How Much Does Rewiring a House Cost in New York City? [2025 Data]

New York City is home to beautiful brownstones and modern high-rises, both of which may need rewiring to keep up with the electrical demands of modern appliances. Rewiring a home in New York City costs $1,645 on average, with most homeowners spending between $681 and $2,640.

Rewiring involves replacing old wiring and to ensure the home meets the latest electrical codes. This project requires hiring a certified electrician to address key safety issues and meet New York electrical standards. Let’s review how to budget for a rewiring project in the Big Apple.

Rewiring a House Cost Factors in New York City

With a wide range in rewiring costs, you may be wondering where your house falls. There are several important factors to consider when getting an estimate from a professional electrician.

Home Size

The size of a home and the number of rooms indicate how much wiring there is to replace. Larger homes will take considerably longer to rewire, increasing the cost in time and materials. Most rewiring projects cost $2 to $4 per square foot.

Materials

Certain types of home wiring costs more than others. Wiring that comes with extra durability, moisture resistance, or fire resistances will cost more per foot, adding to material fees.

Home Age

In older New York City homes, you may still find aluminum wiring or out-of-date knob-and-tube wiring, which has never been replaced. In these cases, rewiring will require extra time, labor, and materials because the wiring may be harder to deal with and require extra components to bring up to code. You can expect to pay $12,000 to $36,000 for knob-and-tube replacement costs.

Accessibility

Electricians have several options to access wiring to remove and replace it. They can find it in crawlspaces and other spots where it’s exposed, they can hook wiring in and draw it out with special appliances, and they can cut into drywall to access important contact points. 

The more difficult the wiring is to access, the more costly the labor. This depends a lot on individual house design, so it’s important for an electrician to inspect the home to provide a proper estimate.

Repairs and Clean Up

Home cleanup is usually a line included in an electrician’s estimate, and if they cut into drywall, most electricians will offer to patch and repair it. That increases the overall cost of the project, but sometimes homeowners can arrange to do their own cleanup and patching, which can reduce those fees.

Government Incentives

Homeowners should check New York programs to find support for large rewiring projects, especially at lower income levels. This is primarily for energy-efficient upgrades, but that can include electrical working with up to $2,500 in incentives through the EmPower+ program and other sources.

Add-On Services

Don’t forget to budget for additional services that may occur during rewiring, such as drywall repair and painting, upgrading the wiring system to a higher amperage, and adding new outlets will increase the price tag. 

Here are some of the additional costs that you may need to budget for:

• Upgrade electrical panel: $1,200–$2,000

• Drywall repair: $270–$750

• Replace or install outlet: $100–$450

• Replace or install light switch: $60–$300

Electrician Pro Costs in New York City

A rewiring project in New York should always be handled by an electrician certified in the state. This is not DIY work—working with electrical systems is extremely dangerous and fragile work. Here’s how electrician costs break down.

Licensing and Insurance

New York has several different levels of electrician licensing, from training stages as an apprentice through journeyman and master, as well as specialty licenses. Rewiring is at least a journeyman project and parts of it may require the work of a master electrician, which will affect labor costs. Always check that your electrician is properly certified and insured in the state before hiring.

Hourly Rates and Taxes

Hiring a local electrician hourly labor costs $50 to $100 per hour, depending on their level of experience. The requirement for more experienced electricians pushes this hourly rate higher than it would be for other more common electrical projects.

Tipping

It’s not necessary to tip home electricians and they won’t expect it. If you do want to tip for extra services or an amazing performance, adding 10% to 15% onto the final bill is a great way to do it.

Permits

In New York, you’ll need an electrical permit for rewiring work, which usually costs between $100 and $200 for more homes. Electricians will take care of the paperwork in most cases, but you will likely have to pay for the fee. The same may be true of an electrical inspection after the work is done, if required.

Does a New Wiring Increase Home Value?

While some remodels can increase the price a house might sell for, the return on investment for rewiring works differently. It won’t increase the potential home value of a house directly. However, it’s an important project that can bring a house up to modern times and fix any longstanding electrical issues simultaneously. Home buyers are more likely to choose a house that doesn’t require large electrical repairs or upgrades.

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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