Installed artificial turf in the Austin metro runs about $9 to $15 per square foot, all in. That covers demolition of the existing lawn, base rock, the turf itself, infill, edging and labor. A 500 sq ft backyard lands around $4,500 to $7,500. A 1,000 sq ft yard lands around $9,000 to $15,000.
What the price actually covers
Most quotes you will see online give a materials number, an install number, or a range so wide it tells you nothing. Our pricing is turnkey, so one number covers the whole job:
- Removing the existing lawn and hauling it off
- Grading and compacting a crushed base
- Weed barrier
- The turf, cut and seamed on site
- Infill
- Nailing, edging and perimeter securing
- Cleanup
The number that moves most is the turf you pick. We carry three blends, and the spread between the cheapest and the most expensive is about $6 per square foot.
| Blend | Installed price | Face weight | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cen-Tex Blend | $9 to $11 / sq ft | 45 oz | Large front yards, curb appeal, low traffic |
| Hill Country Blend | $11 to $13 / sq ft | 55 oz | The default for a typical Austin backyard |
| Texas Supreme | $14 to $15 / sq ft | 90 oz | Barefoot areas, kids, heavy traffic, pool surrounds |
What 500 and 1,000 square feet actually cost
Square footage is the number people search for, so here it is directly. These are straight multiplications of the per-foot range, which is how a turnkey quote works on a simple, open, rectangular yard.
| Area | Cen-Tex Blend | Hill Country Blend | Texas Supreme |
|---|---|---|---|
| 250 sq ft | $2,250 to $2,750 | $2,750 to $3,250 | $3,500 to $3,750 |
| 500 sq ft | $4,500 to $5,500 | $5,500 to $6,500 | $7,000 to $7,500 |
| 1,000 sq ft | $9,000 to $11,000 | $11,000 to $13,000 | $14,000 to $15,000 |
| 2,000 sq ft | $18,000 to $22,000 | $22,000 to $26,000 | $28,000 to $30,000 |
These are planning numbers, not a quote. Access, slope, tree roots, existing hardscape and how many cuts the yard needs all move the real figure. We measure on site and put a firm number in writing.
What pushes a quote up
Access
Base rock comes in by the ton. If a wheelbarrow can get from the driveway to the yard, the job is efficient. If the only way in is through the house or around a narrow side gate, labor goes up. Rear yards on tight lots in central Austin are the usual case.
Cuts and edges
A plain rectangle uses turf efficiently. A yard with garden beds, a pool, stepping stones, a tree ring and a curved border needs more cuts, more seams and more waste. Turf comes on a 15 ft roll, so an odd yard shape can force extra material.
Slope and drainage work
If water already pools in the yard, that has to get solved under the turf. Turf drains at 30+ inches per hour, so the turf is almost never the bottleneck. The base is. Fixing grade before the base goes down adds cost, and skipping it is why some turf jobs hold water.
Demolition
Pulling out St. Augustine is routine. Pulling out an old concrete pad, a rock bed or a root mat from a mature live oak is not.
Pet and play zones
Dog areas get a different infill and, in our lineup, a step up in turf. A 45 oz face at 1 3/8 in pile will mat under daily dog traffic, and matting is not a warranty item. For a dog run we steer to Hill Country Blend or heavier. More on that in the pet turf guide.
Is turf cheaper than real grass in Austin?
No, not up front. Sod is far cheaper to install. Turf is a one-time cost that removes a recurring one. Whether it comes out ahead depends on how long you stay and what you currently spend on water and mowing.
The honest comparison is not price per square foot. It is this: sod costs a fraction of turf to put down, then costs you money every month for as long as you own the house. Turf costs a lot on day one and close to nothing after.
What turf removes from your monthly spend:
- Irrigation for that area, which in an Austin summer is the big one
- Mowing, whether that is a service or your Saturday
- Fertilizer, weed treatment and seasonal patching
- Re-sodding the parts that die in August
Run your own numbers rather than ours. Pull twelve months of water bills, look at the summer peaks against your winter baseline, and add whatever you pay for lawn service. That annual figure against the install cost tells you your own payback period. It varies enormously between a shaded 300 sq ft courtyard and a full sun 1,500 sq ft yard on a well.
Where turf clearly wins on cost: areas where grass keeps dying anyway. Deep shade under an oak, a dog run, a narrow side yard, a strip against a south-facing wall. If you are re-sodding the same patch every year, you are already paying for turf in installments.
What about Home Depot or DIY?
Big-box stores sell turf by the roll and hand the installation to a third-party contractor, so the shelf price is materials only and the labor is quoted separately. That is why the sticker looks cheaper than a turnkey number. It is not covering the same scope.
DIY is genuinely cheaper if you have the time and can rent a plate compactor. The parts most often gotten wrong are the ones that matter most and are the most expensive to redo:
- Not excavating deep enough, so the turf sits proud of the hardscape
- Under-compacting the base, which shows up as ripples and low spots in year two
- Seams that were not glued and pinned properly, which open up
- Too little infill, so the blades lie flat
Base failures do not appear on install day. They appear a year later, and by then the fix means pulling the turf back up.
How our quotes work
We do not give firm pricing over the phone, because a number given sight-unseen is a guess that gets revised later. The sequence is:
- A 15 to 20 minute on-site visit to measure and look at access, grade and drainage
- You see and handle all three turf samples in your own yard, in your own light
- A written quote in one to two days
John owns the company and runs the estimate himself, and there is a foreman on every job every day. We do not subcontract the install. Payment is by check, credit card or online. We do not currently offer financing.
Common questions about turf cost
How much does artificial turf cost per square foot in Austin?
Installed, $9 to $15 per square foot for a turnkey job covering demolition, base, turf, infill, edging and labor. The blend you choose accounts for most of the spread.
How much is 500 square feet of artificial turf?
Roughly $4,500 to $7,500 installed, depending on which of the three blends you pick and how complex the yard is to work in.
How much is 1,000 square feet of artificial turf?
Roughly $9,000 to $15,000 installed. Larger areas are slightly more efficient per foot on labor, but material is the bigger share of the cost at that size.
Is it cheaper to install real grass or artificial grass?
Sod is much cheaper to install. Turf is cheaper to own. Turf removes irrigation, mowing, fertilizer and re-sodding from your recurring costs, so the comparison depends on how long you plan to stay and what you spend on the lawn now.
Do you charge for an estimate?
No. The on-site visit and the written quote are free, and the quote is firm rather than a range.
Get a Firm Quote in One to Two Days
We measure on site, put all three samples in your hands, and put the price in writing. Owner-run, no subcontractors, across the Austin metro.