Bathroom leak repair costs $275 for the average homeowner. Depending on the severity, most spend between $150 and $600.
Bathroom leak repair costs $275 on average, but there’s a large range of potential prices depending on the difficulty of the repair and where it’s located. You could spend as little as $100 repairing a minor P-trap leak or as much as $4,000 repairing burst pipes. Water cleanup ranges from about $4 to $7 per square foot.
This guide will go over bathroom leak repair costs—whether the issue is under your sink or behind your toilet.
If you have a bathroom leak, you may notice some of the signs—obvious water seeping from a fixture, loose tiles, and slow drains. There are numerous potential causes, such as a worn washer on your sink’s P-trap, a broken toilet flange, or a corroded pipe. The cost to repair a leak depends on the cause, how difficult the area is to access, and any additional repairs you’ll need to make in the process, like patching up drywall or replacing tile.
Here are some factors that will impact your total bathroom leak repair costs.
Bathroom leaks occur around fixtures like your shower, tub, sink, or toilet—whether it’s the fixture itself, the drain lines that lead to your main plumbing stack, or your water supply. Each type of leak requires a different type of repair, which impacts the total cost.
| Type of Repair | Average Cost |
|---|---|
| Toilet | $150–$350 |
| Sink or tub faucet | $100–$300 |
| Shower | $150–$500 |
| Missing grout or caulk | $180–$450 |
The price to fix a toilet leak depends on whether or not you’ll need to replace the toilet, the plumber’s labor cost, and the price of materials in your area. According to Expert Review Board member and licensed journeyman plumber Jeff Botelho, a leak often indicates a broken flange, which requires removing the toilet, which will drive up costs. Project costs typically range from $150 to $350.
The price to fix a leaky faucet depends on whether you’ll need to replace the faucet or keep the one you have. The repair can cost anywhere from $100 to $300, providing the faucet doesn’t need to be replaced.
Repairing the seal around your shower door will cost much less than repairing and replacing the shower walls or basin. You’ll pay around $150 to $500 to fix most leaks from a shower on average.
Before you panic and call a plumber, Botelho advises grabbing the caulk gun. “Many shower leaks are caused by cracked or missing grout or caulk in tile seams,” he says. “This is an easy and inexpensive first step to ruling out other more expensive repairs.” If you hire a pro, expect to spend $180 to $450 to fix grout or caulk, depending on the amount that needs to be replaced.
If a pipe bursts, a plumber will examine the condition of the pipes. If your pipes are very old or corroded, you will pay more to have them repaired. However, the price you pay upfront far outweighs the cost of more pipes bursting—if a pipe bursts, you can expect to pay between $1,000 to $4,000 in water damage cleanup and repair fees.
“It’s a good idea to perform periodic visual inspections of all the exposed plumbing in your home,” Botelho says. “Corroded metallic pipes and fittings should be addressed before they leak.”
The source of the leak and how easy it is to access will impact your total leaky pipe repair cost. Some leaks require drywall, tile, or flooring removal. If there's an issue with your main line, you may even need to dig in the dirt outside of your home. This type of repair will always cost more than fixing a leaky tub faucet or showerhead, which is easy to access.
For example, it costs an average of $1,000 to repair a water main located outside your home, but you’ll only pay an average of $700 to replace a worn-out tub drain.
Most plumbers charge $45 to $200 per hour for labor. They may work the cost of labor into a flat fee for the repair, but the more labor your repair requires, the more it’s going to cost. For smaller bathroom leaks, plumbers typically charge a minimum fee of $50 to $200. Call a plumbing and faucet repair service near you for a more accurate quote.
The cost of the repair also depends on the materials. Worn-out O-rings and washers only cost a couple of dollars, while a new toilet flange costs $7 to $20. Pipe replacement depends on the type of pipe. Here are some common costs per linear foot:
PVC pipes: $0.50–$5 per linear foot
PEX pipes: $1.50–$4 per linear foot
Galvanized steel pipes: $3–8 per linear foot
Copper pipes: $4–$12 per linear foot
Plumbing permits cost $50 to $500. If your leak requires minimal repair, you probably won’t need a permit. However, you may need a permit for larger repairs that require fixtures or piping to be replaced or rerouted.
Most plumbers charge a flat service fee of around $150 to diagnose your leak. If you have more significant plumbing issues, you may need to spring for a full home plumbing inspection. This costs an average of $200 unless they need to inspect the sewer line to find a clog or crack. Sewer line inspection costs an average of $700.
Once your plumber fixes the leak, they may have to make additional repairs. This could include re-installing flooring, repairing drywall, or replacing or repairing fixtures.
| Additional Repair | Average Cost |
|---|---|
| Floor replacement | $1,000–$3,000 |
| Drywall repair | $250–$750 |
| Toilet replacement | $225–$550 |
| Faucet replacement | $175–$375 |
| Showerhead replacement | $100–$400 |
| Bathtub or shower drain replacement | $500–$1,025 |
Sometimes, a leak spills over to the floor of your bathroom, ruining tile or grout. The national average price to regrout an area of ceramic tile is about $400. The cost to replace the floor in a single room could range from $1,000 to $3,000.
