Home Insurance Replacement Cost Calculator
Estimated dwelling coverage needed to rebuild your home — not its market value.
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About the Home Insurance Replacement Cost Calculator
Estimates the dwelling coverage amount needed to rebuild your home from the ground up at today's construction costs — a figure that's often very different from your home's market value or purchase price.
- Enter your home's total finished square footage.
- Pick a construction quality tier as a starting point.
- Adjust the cost-per-square-foot field to match your actual local rebuild costs.
- Adjust the overhead % for demolition, permits, and contractor margin.
- Read the recommended replacement-cost coverage.
A 2,000 sq ft home at the Standard tier ($200/sq ft) with 12% overhead: 2,000 × 200 = $400,000 base, × 1.12 = $448,000 recommended dwelling coverage.
| Tier | Cost per sq ft |
|---|---|
| Economy / basic tract build | $130 |
| Standard | $200 |
| Custom | $320 |
| Luxury / high-end finishes | $450 |
Replacement cost is not market value. Market value reflects land, location, and buyer demand; replacement cost reflects only what it takes to rebuild the physical structure. This is a planning estimate — ask your insurer for a professional replacement-cost estimate before setting your policy's dwelling limit.
- • Construction costs vary 20-25% above the national average on the West Coast and in New England, and run about 5% below it in the Midwest and Southeast.
- • Re-check your replacement cost every couple of years.
- • Exclude land value entirely — you don't need to rebuild the lot your house sits on.
- The Zebra — Home Replacement Cost Calculator — accessed 2026-08-31
- ValuePenguin — Homeowners Insurance Replacement Cost Estimator — accessed 2026-08-31
Illustrative estimate only, not financial or tax advice. Verify figures with a licensed adviser or your local tax authority.