Home sauna cost calculator

The 47 saunas with a public price cost $1,000 to $16,800 to buy. All in for the first year, adding the electrical work, a base if it goes outside, and a year of electricity, they come to about $1,000 to $20,900. Use the calculator for your own setup.

Mostly the electrical work. An electrician charges $250–$900 for a 240V circuit, which most traditional saunas need, or $200–$600 for the dedicated 20A outlet many infrared cabins need. Running power out to a backyard sauna costs $800–$3,500 in all, depending on distance, and a permit typically adds $75–$200. Outdoor saunas also need a level base: about $100–$300 for a gravel pad, $600–$1,200 for a 10×10 concrete slab.

At the US average of 18.16¢ per kWh, a 6 kW traditional heater costs up to about $1.45 a session including warm-up, about $230 a year at three sessions a week. A 2 kW infrared cabin costs about $0.27 a session, about $45 a year. The calculator uses your state's price.

Usually cheaper to run (about a fifth of the electricity) and cheaper to install, because most plug into a 120V outlet instead of needing a 240V circuit. To buy, the cheapest infrared cabin we found was $999 and the cheapest traditional sauna $3,496.