Home security system cost: what owners paid
The typical U.S. owner paid $429 for security system work; across 14 big metros the typical job ran $334 to $557.
What owners paid
$429
The typical (median) U.S. job: half of owners paid less, half paid more.
Lowest big metro, $334: Chicago. Highest, $557: Houston.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Housing Survey 2023, the latest release: work owners did in about 2021–2023. Checked .
What owners paid in each big metro
The typical (median) job in each of the survey's 15 metro areas, highest first. The margin of error is the Census Bureau's 90% range around each median.
- Houston$557
- Boston$500
- Dallas$500
- Los Angeles$500
- Miami$500
- San Francisco$500
- Seattle$500
- Philadelphia$464
- Riverside$464
- Atlanta$450
- Washington DC$429
- Detroit$400
- Phoenix$400
- Chicago$334
No published figure: New York City.
What these figures cover: Adding or replacing a home security system: the equipment and its installation.
The figures as a table, with margins of error
Scroll the table sideways to see every column on a small screen.
| Metro area | Typical job (median) | Margin of error (90% confidence) |
|---|---|---|
| Houston | $557 | ±$141 |
| Boston | $500 | ±$161 |
| Dallas | $500 | ±$55 |
| Los Angeles | $500 | ±$82 |
| Miami | $500 | ±$142 |
| San Francisco | $500 | ±$50 |
| Seattle | $500 | ±$46 |
| Philadelphia | $464 | ±$107 |
| Riverside | $464 | ±$92 |
| Atlanta | $450 | ±$195 |
| Washington DC | $429 | ±$129 |
| Detroit | $400 | ±$170 |
| Phoenix | $400 | ±$143 |
| Chicago | $334 | ±$107 |
| New York City | Not published Withheld by Census | Not published |
Source: Census Bureau and HUD, 2023 American Housing Survey, Table 16, category “Security system” under “Interior Additions and Replacements”. Updated 2026-09-19. The metro values and margins of error use the survey's metropolitan areas, not city limits. A metro with no published figure stays blank; we never fill it in from its neighbors.
Why do cost guides disagree?
They measure different things. An estimate prices one defined job at today's rates; these figures are what owners actually paid, across every size and kind of job in the category. A full job on a large house can sit well above the typical figure, and a small one well below it. Your own quotes, compared line by line, are the price that counts.
Before you compare quotes
If a quote is well above the typical $429, ask what is in it that the typical job is not. Are equipment, installation and any ongoing service separately identified?
Keep the quotes themselves in a budget worksheet.