Well Drilling Cost Calculator
Estimate what it costs to drill a private water well from the depth and per-foot price you enter, plus casing, pump, pressure tank, wiring, trenching and permit — then add a contingency for the depth you cannot know in advance.
Calculator
A 200 ft well at $35.00/ft plus casing, pump, tank, wiring, trenching and permit is a subtotal of $10,300.00; with 10% contingency that is about $11,330.00. Actual depth is unknown until you drill — use a professional well driller and pull the required permit.
Drilling is the one number in a rural-property water project you truly cannot pin down before the rig arrives: two neighboring lots can hit good water at very different depths. This calculator keeps the footage cost honest by working from your quoted depth and $/ft, then adds the rest of the system as line items so the total reflects a finished, working well — not just the hole.
Because it uses only the prices you enter, it stays correct no matter how drilling rates move over time. Use it to sanity-check a bid, to see how sensitive the total is to depth, and to make sure a “cheap” footage rate is not simply leaving out the pump, tank and trenching.
Formula
The estimate is the sum of the footage, the casing and the fixed line items, lifted by a contingency for the unknown depth:
subtotal = (depth × $/ft) + (casing length × $/ft) + pump + pressure tank + wiring + trenching + permit
total = subtotal × (1 + contingency%)
Every dollar rate is a value you enter from a real quote; the calculator holds no price list. The contingency is a planning buffer (typically 5–20%) that covers drilling deeper than expected, a harder formation, or a longer trench.
Worked example
Say a driller quotes $35/ft and you plan for a 200 ft well with 60 ft of casing at $15/ft, plus a $900 pump, a $400 pressure tank, $300 of wiring, $600 of trenching and a $200 permit, at a 10% contingency:
- Footage: 200 × $35 = $7,000
- Casing: 60 × $15 = $900
- Pump + tank + wiring + trenching + permit = $900 + $400 + $300 + $600 + $200 = $2,400
- Subtotal = $7,000 + $900 + $2,400 = $10,300
- Total = $10,300 × 1.10 = $11,330
If the well has to go 260 ft instead of 200, the footage alone rises by 60 × $35 = $2,100 before contingency — which is exactly why the buffer exists.
Reading a drilling quote
Compare bids on the same basis. Some drillers quote an all-in per-foot number that already bundles the casing and even the pump; others quote footage only and list casing, pump, tank, wiring and trenching separately. If you compare a bundled $/ft against an unbundled one you will pick the wrong bid — use the cost-per-foot normalizer to convert any total back to a true $/ft.
Depth is set by geology and by the depth to a reliable aquifer, not by choice. Ask your driller what depths recent wells nearby have needed; that local history is the best predictor you have. Build the contingency around it: a well-known formation might warrant 5–10%, an unproven lot 15–20%.
Finally, a well is a regulated water source. Well siting, setbacks from the septic system, casing depth and grouting, and the final inspection are governed by your local health department. Confirm the design with a professional well driller and pull the required permit before anyone drills.
Reference table
A drilled-well quote is more than the hole in the ground. These are the usual line items — you supply the price for each from your own driller’s written quote.
| Line item | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Drilling (footage) | Depth in feet × your $/ft — rig time, bit wear and the borehole itself |
| Casing | Cased length × your $/ft — steel or PVC pipe that holds the bore open |
| Well pump | The submersible (or jet) pump matched to your depth and flow |
| Pressure tank | The tank that stores drawdown so the pump is not short-cycling |
| Wiring & controls | Pump wire, the pressure switch and the control box |
| Trenching | The buried line from the wellhead to the house, below the frost line |
| Permit & inspection | The well permit and the required health-department inspection |
| Contingency | A buffer (5–20%) for the depth you cannot know until you drill |