Drywall repair costs between $300 to $930, depending on the size and location of the hole. Paint and other materials will add to your cost. The cost to hire a painter to repaint the room will average $40 to $50 an hour, plus the cost of materials.
Your plumber may need to replace a fixture to repair the leak. This is common with toilets, faucets, and showerheads. Most of these fixtures last at least 15 years, but they could last even longer with careful maintenance. Here are some common fixture replacement costs:
Toilet replacement: $225 to $550
Faucet replacement: $175–$375
Showerhead replacement: $100–$450
Bathtub or shower drain replacement: $500–$1,025
Because of the range of repairs, plumbing rates can vary quite a lot. On average, the cost of a plumber ranges from $125 to $350 for small jobs like fixing a sink, toilet, faucet, or bathtub, to $500 to $800 for major repairs, like fixing a water line. Most plumbers also charge a minimum call-out fee of $50 to $200.
Below are some examples of what homeowners typically pay to repair a bathroom leak in specific areas:
| City | Cost |
|---|---|
| Cape Coral, FL | $170–$450 |
| McAllen, TX | $260–$600 |
| Grand Rapids, MI | $200–$620 |
| Memphis, TN | $150–$400 |
| Tulsa, OK | $100–$300 |
| Sacramento, CA | $170–$450 |
| Boulder, CO | $190–$550 |
| Salt Lake City, UT | $200–$600 |
Because the consequences of plumbing problems can be so high, major leaks are best left to the pros. However, there are some minor projects ambitious DIYers can tackle, like fixing a leaky tub faucet, sink, toilet, or shower. But first, consult your local plumbing inspector to find out what your area’s codes require regarding licenses to perform plumbing work, advises Botelho. “Some areas allow homeowners to do more work without a permit or license than others,” he says.
The average prices of some tools and materials you need to fix a leaking bathroom sink faucet include:
Plumber’s wrench: $11–$13
Hex key set: $5–$20
Phillips head screwdriver: $4–$10 each
Slotted screwdriver: $5–$15
Faucet stem and cartridges: $9–$24
New fixtures: $24 and up
Old rags: $0
Repair kits: $3–$22
Caulking: around $3 per tube
Plumbing putty: $8
To determine how much it will cost to repair three common types of bathroom leaks, you’ll need to factor in labor, materials, and whether damage has occurred to other areas of your bathroom, such as walls, ceilings, and floors.
Bathroom leaks are sometimes unavoidable. Eventually, pipes and fixtures can give out. Luckily, there are a few things you can do to save money on repairs. Prevention is the best method, but it’s not the only method. Here are some tips:
Keep up with prevention methods. Do what you can to avoid clogs that can cause leaks. You can install strainers over your drains to catch hair, debris, and other objects that could cause buildup. Avoid flushing anything that isn’t waste or toilet paper down your toilet, and keep up with maintenance for all your fixtures.
DIY small fixes. Some leaks require simple repairs, like tightening a nut on your P-trap or reinstalling some caulk. Do the small stuff yourself to save on the cost of labor.
Use a water softener. If you have hard water, limescale can build up in the pipes and cause issues with your plumbing. Consider using a water softener to prevent the buildup.
Fix problems before they snowball. A leak can get worse over time and cause more significant water damage, which leads to higher-cost repairs. To save money, address small leaks before they become big problems.
See if homeowners insurance covers it. Homeowners insurance may cover damage from accidental plumbing mishaps like burst pipes.
Shop around. As long as the leak isn’t an emergency, shop around to get a feel of prices in your area. Get at least three quotes from different contractors to understand which may be a better value.
Kathryn Pomroy contributed to this piece.
Yes. Over time, hidden moisture from a leak in your bathroom may lead to black mold, requiring a mold remediation company’s services and the removal of large wall sections, which can be costly. For example, 100 square feet of drywall can cost as much as $400 to replace, while mold remediation can run anywhere from $500 to $3,000.
The first step in lowering costs due to damage is keeping an eye out for potential leaks, a common problem new homeowners may notice. That’s because the sooner you identify a water issue, the smaller its impact on drywall, flooring, and fixtures. Low water pressure, water on the floor, loose tiles, a change in water color, or slow drains are signs of a potential leak.
To avoid the high costs of plumbing repairs, watch for potential problems. If you see any signs of a leak, consider hiring a professional local plumber. A pro can assess the level of damage and make the appropriate repairs.
Plumbing leaks are always better tackled immediately. You can also fix any minor repairs yourself or ask the plumber if they can use less expensive materials.
