Artificial Turf Cost: Price Ranges From Pages We Read, and a Preview on Your Own Yard

Artificial turf, artificial grass and synthetic grass are mostly the same product (in the UK people also search for astro turf), and the cost pages disagree about what it costs. The figures we found run from $2 to $22 per square foot, from pages dated between 2022 and 2026. Below, every figure is shown with the page and the date it came from, and we do not average them or add numbers of our own.

This page is about price. Our tool does not price a job: it edits a photo of your yard to show how turf could look, which is useful to settle the look and the edges before you ask installers for quotes. Below: the figures page by page, what raises the price, turf against a natural lawn, a UK guide, three before and after examples with the exact instructions, and what the AI cannot do.

Preview turf on my yard photo See before and after examples ↓

More renders come with a paid plan (see pricing).

This page quotes prices from other sites and dates each one. Our tool is a picture tool: it does not price a job or give a quote.

Looking for the look rather than the price? See our artificial turf visualizer, or our artificial grass for dogs page for pet areas. Other yard projects are listed at the bottom of this page.

Before and after examples

In each pair, the left image was generated by AI as a stand-in for part of an ordinary yard, and the right image is that same picture edited by AI from a written instruction for an artificial turf project. The exact instructions are printed further down this page. None of them are photos of real customer homes. We made them with our own AI model, which is not one of the models you can pick in the landscape tool, so a render in the tool may look different. Each pair is one run of our model, and where we re-ran an example the caption says so.

AI-generated example: the front of a single-story brick house with a white double garage door, dark shutters, a brick-edged bed with small shrubs, a concrete walkway and driveway, and a thin dry front lawn with brown patches, bare dark soil and fallen leaves under an overcast sky with bare trees — A patchy front lawn to turf (first instruction below). The before image is an AI-drawn stand-in for an ordinary front yard, not a customer photo. Already in the before: the brick house, white garage door, shutters, shrubs, brick-edged bed, walkway, driveway, bare trees, fallen leaves and sky. What followed the instruction: the lawn became bright green turf. What it did not follow: the bare-soil patches still show as darker green blotches, so it does not read as one even sheet, and the fallen leaves still lie on it. What it changed on its own: the grey roof took a slight green tint, and the brick and mulch took slightly different tones. The green is more saturated than a typical turf product, so it shows the idea, not a color match. We also tried a second seed (21), which gave a larger dark blotch, and kept this one.

AI-edited version of the same image: the same house and walkway with the front lawn replaced by bright green turf that still shows darker green blotches where the bare soil was, with leaves lying on it — A patchy front lawn to turf (first instruction below). The before image is an AI-drawn stand-in for an ordinary front yard, not a customer photo. Already in the before: the brick house, white garage door, shutters, shrubs, brick-edged bed, walkway, driveway, bare trees, fallen leaves and sky. What followed the instruction: the lawn became bright green turf. What it did not follow: the bare-soil patches still show as darker green blotches, so it does not read as one even sheet, and the fallen leaves still lie on it. What it changed on its own: the grey roof took a slight green tint, and the brick and mulch took slightly different tones. The green is more saturated than a typical turf product, so it shows the idea, not a color match. We also tried a second seed (21), which gave a larger dark blotch, and kept this one.

AI-generated example: a narrow backyard between two tall wooden fences with a worn lawn, large bare dirt patches and weeds, a small paved patio and a beige house with a white door at the back, under a blue sky with trees overhead — Dirt and worn grass to turf with a gravel edge (second instruction below). The before image is an AI-drawn stand-in for an ordinary backyard, not a customer photo. Already in the before: the two fences, the beige house with its white door, the bin and chairs by the door, the paved patio, the trees and the sky. What followed the instruction: green turf over the bare ground and a narrow grey gravel strip against the left fence, running from the patio toward the camera. What it did not follow: weeds still grow along both fences, and weed clumps are drawn on top of the turf in the foreground, so it reads as turf with weeds coming through. The turf meets the patio at a straight edge with no border or base shown. What it changed on its own: the patio paving was redrawn in a warmer tone with different joints, and the gravel strip is wider than the narrow strip we asked for. It does not show how the ground was prepared.

