How Much Does Adding an Electrical Outlet Cost in Boston? [2025 Data]

If you’re considering a new outlet for your Boston house to fix an issue or add more electronics, it’s important to get a reliable estimate. Depending on what you want, new outlets cost an average of $266 but can rise to $371. A local electrician will be able to offer more information as well as advice on how to get the outlet features you really want, but below you’ll find the most important factors and what you should know.

Cost Factors

How do you know if your new outlet is going to cost $100 or $600? The key is not only in the type of outlet that you want, but also exactly where you want to put it and how your home is designed. When you meet with an electrician to talk about your new wiring plans in Boston, here are the factors that will matter the most.

Distance from Wiring

A new outlet needs to be connected to a nearby circuit in the home, so the distance from the current wiring is particularly important. The farther away, the more materials and work are required, which increases the cost. Your electrician will be able to provide more information once they are able to see the exact spot you have in mind.  

Number of Outlets

Sometimes, a single outlet addition is just what you need, but in other cases, you may want to add multiple outlets, such as when finishing a room. Each additional outlet will increase the project's costs, but the increase is not direct—you can save money by completing all the outlets at the same time. But be careful: With a lot of new outlets, you may also have to install a new circuit to support them, which will increase costs. For our averages, we focused on single outlet costs.

Distance from Wiring

A new outlet needs to be connected to a nearby circuit in the home, so the distance from the current wiring is particularly important. The farther away, the more materials and work are required, which increases the cost. Your electrician will be able to provide more information once they are able to see the exact spot you have in mind.  

Number of Outlets

Sometimes, a single outlet addition is just what you need, but in other cases, you may want to add multiple outlets, such as when finishing a room. Each additional outlet will increase the project's costs, but the increase is not direct—you can save money by completing all the outlets at the same time. But be careful: With a lot of new outlets, you may also have to install a new circuit to support them, which will increase costs. For our averages, we focused on single outlet costs.

New Circuit/Breaker Requirements

If you’re adding multiple outlets, or an outlet on a circuit that’s already very “busy” with other plug-ins, there may not be enough total amps in the circuit to handle your new plans. In cases like these, your electrician may recommend installing a new circuit, especially if your breaker box already has room for it. While it’s an important step, it will also increase your overall outlet costs.

Special Locations

A common installation on an inside wall or even a ceiling isn’t likely to affect your outlet cost much. However, certain locations can be more expensive. A floor outlet requires a lot of extra work and will bump costs up significantly. A recessed outlet also tends to cost more for similar reasons. Think about exactly where you want to put an outlet before your estimate.

Appliance Outlets and Dedicated Circuits

Appliance outlets are specialized 220V versions with higher amperage and unique plugs made for big appliances like ovens and washing machines. If you want one of these outlets, be prepared to spend a bit more. 

Also, with outlets this large, electricians often need to put them on their own dedicated circuit, which means they get their wiring and breaker. If a new appliance outlet requires a dedicated circuit, it is going to cost more to complete the project.

Extra Features

Indoor outlets can have all sorts of extra features that owners may want to solve specific problems. That can include a rotating outlet, an outlet with USB ports on it, outlets that have LED lights to show their status, and a variety of other tricks. These features will add at least a few dollars to the cost, possibly more if they require additional wiring work.

Indoor/Outdoor

Our guide is focused on adding an indoor outlet. An outdoor outlet is a very different project, since it needs weather resistance and lots of extra wiring and renovation work. That makes outdoor outlets particularly expensive, so expect to pay up to $1,000 or more, depending on where you want an outlet like this.

Electrician Pro Costs

Replacing an existing outlet is a relatively simple project that you can handle yourself with a bit of wiring work. But installing a new outlet is less of a DIY project. In most cases, you will need a professional electrician to handle the wiring and other important details. Here’s what you can expect.

Licensing and Insurance

Always choose an electrician who is licensed and insured to work in the state of Massachusetts. Certified electricians are required by the state to have a certain amount of experience and pass exams to show they know proper safety and the latest electrical codes. 

To become a journeyman electrician, who is often the electrician who will be adding new outlets, an apprentice needs to work with a MA electrician for at least 8,000 hours or equivalent experience.

Hourly Rates and Taxes

Electricians in Massachusetts are typically paid between $35 and $45 per hour unless they are particularly experienced. Expect to pay around this range for journeyman labor for your new outlet. Most outlet projects only take an hour or two, and give you a quick calculation of how much you can expect a job to be.

Tipping

It’s not common to tip electricians, and your Boston contractor won’t expect it. If you would like to offer a tip for service that goes beyond, you could add 10% to 20% to the bill, although you may want to ask if it’s possible to tip the worker directly.

Permits

Many outlet projects may require a permit and then a final inspection, especially if they include lots of wiring work. Each step has an application and fee, which electricians will usually take care of and add the final cost to your bill. That typically works out to around $100 to $150 in Boston.

Does Adding New Outlets Increase Home Value?

A new outlet can give your home a welcome feature that can fix a long-standing problem or add some nice convenience for decorating, lighting a dark space, installing an entertainment system, and so on. However, outlet projects are typically too small to add any measurable value to a home when you are ready to sell. An important exception is if you are adding outlets as part of a larger project like remodeling a kitchen or finishing an attic to turn it into a spare bedroom.

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 extensively research project costs to develop the pricing data you see, so you can make the best decisions for you and your home. We rely on 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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