How Much Does Professional Christmas Light Installation Cost in Columbus? [2026 Data]

Ohio's capital is home to a broad mix of housing styles, each with unique holiday decorating challenges. Many Columbus homeowners choose not to spend the time and effort of hanging lights in the cold, opting instead to pay an average of $425 in professional Christmas decorating service costs. Totals typically range from $184 to $727, depending on factors such as home size and project scope.

Christmas Light Installation Cost Factors 

Many factors contribute to the total cost of hiring someone to decorate your house for Christmas in Columbus, Ohio. These include the size of your home, the location of your lights, and more.

Home Size

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.

Project Scope

Decades of development have led to a wide variety of home styles and property layouts throughout Columbus, which impacts the cost to hang Christmas lights in different areas.

Roofs

Installing Christmas lights on 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 cost up to $200, while trees that are 30 feet or more in height could cost upward of $1,500.

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.  

Christmas Light Type

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 three major types of lights available for professional Christmas light installations, and most people find themselves comparing LED versus incandescent Christmas lights.

Christmas Light Installation Add-ons

Don’t forget to budget for additional holiday set-ups, such as house projections or inflatables.

Projections

Christmas light projectors run the gamut from $15 to $150, depending on the intricacy of the display—some cover a portion of the home, and others showcase 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. 

Timers

Installing a light timer costs between $10 and $50. Your installer may not charge extra to add the timer to the installation, but you can often 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.

Permanent Installation 

Expect to pay between $3,500 and $10,000 for a permanent Christmas light installation. This high up-front price could save you money in the long run, especially if you typically hire a professional installer to set up, remove, and store your Christmas lights every year. Permanent lights use LED bulbs and can last six to 10 years. 

Christmas Lights Removal Costs

While removing holiday lights is often part of the installation package, the cost for removal alone falls between $100 and $400 on average, or $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 ends. One way to avoid untangling strands is to rent lights from the installation company. On average, Christmas light rental costs range from $250 to $600.

Christmas Light Installation Pro Costs

Holiday decorators in Columbus, Ohio, charge less for professional Christmas light installation than in the rest of the country. This is due in part to the city’s relatively low cost of living, which is about 5% below the national average.

Labor

Professional contractors charge between $2 and $5 per linear foot for Christmas light installation, not including materials. This price range covers removal and sometimes maintenance during the agreed-upon display time frame.

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. 

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 be 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.

No license or permit is required for Christmas light installation in Columbus, as they are considered temporary decor. However, any electrician that you hire will need to be licensed in the state of Ohio.

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.

Does Christmas Light Installation Increase Home Value?

Christmas light installation will not directly increase home value in Columbus, Ohio. Christmas lights are temporary decor that don’t permanently impact the look or function of a home.

Hanging Christmas lights can give a home the appearance of being safe and well-cared for, though. If multiple homes in the same neighborhood hang Christmas lights, it could make those homes more appealing to potential homebuyers.

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 survey 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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