AI-edited version of the same image: the dirt and worn grass replaced by smooth green turf with a narrow strip of grey gravel along the left fence, and weeds still growing along both fences and in the foreground — Dirt and worn grass to turf with a gravel edge (second instruction below). The before image is an AI-drawn stand-in for an ordinary backyard, not a customer photo. Already in the before: the two fences, the beige house with its white door, the bin and chairs by the door, the paved patio, the trees and the sky. What followed the instruction: green turf over the bare ground and a narrow grey gravel strip against the left fence, running from the patio toward the camera. What it did not follow: weeds still grow along both fences, and weed clumps are drawn on top of the turf in the foreground, so it reads as turf with weeds coming through. The turf meets the patio at a straight edge with no border or base shown. What it changed on its own: the patio paving was redrawn in a warmer tone with different joints, and the gravel strip is wider than the narrow strip we asked for. It does not show how the ground was prepared.

AI-generated example: a narrow side yard between a cream stucco house wall with a window and downspout on the left and a tall wooden fence on the right, the ground covered in weeds, patchy grass and a few irregular stepping stones, with a wooden gate at the far end under an overcast sky — Side-yard weeds to turf, asking to keep the stepping stones (third instruction below). The before image is an AI-drawn stand-in for an ordinary side yard, not a customer photo. Already in the before: the stucco wall, window, downspout, wall light, fence, gate, bare tree and sky. What followed the instruction: smooth green turf with a line of stones in the middle. What it did not follow: we asked to keep the stepping stones in place, but they were redrawn as cleaner, more regular rectangles with different spacing, and a few tall weed stalks along the wall and one at the lower right were left. What it changed on its own: the wall gained pink blotches in its plaster. The turf runs right up to the wall and fence with no edging or base shown.

AI-edited version of the same image: the ground replaced by smooth green turf with a line of rectangular stepping stones down the middle, the same fence and gate, a wall with pink blotches in its plaster, and a few tall weed stalks still standing along the wall — Side-yard weeds to turf, asking to keep the stepping stones (third instruction below). The before image is an AI-drawn stand-in for an ordinary side yard, not a customer photo. Already in the before: the stucco wall, window, downspout, wall light, fence, gate, bare tree and sky. What followed the instruction: smooth green turf with a line of stones in the middle. What it did not follow: we asked to keep the stepping stones in place, but they were redrawn as cleaner, more regular rectangles with different spacing, and a few tall weed stalks along the wall and one at the lower right were left. What it changed on its own: the wall gained pink blotches in its plaster. The turf runs right up to the wall and fence with no edging or base shown.

Artificial turf cost per square foot: what each page says

These are the installed-price figures from the pages we read, copied as the page gives them, each with the date the page shows. Several come from companies that sell turf installation or lawn care, so they have something to sell. We could not open the HomeAdvisor, Angi, Forbes or HomeGuide pages (they blocked our reader), so none of them is used here; the Angi figure below is quoted second-hand.

Page (date shown)	Installed price	Other figures from the same page
SitePrep, a contractor (May 16, 2026)	$12 to $22 per sq ft; budget $12 to $15, mid-range $15 to $18, premium $18 to $22	300 sq ft: $3,600 to $6,600; says most homeowners spend $4,000 to $10,000. It gives two different figures for removing the old lawn, and the page promotes its own installation.
LawnStarter (updated October 5, 2026)	$15 to $19 per sq ft including materials and labor	About 500 sq ft: $7,400 to $9,350 with mid-quality turf.
LawnLove (updated December 27, 2025)	$5.45 to $20 per sq ft, average $12.75	500 sq ft: $2,725 to $10,000 typical, average $6,375.
ThePricer (October 17, 2024)	$5 to $20 per sq ft; basic turf $5 to $10, premium $15 to $25	Quotes Angi's average as about $5,766, with most homeowners spending $1,300 to $15,000. We could not open Angi, so this is second-hand.
Bob Vila (updated June 29, 2023)	$2 to $8 per sq ft for artificial grass	National average $5,358, total range $2,961 to $7,792; 500 sq ft: $1,000 to $4,000; 1,000 sq ft: $2,000 to $8,000.
Fixr (updated August 19, 2022)	$5 to $12.50 per sq ft	National average $4,259, typical range $3,000 to $7,500.

