How much does it cost to install under-cabinet lighting?

HomeAdvisor gives $230 to $300 per light installed, $265 on average, with about $200 of that labor. Removing an old fixture adds $5 to $45 a light.

How long does it take to install a recessed light?

HomeAdvisor's guide says around two and a half hours a fixture for existing construction, at $50 to $130 an hour for the electrician, and that several lights on the same circuit take less time each.

Do I need a permit for recessed lighting?

HomeAdvisor says you will likely need one because the job alters the home's wiring, and prices a permit at $50 to $500. Requirements are set locally.

Are canless recessed lights cheaper?

The fixture is, at $15 to $30 in HomeAdvisor's guide. Installed, it gives $200 to $300 a light, which is the upper part of its $100 to $300 range for recessed lights generally.

How many recessed lights do I need?

No code sets a number, and neither of the guides used here does. This page prices the count you choose.

Home › Electrical › Recessed Lighting Cost Calculator

Recessed Lighting Cost Calculator

HomeAdvisor's recessed and under-cabinet lighting guides, with the labor arithmetic checked

HomeAdvisor prices a recessed light at $100 to $300 installed, and in the same guide says an electrician takes about two and a half hours a fixture at $50 to $130 an hour. That is $125 to $325 of labor alone. This calculator prices recessed and under-cabinet lights from the published figures and shows that check beside them.

Lights to install

Recessed lights

no.

Recessed light type

Under-cabinet lights

no.

Old under-cabinet fixtures to remove

Include a permit

Enter zero for either kind you are not installing.

Specification summary

Generated from on . Reopen that address to reproduce these figures exactly.

Entered

Result

Published ranges for the jobs entered

Recessed lighting prices

As each row states
Item	Low	High	Unit
Recessed light, installed	$100	$300	per fixture
Canless LED light, installed	$200	$300	per fixture
Canless LED light, fixture only	$15	$30	per fixture
Electrician	$50	$130	per hour
Time per fixture, existing construction	$2.50	$2.50	hours
Permit	$50	$500	total
Trim, white	$10	$25	each
Trim, eyeball	$15	$30	each
Trim, black	$25	$80	each

Source: HomeAdvisor, how much does recessed lighting installation cost. Last price check: September 16, 2026.

At the source's $50 to $130 an hour and two and a half hours a fixture, labor alone is $125 to $325 a light, each end above the matching end of its own $100 to $300 installed range.

Under-cabinet lighting prices

As each row states
Item	Low	High	Unit
Under-cabinet light, installed	$230	$300	per light
Installation materials	$20	$25	per light
Removing an old fixture	$5	$45	per light
Hauling debris	$2	$3	per fixture
LED puck light	$25	$25	average each
LED strip, 8 ft	$20	$20	average each
Xenon fixture	$50	$50	average each
Fluorescent fixture	$12	$50	each

Source: HomeAdvisor, how much does under-cabinet lighting cost. Last price check: September 16, 2026.

The source says labor is about $200 of the average $265 per light.

Worked example

Six standard recessed lights in an existing ceiling, no permit.

Installed price. 6 × $100 to $300 = $600 to $1,800.
Labor check. 6 × 2.5 h × $50 to $130 = $750 to $1,950.

The labor check comes out higher than the installed price at both ends, before the fixture, the trim or the cable.

The formula

Each published per fixture price times the number of fixtures, summed:

total = lights × price per light + under-cabinet lights × price per light + permit

price per light: HomeAdvisor's installed range for the fixture type
labor check: fixtures × 2.5 h × hourly rate

The labor check uses the same guide's hours and hourly rate and is shown, not added.

Where the numbers come from

Every price is HomeAdvisor's: its recessed lighting and under-cabinet lighting guides, both updated 20 June 2026 and reviewed by Salvatore Cutrona, and the coffered ceiling guide's recessed light figure, all read on 16 September 2026.

The labor check multiplies figures the recessed lighting guide publishes. The multiplication is this page's.

The labor inside a $100 to $300 light does not add up

HomeAdvisor's recessed lighting guide says three things on one page: a light costs $100 to $300 installed, including materials; an electrician charges $50 to $130 an hour; and each fixture in existing construction takes around two and a half hours.

Multiply the last two and the labor is $125 to $325 a fixture, before the housing, the trim at $10 to $80 or the cable. Each end of the labor alone is above the matching end of the installed price. The guide also says lights on the same circuit save a significant amount of time, which is the likely reconciliation: the hours are for a single fixture, and a room of six shares one circuit, one switch leg and one trip.

What it means for a quote: a price per light near the bottom of the published range is realistic for several lights on one new run in an open ceiling, and a single light added to a finished ceiling can reasonably be priced by the hour instead.

Three prices for one recessed light

The same publisher prices a recessed light three ways in three guides. The recessed lighting guide gives $100 to $300 installed, and $200 to $300 for a canless LED fixture. The coffered ceiling guide gives $360 a fixture for lights set in the coffers. The canless fixture on its own is $15 to $30.

The coffered figure is above the top of the recessed guide's range. Lights in a coffered ceiling go into boxed beams and panels built at the same time, which is a different job from cutting into a flat ceiling, but the guide does not explain the difference.

Under-cabinet lighting is priced the same way

HomeAdvisor's under-cabinet lighting guide gives $230 to $300 a light installed, $265 on average, and says labor is about $200 of that. Removing an old fixture adds $5 to $45 a light and hauling the debris $2 to $3. The fixtures themselves are cheap by comparison: about $25 for an LED puck, $20 for an 8 ft LED strip and $50 for xenon.

The cabinet installation guide gives the same $230 to $300 a light, so on this job the publisher's guides agree.

Frequently asked questions

How much does recessed lighting installation cost?: HomeAdvisor's June 2026 guide gives $100 to $300 per recessed light installed, including materials, $180 on average. A canless LED light is $200 to $300 installed. Six lights come to $600 to $1,800 at those rates, plus a permit of $50 to $500 where one is required.
How much does it cost to install under-cabinet lighting?: HomeAdvisor gives $230 to $300 per light installed, $265 on average, with about $200 of that labor. Removing an old fixture adds $5 to $45 a light.
How long does it take to install a recessed light?: HomeAdvisor's guide says around two and a half hours a fixture for existing construction, at $50 to $130 an hour for the electrician, and that several lights on the same circuit take less time each.
Do I need a permit for recessed lighting?: HomeAdvisor says you will likely need one because the job alters the home's wiring, and prices a permit at $50 to $500. Requirements are set locally.
Are canless recessed lights cheaper?: The fixture is, at $15 to $30 in HomeAdvisor's guide. Installed, it gives $200 to $300 a light, which is the upper part of its $100 to $300 range for recessed lights generally.
How many recessed lights do I need?: No code sets a number, and neither of the guides used here does. This page prices the count you choose.

Check these numbers yourself

How Much Does Recessed Lighting Installation Cost?HomeAdvisor, updated 2026-06-20, read 2026-09-16.
How Much Does Under-Cabinet Lighting Cost?HomeAdvisor, updated 2026-06-20, read 2026-09-16.
How Much Does a Coffered Ceiling Cost?HomeAdvisor, updated 2026-06-17, read 2026-09-16.

How every figure here is verified: Sources & Method. Who builds this: Lucas Pradella, and the method is on About. Found something wrong? Tell us and it gets fixed or removed.

Figures on this page last checked against the source documents on 2026-09-16. Codes are amended locally; confirm against the edition your jurisdiction enforces.

Related calculators

Every price on this page is HomeAdvisor's, read on 16 September 2026, and none is this site's. Electrical work commonly needs a licensed electrician and a permit.