in one source. [2] |
These are ranges reported by the sources cited, not quotes. “Scope and date” is the geography the source covers and when it was published or last updated. Your price depends on your home, your area and the contractor.
What can make it higher
- A bigger roof, steep pitch (over 6:12) or many levels [2]
- Complex shapes: dormers, skylights, chimneys, valleys [2]
- Premium materials: slate, tile and some metal
- Rotted decking or structural repairs found after tear-off
- Extra layers to remove, flashing, vents and chimney work, and permits [3]
- Your state: one guide reports $5,400–$17,400 across states [2]
What can make it lower
- A simple gable or hip roof with easy access
- Asphalt shingles, the lower-cost mainstream material
- Comparing several written quotes and choosing the timing yourself instead of an emergency repair
Often not included
- Decking repair
- Gutter replacement
- Interior water-damage repair
The sources disagree for asphalt, which is the most common material: one gives $3–$6 per square foot, another $4.25–$12.25. We show both rather than pick a winner. [3] A one-source range like metal’s $5–$16 is wide because the “metal roof” label covers very different products.
Location matters a lot. One cost guide reports total roof replacement costs from $5,400 to $17,400 depending on the state. [2] That guide’s state tables come from a company’s own data and we could not find a public method, so we do not apply per-state multipliers. Local quotes are the real answer.
Does fixing it affect property value?
| How it can pay off | What we know | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Resale value | Zonda's 2025 Cost vs. Value report estimates an asphalt roof recoups about 68% of its cost at sale and a metal roof about 50%. These are national estimates from surveys and modelling, not measured sale prices. [4] | Sourced estimate |
| Durability | The NAHB study lists asphalt shingles at about 20 years, with metal and tile far longer, and says real lifespans depend on installation, maintenance and climate. It dates from 2007. [1] | Sourced estimate |
| Avoided damage | A sound roof protects the structure and interior. A worn roof can lead to leaks, rot and mold, and can stop a sale. | Qualitative |
| Energy savings | We found no reliable figure for roof replacement alone; it depends on attic insulation and ventilation. | No reliable data |
| Payback | Roofs are rarely replaced for payback; they are replaced because they have reached the end of their life. | Depends on you |
“Return” is more than resale price. Where we have no reliable figure we say so instead of guessing. See how we think about value.
Roof replacement is one of the better-returning exterior projects in the Zonda Cost vs. Value report: for 2025 it estimates that an asphalt roof replacement recoups about 68% of its cost at resale, and a metal roof about 50%. [4]
Two cautions. First, those percentages are national averages based on surveys of real-estate professionals and cost modelling, not measured sale prices. Second, the report’s dollar figures (for example, a job cost of about $31,871 for the asphalt roof it models) are for a particular specification and are much higher than typical cost-guide totals, so use the percentages, not the dollar amounts, to judge proportion. A new roof also matters indirectly: a worn roof can stop a sale or lower an offer, and it protects everything underneath.
Related tools
- Roof Replacement Cost CalculatorEstimate a cost range for replacing a roof, with every number explained.
Deeper technical explanation
Roof area from a footprint. A sloped roof is bigger than the floor area under it. Multiply the footprint by the slope factor √(rise² + 144) ÷ 12, where rise is the number of inches the roof rises per 12 inches of run. A 6:12 roof has a factor of about 1.118, so a 1,500 sq ft footprint has about 1,677 sq ft of roof, before overhangs and waste.
Why steep roofs cost more. Steeper pitches need more safety equipment and slower work. One cost guide notes that pitches over 6:12 raise cost for these reasons. [2]
What is in a roof. Decking, an underlayment, the surface material, flashing at edges, chimneys and vents, and ventilation. Cheaper quotes sometimes skip flashing or reuse it, which is where leaks often start.
Limits. Prices move with materials and labor. The sources cited here are dated 2025–2026. The tear-off cost may or may not already be inside a source’s per-square-foot price, so our calculator adds it as a separate, optional line.
Sources & methodology
All dollar ranges are from published cost guides and shown as ranges. The Cost vs. Value percentages are from Zonda’s 2025 report. See how we work out costs.
- Study of Life Expectancy of Home Components — National Association of Home Builders / Bank of America Home Equity (2007) Industry researchOriginal NAHB study; this link is a third-party copy. It is from 2007 and says lifespans depend on installation quality, maintenance, climate and use. Published or updated: 2007. Accessed October 4, 2026.
- Roof Replacement Cost — HomeGuide Cost guide (crowd/contractor data)Installed $/sq ft by material, tear-off labor, and the $5,400–$17,400 spread by state. Updated Nov 2025. Scope: US national. Published or updated: Nov 2025. Accessed October 4, 2026.
- Cost to Replace Roof Shingles — NerdWallet Cost guide (crowd/contractor data)Asphalt $4.25–$12.25 per sq ft; permits, inspection, flashing and tear-off as extras. Updated Jul 2025. Scope: US national. Published or updated: Jul 2025. Accessed October 4, 2026.
- Cost vs. Value Report 2025 — Zonda / Remodeling & JLC Industry researchNational averages of job cost and estimated resale value for remodeling projects. Estimates are based on surveys of real-estate professionals and cost modelling, not on measured sale prices. Scope: US national. Published or updated: 2025. Accessed October 4, 2026.
Where to go next
Filed under Maintenance & Repairs. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.