Granite Countertop cost at a glance
- Typical range: $2,400 – $4,000
- Most homeowners pay: around $3,250
- Per square foot: $60 – $100 per sq ft
- Prices vary most by: Granite slab & fabrication (50–65% of the budget)
Cross-checked against three published sources for this project. Sources used for this page: the Angi granite countertop cost guide, HomeGuide's countertop installation and quartz vs granite cost guides and Fixr's kitchen countertop replacement cost guide. Sources last checked: October 2026 — HomeGuide, Fixr, Angi. Last updated October 2026 · How we calculate these costs
Cost by scope
| Scope | Typical cost | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Common colours or prefabricated sections | $1,900 – $2,800 | Widely stocked colours such as Ubatuba or St. Cecilia over about 40 sq ft — Angi prices its average-size kitchen run at $1,900–$3,300 and common slabs at $40–$60 per sq ft, with prefab sections trimming fabrication on standard runs |
| Standard granite slab, professionally installed | $2,400 – $4,000 | Where most granite kitchens land: about 40 sq ft templated, fabricated and installed — Angi puts most projects at $2,000–$4,000 with an average of $3,250, and HomeGuide puts an average kitchen at $2,400–$6,000 installed |
| Exotic colours, premium finish or a large kitchen | $4,000 – $6,000+ | Rare colours such as Blue Louise (Angi $70–$100 per sq ft for the stone), a honed or leathered finish, or a large kitchen with an island — HomeGuide's installed band runs to $150 per sq ft and Angi notes large high-end projects can exceed $9,000 |
Where the money goes
| Part of the job | Share | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Granite slab & fabrication | 50–65% of total | The stone itself plus cutting and polishing: Angi puts common slabs at $40–$60 per sq ft rising to $100 for rare colours, and HomeGuide puts granite material at $40–$100 per sq ft — colour and rarity are the steps inside that band |
| Templating, delivery & installation labor | 20–30% | Measuring, moving and setting several-hundred-pound slabs: Angi prices labor at about $35 per sq ft with delivery at $150–$200, and Fixr puts countertop labor at 15–30% of the total project cost |
| Edges, cutouts & sealing | 5–10% | Upgraded edges run $10–$40 per linear foot in Angi and $10–$60 in HomeGuide, sink cutouts run $100 in Angi and $100–$300 in HomeGuide, and the first sealing is $100 or more in Angi |
| Removal, plumbing reconnect & extras | 5–10% | Removing the old counter runs $4–$7 per sq ft in Angi and $50–$300 in Fixr, plus disconnecting and reconnecting the sink and any cabinet levelling the slab's weight requires |
What moves the price most
Colour is the granite budget. Granite is quarried stone, and the guides price it as a rarity ladder: Angi puts common slabs at $40–$60 per sq ft and named colours from $30 for Ubatuba to $70–$100 for Blue Louise, while HomeGuide puts material at $40–$100 and the full installed band at $80–$150. The standard-colour overlap is the rate this page publishes as typical; step off the common colours and the slab line alone can double. Finish is the second lever: polished is the baseline, and Angi adds $10–$20 per sq ft for a honed finish and $15–$25 for leathered — texture is bought by the foot. Slab versus prefab is the third: a full slab cut to your template is the standard route, while prefabricated sections in stocked sizes trim fabrication on straight runs — and granite tile, at $5–$15 per sq ft in Angi, is a different product entirely, priced like tile because it is installed like tile. Finally, sealing belongs in the budget from day one: granite is porous, both Angi and HomeGuide price sealing as a recurring treatment ($100 or more in Angi; $200–$350 per treatment in HomeGuide's installation guide), and that small annual line is the whole maintenance difference between granite and quartz.
Worked example: how a typical granite countertop budget breaks down
A typical job: about 40 sq ft of standard-colour granite in a normal kitchen run, templated and fabricated from one slab, one sink cutout, old counters removed and the new stone sealed. The budget below totals $3,250 — the "most homeowners pay around" figure from the top of this page — split using this page's own cost breakdown. It shows how a real quote at that level is usually composed; every line is built from the ranges on this page, and it is an illustration, not a quote for your project.
| Line item | Example budget |
|---|---|
| Granite slab and fabrication | $1,950 |
| Templating, delivery and installation labor | $780 |
| Edge profile, sink cutout and first sealing | $260 |
| Old counter removal and plumbing reconnect | $260 |
| Total | $3,250 |
What most people get wrong
- Choosing the colour from a sample square — granite pattern moves across a full slab, and the corner the sample was cut from may be the quietest part of it; view the actual slab before it is cut.
- Comparing granite quotes by the total alone — one quote's slab price includes templating, delivery and sealing and the other's lists them separately; line the two up item by item before deciding which is cheaper.
- Skipping the reseal — granite is porous, the guides price sealing as a recurring treatment, and the year it lapses is the year a red-wine spill becomes part of the counter.
- Paying exotic-colour prices without checking the slab's grade in writing — colour names are not grades, and the same name is sold at more than one quality level.
Costs in your city
Granite pricing follows the fabricator, not the quarry: the slab is priced nationally by colour, so the local spread is how many fabrication shops serve your market and how far the slab travels from the distributor. Metros with several competing shops template and install standard colours near the middle of the band; a market with one busy stone shop prices toward the top, and delivery mileage shows up quietly on rural quotes. Ask each bidder whether templating, fabrication and installation are their own crew — shops that do all three in-house price the standard colours keenest and own the result if a seam needs attention.
Frequently asked questions
How much do granite countertops cost for an average kitchen?
About $2,400–$4,000 installed is the typical band on this page for about 40 sq ft, with most projects landing around $3,250. Angi puts most projects at $2,000–$4,000 with an average of $3,250, and HomeGuide puts an average 30–40 sq ft kitchen at $2,400–$6,000 installed.
How much does granite cost per square foot installed?
HomeGuide puts granite at $80–$150 per sq ft installed (material $40–$100) and Fixr at $40–$150. Angi puts the slab itself at $40–$60 per sq ft for common colours, rising to $100 for rare ones. Standard colours in an ordinary kitchen land around $60–$100 installed once fabrication is in the rate.
Is granite cheaper than quartz?
Usually a little, at the standard grades. HomeGuide prices granite at $80–$150 per sq ft installed against quartz at $50–$200, and Angi notes granite's common slabs at $40–$60 sit below many quartz grades — but exotic granite overlaps premium quartz, and granite carries a sealing cost quartz never does. Our granite vs quartz page compares the two side by side.
How often does granite need sealing?
About once a year in HomeGuide's comparison guide — the stone is porous, and an unsealed surface takes stains the sealed one shrugs off. Angi prices sealing at $100 or more per treatment and HomeGuide's installation guide at $200–$350; it is a small line, but it never goes away, so count it in the lifetime cost.
Can I install granite countertops myself?
The slab work, no — Angi is blunt that slabs run several hundred pounds and can crack or shatter if mishandled, and templating and cutting belong to the fabricator. The realistic DIY contributions are removing the old counters yourself (worth $4–$7 per sq ft in Angi) and handling the plumbing reconnect if you are competent — the stone itself is a professional job.
