How Much Does Professional Christmas Light Installation Cost? [2024 Data]

Christmas Lights Installation Cost Factors

Several factors can affect the total cost of your Christmas light installation project. 

Square Foot

You’ll pay anywhere from $2.50 to $7 per linear foot to have a professional install Christmas lights on your property. This total accounts for the materials, which cost around $0.50 to $2 per linear foot, and the installation itself, which ranges from $2 to $5 per linear foot.

Home Size

Here is a breakdown of estimated Christmas light costs by home size:

Roofs

Installing Christmas lights onto your roof can cost between $150 and $1,200. Costs can increase by 20% for more dangerous jobs because they require special equipment such as an extended-height ladder or scaffolding. 

Driveways

You’ll pay around $60 to $180 to install lights around your driveway. Adding lights to a driveway is a subtle but effective way to enhance your pathway without breaking the budget.

Trees

The cost to wrap lights around a tree is between $75 and $1,500 per tree on average. Small trees tend to cost up to $200, while trees that are 30 feet or more in height could cost upwards of $1,500. If you’re hiring a pro to install lights on multiple trees, multiply this number accordingly.

Shrubs and Bushes

You can expect to pay between $10 and $20 to wrap each shrub or bush in your yard. You’ll need five to 10 strands of lights per bush. With shrubs and bushes, you can choose small, cone lights or larger, brighter bulbs—whatever fits your overall design aesthetic.  

Projections

Christmas light projectors run the gamut from $15 to $150, depending on the intricacy of the display—some covering a portion of the home, and others showcasing a whole-home LED snowscape display. 

Additional Outdoor Decorations

Light-up novelty decor has always been a favorite for the Christmas season, and you can expect to pay between $20 and $300 for festive lawn decorations, with an additional $35 per piece installation cost. These include:

Electrical Wiring

If your home needs new electrical wiring before you can install lights, you’ll spend around $50 to $100 per hour to hire a local electrician to do the job. This service is unlikely to come included in your Christmas light installer’s services, as most installers aren’t qualified to do electrical work. However, your pro may provide you with extension cords if needed.

Permanent Installation 

For a permanent Christmas light installation, expect to pay around $3,500. This high upfront price could save you money in the long run—especially if you typically hire a professional installer to set it up, remove, and store your Christmas lights every year. Permanent lights use LED bulbs and can last six to 10 years. 

Labor

Typically, professional contractors charge between $2 and $5 per linear foot, not including the lights. This price range covers the installation, removal, and sometimes maintenance during the agreed-upon time frame they are on display.

Your contractor will determine the cost of your project by measuring and estimating the linear footage of your home, accounting for rooftops, roof edges, trees, yards, and extra features. Contractors may charge more or less per foot depending on how difficult the area is to access. 

Tipping

You might be wondering, do you tip Christmas light installers? The answer is yes, it’s customary to tip holiday light installers for a job well done. If you’re happy with the service and love your professional Christmas light installation, tipping between 10% and 20% of the total bill is appropriate.

Christmas Lights Removal Costs

While the cost to remove holiday lights is often part of the installation package, the cost to only have someone remove lights falls between $100 and $400 on average or approximately $0.50 per linear foot.

Christmas Light Rental Costs

Some homeowners detest storing Christmas lights or don’t have the space for them once the holiday season is over. One way you can avoid ever touching the lights is to rent lights from the installation company. Christmas light rental costs range from $250 to $600 on average, though your home may cost higher than this if it’s larger than average.

Christmas Lights Prices

Christmas lights can cost between $5 and $70 per 25-foot strand if you buy them yourself, and $0.40 to $2 per linear foot if you purchase them through an installation company. There are four major types of lights available for professional Christmas light installations.

• Incandescent: These lights cost the least upfront but use more energy, plus burn out more quickly than higher-quality options.

• LED: LED lighting is brighter, more eco-friendly, and more long-lasting than incandescent lighting.

• Dome: These lights are smaller and rounder than other types, making them ideal for landscape lighting and illumination in large areas. 

• C9: This type of lighting comes in incandescent, compact fluorescent (CFL), or LED lighting with fewer bulbs on a strand.

Additional Lights Cost Factors

Here are some additional Christmas light features to consider.

Timers

Installing a light timer adds anywhere from $10 to $50 per timer. Your installer may not charge extra to add the timer to the installation. Oftentimes, however, you can do the installation yourself. 

Smart Lights

Smart lights cost between $35 and $50 per 25 linear feet. The type of bulb shape you choose impacts the total cost, and bundling a higher number of lights per package can lower the price per foot toward the lower end of this price range. Smart lights are perfect for homeowners who want to customize the colors, effects, and brightness of their Christmas lights with the simple press of a button on their smartphones.

How Much Does It Cost to Install Holiday Lights Near You?

Regions may vary across the country regarding the costs of hanging holiday lights through a professional Christmas decoration service.

DIY vs. Hiring a Pro

If you decide to DIY your Christmas light installation, you’ll save $2 to $5 per linear foot. Expect to pay around $0.50 to $2 per linear foot for the materials. If you need to install lights more than 30 feet tall, you should hire a local Christmas light installer to do the job. 

Professional installers know how to safely install Christmas lights so that you don’t injure yourself in the process. They also have the experience necessary for giving your yard the most festive and polished lights on the block.

Consider the costs of hiring a local electrician to set up the necessary electrical wires, and adding extension cords and stakes if needed. Electricians can cost between $50 to $100 per hour, and the total cost will depend on the extent of the work required to power your outdoor lights from a safe source.

Cost to Run Christmas Lights During the Holiday Season

You can expect to pay an additional $5 to $75 per month on your electric bill to run Christmas lights during the holiday season, which typically runs for 45 days. Your overall cost will depend on the number of lights and the type of lights you choose. LED lights are much more energy-efficient than incandescent bulbs. 

Halloween Lights Costs

These days, many households go all out on Halloween lighting along with professional Christmas light installation. So, you can expect to pay between $100 and $300 for an average-sized home or $1,000 or more for a large property with elaborate lighting and numerous outdoor Halloween decorations. 

How to Save Money on Holiday Light Installation Costs

When having your Christmas lights professionally installed, there are many ways to save money, including:

• Shop for Christmas lights during the off-season for a better deal.

• Fix Christmas lights instead of replacing the entire string. 

• Put lights on a timer so they don’t stay on through the night.

• Get at least three quotes from professional light installers.

• Plan ahead and book early—you can even try to request early-booking discounts. 

• Instead of going for elaborate decor, focus on highlighting one focal point on the outside of your home.

How Angi Gets Its Cost Data

Home is the most important place on earth, which is why Angi has helped more than 150 million homeowners transform their houses into homes they adore. To help homeowners with their next project, Angi provides readers with the most accurate cost data and upholds strict editorial standards. We’ve surveyed thousands of real Angi customers about their project costs to develop the pricing data you see, so you can make the best decisions for you and your home. We pair this data with research from reputable sources, including the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, academic journals, market studies, and interviews with industry experts—all to ensure our prices reflect real-world projects. 

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