PriceReality

What Does It Cost to Insulate 3,500 sq ft?

The figure below includes the parts of the job that do not shrink when the job does — the permit, the delivery, the crew's morning. That is why a smaller job costs more per sq ft than a bigger one.

By PriceReality Editorial· Type estimate range, not a quote
$1,900 – $9,250installed, before regional adjustment

Adjust for your state

Fixed costs of $150 are included in every figure on this page, so the per-square-foot price falls as the job gets bigger.

What the number is made of

Every figure on this page follows the same arithmetic: a fixed portion for permits, delivery and getting a crew to your address, plus a per-sq ft rate for material and labor. The fixed part is why the per-sq ft price on this page is not the same as on a larger job.

Cost breakdown for this size
ComponentLowHigh
Fixed costs (permits, delivery, setup)$150$150
Materials$1,140$5,550
Labor$760$3,700
Total$1,900$9,250

The same size, five different states

Material prices do not change at the state line. Labor does. These five states sit at different points of the federal wage distribution for this trade.

Same job, adjusted for state wages
StateLabor factorLowHigh
Oklahoma×0.79$1,737$8,454
Arizona×0.85$1,787$8,699
West Virginia×0.92$1,839$8,954
New Hampshire×1.08$1,958$9,531
Illinois×1.40$2,205$10,734

Only the labor line moves between states. That is a deliberate limitation, not an oversight: state-level material pricing is not something we have reliable data for, so we do not pretend to.

By material

Installed cost at this size, by material
MaterialLowHigh
Polystyrene board$1,025$7,150
Fiberglass batts$1,200$5,400
Cellulose blown-in$2,250$8,200
Mineral wool$5,050$7,500
Polyurethane spray foam$3,650$15,900

Other sizes

The same job at other sizes
SizeLowHigh
1,000 sq ft$650$2,750
1,500 sq ft$900$4,050
2,000 sq ft$1,150$5,350
2,500 sq ft$1,400$6,650
3,000 sq ft$1,650$7,950
3,500 sq ft ←$1,900$9,250
4,000 sq ft$2,150$10,550

Updated October 2026

Figures are computed from a fixed-cost-plus-rate model: $150 fixed, plus $0 to $3 per sq ft installed, with 40% of the variable portion treated as labor. Labor is adjusted with U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS wage data by state. Material ranges come from published 2026 cost data. These are planning ranges, not quotes.