Drilled vs Driven vs Dug Well Cost
Compare the cost of a drilled, driven and dug well on your own figures — the tool flags the lowest option and the gap to each of the others.
Calculator
On your figures the lowest option is Driven at $3,500.00. Cheapest is not always right: a driven or dug well is shallow and depends on a high water table, while a drilled well reaches deeper, cleaner water. What your site allows depends on geology — ask a local driller.
Not every well type is an option on every lot. A driven sandpoint or a dug well only works where the water table is high and the soil cooperates; a drilled well reaches deeper, cleaner water almost anywhere but costs the most. This comparison lets you line up quotes for whichever types your site actually allows and see the price gaps at a glance — but the choice is driven first by geology, then by cost.
Formula
The tool takes the three totals you enter, finds the lowest, and reports each option’s difference from it:
lowest = min(drilled, driven, dug)
delta for each = its cost − lowest
These are your quoted figures, not reference prices — enter a type only if a driller confirms it is feasible on your property.
Worked example
With a drilled well quoted at $10,000, a driven well at $3,500 and a dug well at $6,000, the lowest is the driven well. The tool shows the dug well at +$2,500 and the drilled well at +$6,500 over it.
That $6,500 gap is real, but so is the trade-off: the driven well is shallow and depends on a high water table, while the drilled well reaches deeper, more reliable water — which is why the cheapest number is not automatically the right well.
Geology decides, not price
Use the comparison after a driller has told you which types are even possible on your land. A driven (sandpoint) well is a pipe driven into loose, water-bearing sand or gravel a few feet down — fast and cheap, but only where that condition exists and the water table stays high. A dug or bored well is wider and shallow, again relying on a high water table and more exposed to surface contamination. A drilled well uses a rig to reach deep, cased water and is the default almost everywhere.
Because the shallow types depend on conditions many lots do not have, on plenty of properties the realistic choice is a drilled well regardless of price. Treat this as a budgeting aid for feasible options, not a recommendation to pick the cheapest — confirm what your site allows with a local well driller and your health department. This is a planning estimate on your figures.
Reference table
Cheapest is not always an option — your geology decides which type is even possible. Use these characteristics as guidance, then enter a real quote for each.
| Type | Typical depth | Where it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Drilled well (deep, cased) | Deep (100–600+ ft) | Most sites; reaches deeper, cleaner water; needs a rig and full casing |
| Driven / sandpoint (shallow) | Shallow (under ~50 ft) | Only where the water table is high and the soil is loose sand or gravel |
| Dug / bored (wide, shallow) | Shallow (10–30 ft) | High water table; larger diameter; more exposed to surface contamination |