How Much Does Landscape Lighting Cost?

Landscape lighting is priced per fixture, but a meaningful part of the cost is fixed regardless of how many lights you install.

Cost by system size (opens in a new tab)

Minimum job charges around $1,200 are common, which is why a four-fixture install costs more per light than a twelve-fixture one.

Cost breakdown (opens in a new tab)

Fixture quality is where the real difference lies. Cast brass and copper fixtures cost several times what die-cast aluminium does and last decades outdoors, developing a patina rather than corroding. Cheap fixtures at $15 to $25 typically fail within two to four seasons, and replacing them means the labour again.

Low voltage versus line voltage (opens in a new tab)

For almost all residential landscape lighting, low voltage is the correct answer. Line voltage makes sense for long driveway runs and high-output security lighting.

Sizing the transformer (opens in a new tab)

The one technical decision that catches DIY installers.

Total the wattage of all fixtures, then add roughly 20% headroom. A transformer running at capacity runs hot and shortens its own life, and the headroom leaves room to add fixtures later.

Voltage drop is the other constraint. Low-voltage cable loses voltage over distance, and a fixture at the end of a long run receives less than 12 volts and dims noticeably.

Managing it:

• Use heavier gauge cable for long runs: 12 gauge rather than 16
• Split into multiple runs from the transformer rather than one long daisy chain
• Use a hub or T-method layout instead of a single line
• Many transformers offer multiple voltage taps (12 V, 13 V, 14 V) to compensate on longer runs

LED fixtures draw far less current than the halogen fixtures these rules were developed for, so voltage drop is much less limiting than it used to be.

DIY (opens in a new tab)

A low-voltage system is a genuinely realistic DIY project, with one caveat.

Material cost for a 12-fixture system:

Against $2,400 to $5,400 installed. A saving of roughly $1,000 to $4,000 for a weekend's work.

1. Plan the layout in the dark

   Walk the property at night with a torch and work out what you actually want lit. Most people over-light on the plan and under-light the things that matter.

2. Lay fixtures out before burying anything

   Connect them temporarily on the surface and look at the effect after dark for a night or two. Moving a fixture is trivial now and tedious later.

3. Call 811 before trenching

   Free, required in most of the US, and lighting cable runs cross irrigation and service lines routinely.

4. Bury cable 6 inches deep

   Deep enough to avoid an edger or an aerator, shallow enough to be workable. Route along bed edges rather than across lawn where possible.

5. Use waterproof connectors

   This is where cheap systems fail. Gel-filled or silicone-filled connectors, not twist caps.

6. Set the timer or fit a photocell

   An astronomic timer that tracks sunset needs no seasonal adjustment.

Running cost (opens in a new tab)

LED has made this negligible.

A 20-fixture LED system at roughly 5 watts each draws about 100 watts. Running six hours a night for a year is about 220 kilowatt-hours, which at typical US residential rates is roughly $30 to $50 a year.

The same system in halogen at 20 watts per fixture would draw 400 watts and cost four times as much to run, plus regular bulb replacement. Any system still running halogen is worth converting on running cost alone.

Where to save (opens in a new tab)

Fewer, better fixtures. Twelve well-placed lights read better than twenty scattered ones, and cost less. Over-lighting is the most common design mistake and it flattens a garden rather than shaping it.

Buy quality fixtures, install them yourself. Fixture quality determines lifespan; installation is straightforward. This is the reverse of the usual advice and it is right here.

Start with a large transformer. The headroom costs little now and lets you add fixtures later without replacing it.

Phase it. Install the transformer and main runs, light the entry and path first, and add accent lighting over following seasons.

Skip the smart controller initially. A basic astronomic timer does the essential job. Smart control can be added later by swapping the timer.