The pages do not agree, and we did not try to fix that. In this table the older pages (Fixr 2022, Bob Vila 2023) give lower figures and the two 2026 pages give higher ones, but each page also uses its own definition of what is included, so we cannot say the gap is only the year. Use the ranges to see how wide the spread is, and get quotes for your own yard.

Turf only or installed: material, labor and the base

Searches for artificial turf cost mix two different numbers: the roll of turf, and the finished job. These are the pieces the pages list.

Turf by fiber (material only): LawnStarter lists polyethylene at $2.20 to $4.10 per sq ft, polypropylene at $2 to $6.35 and nylon at $5 to $6.40, and says nylon raises the price by about 20 percent.
Labor: LawnStarter says most contractors charge $3.45 to $12 per sq ft installed, and LawnLove says labor is roughly 50 to 60 percent of the total.
Base: Bob Vila and LawnLove both give crushed rock or decomposed granite at $0.30 to $0.70 per sq ft. SitePrep splits it into excavation and soil removal at $0.75 to $2.50, base material at $0.50 to $1.50 and compaction and grading at $0.25 to $1.00, all per sq ft.
Weed barrier, infill and seams: LawnLove gives weed barrier at $0.05 to $0.85 per sq ft, infill at $0.30 to $1.80 per pound at about 1 pound per sq ft, and seam tape at $0.50 to $1.40 per linear foot.
Doing it yourself: LawnLove puts a 500 sq ft DIY job at $1,761 to $5,393 in total.

What pushes the price up

The pages name these factors. The sources attach a figure to each; we repeat the figure and the page, not our own estimate.

A curved area: LawnStarter adds 15 to 20 percent. Bob Vila says curved or custom cuts can add $1 to $3 or more per sq ft in labor.
A slope: LawnStarter adds 50 to 60 percent.
Removing the old lawn: LawnStarter gives $0.88 to $1.84 per sq ft if it is needed. SitePrep gives $1 to $2 in one place and $0.50 to $2.00 in another.
Drainage: SitePrep gives $2 to $5 per sq ft where a drainage system is needed. Bob Vila gives $100 to $2,000 for a system.
Where you live: LawnStarter shows New York, NY at $17 to $23 per sq ft and Gilbert, AZ at $12 to $15. Bob Vila says Boston averages $7,200 and Detroit about $4,500 for a job.

Turf against a natural lawn, in the pages' own numbers

LawnLove compares a 500 sq ft yard: artificial turf $6,365 on average against about $653 for real sod. It also says a turf lifespan is 10 to 25 years and that natural lawn care costs $1,500 to $6,000 a year. LawnStarter gives the same $1,500 to $6,000 for a natural lawn with a monthly care plan, against about $250 to $350 a year to maintain artificial grass, and says natural lawn care costs more than an artificial installation after a few years. SitePrep puts turf maintenance at $250 to $400 a year.

These figures come from sites that sell turf, installation or lawn care, so treat the comparison as the sellers' view. They show the shape of the trade: more to install, less to run.

UK prices for artificial grass

Fantastic Services' 2026 UK price guide (it says artificial grass and does not use the term astro turf) gives these figures fully installed, including VAT where applicable: 50 to 90 pounds per square metre across most of the UK and 65 to 110 pounds in London and the South East. For the rest of the UK it lists 20 square metres at 1,000 to 1,800 pounds, 50 square metres at 2,500 to 4,500 pounds and 100 square metres at 5,000 to 9,000 pounds. Grass alone is 15 to 45 pounds per square metre, and the page says sub-base and groundwork are typically around 60 percent of the total bill. We have not converted any of these to dollars, and per square metre is not per square foot.

Settle the look before you ask for quotes

A quote is only as good as the brief. Seeing turf on your own photo can help you decide where it stops, what edge it has and whether a gravel strip or a path stays, so every installer prices the same job. Our three examples below show that use, and what the AI gets wrong.

Ask each installer to itemize the turf type, the base, removal of the old lawn, drainage and edging, since those are the lines the pages above price separately.

