Home Repair Costs Surge 76% in 10 Years: What US Homeowners Now Pay for Repairs and Maintenance

US homeowners are paying substantially more to maintain and improve their properties, with the median cost of a home improvement project rising 76.1% over a decade to an inflation-adjusted $2,113 in 2025 from $1,200 in 2015, according to a new analysis by LendingTree.

Matt Schulz, LendingTree's chief consumer finance analyst, reportedly said that rising prices across the economy, including labour and building costs, are likely contributing to the increase.

The cost of maintaining a property adds another recurring expense. Routine maintenance on owner-occupied homes averaged $1,433 a year, according to LendingTree's analysis. Note that the bill is higher for older properties. Homes built before 1940 cost an average of $1,706 annually to maintain, which is $273 more than the overall average.

By comparison, newer homes can be considerably cheaper to maintain. Properties built between 2022 and 2023 had average maintenance costs of just $173, according to the analysis.

That difference illustrates why a home's age can make a significant difference to a household's budget. Older properties may require more frequent repairs and replacement of ageing systems, although actual costs depend on the home's condition and the work needed.

LendingTree's analysis used data from the US Census Bureau's American Housing Survey and the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Hiring a Professional Costs Nearly 5× as Much as DIY

The report also revealed a substantial gap between professional work and projects homeowners complete themselves.

Around 64% of the projects analysed were carried out by professionals. The median cost of a professionally completed project was $4,103, compared with $845 for a DIY project.

However, the figures do not mean that every homeowner can safely or practically avoid professional fees. The complexity of the work, the tools required, and the potential consequences of mistakes all affect whether doing it yourself is a realistic option.

More Than 51M Homes Underwent Improvements

Home improvement spending is widespread across the US housing market. The analysis found that 51.6 million of the country's 86.9 million owner-occupied homes underwent some type of improvement during the two-year period covered by the research.

That represents nearly 59.4% of owner-occupied properties. Across those homes, homeowners completed 139.9 million individual projects, averaging 2.7 projects for each home that underwent improvements.

The most common category involved water heaters, dishwashers, and garbage disposals. Appliance additions or replacements accounted for 11.7% of all projects tracked, with a median cost of $845.

The figures suggest that the financial pressure does not come solely from major renovations. Smaller, recurring jobs can also add up, particularly when several repairs are needed in the same year.

How Homeowners Are Paying for Repairs

Cash savings remain the most common way to fund home improvement work. LendingTree's analysis found that cash covered 75.7% of projects, while credit cards accounted for 6.3% and homeowners' insurance settlements for 3.9%.

Rising project costs come as some homeowners have an incentive to stay in their existing properties rather than move. Schulz noted that households with mortgages carrying interest rates around 3% may be reluctant to exchange them for new loans at rates around 7%.

Staying put can avoid the expense of moving and taking on a more expensive mortgage, but it does not eliminate the cost of maintaining a home. As properties age, owners may need to pay for repairs and replacements while continuing to meet mortgage, insurance, tax, and utility bills.