How to try turf on your own photo

Use Custom mode for this. The Yard Redesign styles have no text box, so you cannot ask for turf, a gravel strip or a path there. Custom lets you name the area, the surface and what must stay the same.

Take the photo in daylight from where you usually see the area, with the house, the fence and any walkway in frame.
Open the landscape tool and sign in with Google or an email code. You get 1 free render with a free account.
Under Select Landscape Mode, pick Custom.
In the Custom Design Requirements box, name the area, the surface, any gravel strip or path, and what must stay the same.
Upload your photo under Upload Your Garden Image and click Generate Custom Design.
Compare the result with your photo and change one thing at a time, such as where the gravel goes, and run it again.

What the AI can and cannot do

The AI shows a look: roughly how turf, gravel and stepping stones would sit in your own photo, in the colors you name. That helps you decide the layout and explain what you want to an installer.

It does not measure the area, plan the base or drainage, choose a fiber or pile height, price the job, or tell you whether turf suits your climate. It also does not always follow the instruction, as the leftover soil blotches, the weeds and the redrawn stepping stones in our examples show. Treat the result as a picture of an idea, and get the real price from installers who see your yard.

Turf instructions to paste into Custom mode

These are the exact instructions we used for the three examples above, in the same order. In the landscape tool, choose Custom, paste one into the Custom Design Requirements box, then upload your photo. Swap in your own area, edge material and what must stay.

Change ONLY the lawn: replace the patchy grass and bare soil with an even, lush green artificial turf lawn. Keep the house, the walkway, the driveway and the camera angle exactly the same.
Change ONLY the ground of the lawn area: replace the worn grass and bare dirt with an even green artificial turf, and add a narrow strip of light grey gravel between the turf and the fence on the left. Keep the house, the patio, the fences and the camera angle exactly the same.
Change ONLY the ground: replace the weeds and patchy grass with smooth green artificial turf, keeping the stepping stones in place. Keep the house wall, the fence, the gate and the camera angle exactly the same.

Preview turf on my yard photo

Frequently asked questions

How much does artificial turf cost per square foot?

The pages we read disagree. SitePrep (May 2026) gives $12 to $22 per square foot installed, LawnStarter (October 2026) $15 to $19, LawnLove (December 2025) $5.45 to $20, ThePricer (October 2024) $5 to $20, Bob Vila (June 2023) $2 to $8 and Fixr (August 2022) $5 to $12.50. Quotes for your own yard are the only reliable figure.

Is that price for the turf only or the whole job?

It differs by page. LawnStarter says its $15 to $19 includes materials and labor. It lists turf alone at $2 to $6.40 per square foot depending on the fiber, with labor at $3.45 to $12. Check which one a figure means before comparing.

What adds to the cost of artificial grass?

LawnStarter adds about 20 percent for nylon, 15 to 20 percent for a curved area and 50 to 60 percent for a slope. Removing an old lawn, a drainage system, a base and your region also change the price, according to the pages above.

Is artificial grass cheaper than a natural lawn?

Not to install, according to the pages we read. LawnLove compares about $6,365 for 500 square feet of turf with about $653 for sod. The same pages say a natural lawn costs $1,500 to $6,000 a year to care for, against $250 to $350 for artificial grass (LawnStarter), so the running costs run the other way.

What does astro grass cost in the UK?

Fantastic Services' 2026 UK guide prices artificial grass (the page does not use the term astro turf) at 50 to 90 pounds per square metre fully installed across most of the UK and 65 to 110 pounds in London and the South East, with grass alone at 15 to 45 pounds per square metre. Those are per square metre, not per square foot.

Can your tool give me a turf quote?

No. It edits a photo to show how turf could look. It does not measure, price or plan a base. Use it to settle the look, then ask installers to price the same brief.

Is this the same as your turf visualizer or your dog page?

No. This page is about cost. The artificial turf visualizer is about seeing turf on your yard, and the artificial grass for dogs page covers pet areas. All three use the same tool.

Do I need an account, and is it free?

You need an account, and it is free: 1 free render with a free account, and free renders carry a watermark. More renders and no watermark come with a paid plan.

Sources

The facts above come from these pages, which we read in October 2026. We are not affiliated with any of them.