Study · October 2026
What it costs to get your Christmas lights hung in Canada
We read the websites of 569 Christmas light installers across Canada on October 29, in English and French, and wrote down every price they post. Most don’t post one. Here is what the rest charge.
is the typical starting price, on the sites that post one
The short version
Getting a price for Christmas lights usually means a phone call. Only 1 in 4 installers puts one on its website. Those that do tell a clear story: a few hundred dollars to start, about $1,200 for a typical home.
- 3 in 4post no price at all, not even a starting price
- $625is the typical starting price, on the sites that post one
- $6a foot is the typical rate to hang lights the company supplies
- 45%of companies that hang seasonal lights also sell permanent ones
A typical home: about $1,200, by the installers’ own numbersThat is the middle of the price ranges 36 installers give for an average house. Posted prices, before tax, read October 29, 2026.
Price your roofline
Tap a house, set the length, see what installers post
Low, typical and high come from the per-foot rates installers post on their own websites. No price on this page is a quote.
Most installers’ starting price: $625
At this length, the starting price applies.
Seasonal rates from 18 installer websites (All of Canada), lights supplied by the company. Starting prices from 74 sites (All of Canada).
Posted prices read October 29, 2026, before tax. Most sites charge extra for trees, wreaths, steep or tall roofs and hard access. Your quote can be different.
No single province has 15 sites posting a per-foot rate yet, so the per-foot rates are for all of Canada. Picking a province changes the starting price where that province has enough of them.
Show the rates behind the calculator
| Rate | Sites | Low (25%) | Typical (median) | High (75%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seasonal, per foot, lights supplied | 18 | $4.06 | $6 | $7.69 |
| Permanent track, per foot | 21 | $17.24 | $21 | $27 |
| Starting price, seasonal | 74 | $360 | $625 | $800 |
| Starting price, permanent | 42 | $1,715 | $2,300 | $2,745 |
What the price covers
Read the fine print next to the price
We read what the seasonal service includes on the 100 sites that post a seasonal price: the lights page, the price page and the FAQ. Most say the price includes takedown after the holidays. About 7 in 10 include repairs during the season, and 3 in 5 include storage until next year.
Some installers rent you the lights every season. Others sell them to you in year one, then charge less to hang them after that. Both are fair. They just aren’t the same price.
A low starting price can leave takedown out. Starting prices that don’t say they include it tend to be lower, so ask.
- Takedown after the holidaysMost
- Repairs during the season7 in 10
- Storage until next year3 in 5
- A timer1 in 3
Of the 100 sites that post a seasonal price
Per foot
What a foot of roofline costs
Only 7% of installers post a per-foot rate. Each bulb is one website’s lowest posted rate. The glow is the middle half, the dashed line is the typical rate.
Hung for the season, lights supplied
18 sites · typical $6 a foot, middle half $4.06 to $7.69
Permanent track lighting
21 sites · typical $21 a foot, middle half $17.24 to $27
Rates to hang lights you already own were posted by too few sites to show (2).
Show every per-foot rate
| Hung for the season, lights supplied | Permanent track lighting |
|---|---|
| $1.50 | $5.85 |
| $2 | $11 |
| $2 | $13 |
| $3 | $16 |
| $3.75 | $17 |
| $5 | $17.24 |
| $5 | $20 |
| $6 | $20 |
| $6 | $20 |
| $6 | $20 |
| $6 | $21 |
| $6.50 | $22 |
| $6.75 | $22 |
| $8 | $25 |
| $8 | $25 |
| $8 | $27 |
| $8.50 | $28 |
| $9 | $28 |
| $31 | |
| $32 | |
| $35 |
Permanent lights
Permanent lights cost about 3.5 seasons of having lights hung
At the typical posted rates, a 140 ft roofline costs about $840 a season to have lights hung, or about $2,940 once for permanent track. By year 4, the track has cost less.
45% of companies that hang seasonal lights also sell permanent ones. In Alberta it is 57%.
Posted prices only. Not counted: repairs, power, a controller sold apart, or a lower seasonal price after year one.
When to book
The calendar on installer websites
Of the sites that name a date, most say to book by October or November. Installs run from October to early December. Lights come down in January.
13%name a month to book by. 5% offer a discount for booking early.
14%give an install window. Most start in October.
26%say when lights come down. Almost all say January.
Show the months, site by site counts
| Month | Installs start | Takedown |
|---|---|---|
| Aug | 0 | 0 |
| Sep | 2 | 0 |
| Oct | 45 | 0 |
| Nov | 31 | 0 |
| Dec | 1 | 1 |
| Jan | 0 | 143 |
| Feb | 0 | 1 |
By province
Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta, up close
The three provinces with at least 15 installer websites posting a price. Pick one.
Ontario
7 in 10 Ontario installers post no price
- Highest starting price
- Least likely to also sell permanent lights
Not on the map: Thunder Bay (2), Green Valley (1), Cornwall (1), 7 with no clear town.
Where they do, a typical start is $700, the highest of the three
Greater Toronto: 29% of 97 installer sites post a price.
Next to its neighbours
Post a price
- Ontario29%
- British Columbia23%
- Alberta28%
- Canada25%
Typical starting price
- Ontario$700
- British Columbia$650
- Alberta$375
- Canada$625
Seasonal installers that also sell permanent lights
- Ontario40%
- British Columbia47%
- Alberta57%
- Canada45%
Quebec and Manitoba have too few sites posting a price to compare.
British Columbia
Fewer than 1 in 4 BC installers post a price, the fewest of the three
- Least likely to post a price
Not on the map: Prince George (3), Nelson (1).
In Greater Vancouver it’s 1 in 3
Across BC, 30 of 132 sites post a price. Where they do, a typical start is $650 (14 sites).
Next to its neighbours
Post a price
- Ontario29%
- British Columbia23%
- Alberta28%
- Canada25%
Typical starting price
- Ontario$700
- British Columbia$650
- Alberta$375
- Canada$625
Seasonal installers that also sell permanent lights
- Ontario40%
- British Columbia47%
- Alberta57%
- Canada45%
Alberta is its only neighbour with enough posted prices to compare.
Alberta
Alberta’s typical start: $375, the lowest of the three
- Lowest starting price
- Most likely to also sell permanent lights
- Calgary: the big city most likely to post a price
Not on the map: Grande Prairie (2), Lac La Biche County (1).
57% of Alberta’s seasonal installers also sell permanent lights
Calgary: 43% of 49 installer sites post a price, more than Greater Toronto or Greater Vancouver.
Next to its neighbours
Post a price
- Ontario29%
- British Columbia23%
- Alberta28%
- Canada25%
Typical starting price
- Ontario$700
- British Columbia$650
- Alberta$375
- Canada$625
Seasonal installers that also sell permanent lights
- Ontario40%
- British Columbia47%
- Alberta57%
- Canada45%
Saskatchewan has too few sites posting a price to compare.
In the big cities with at least 15 sites posting a price: 43% post a price in Calgary, 33% post a price in Greater Vancouver, 29% post a price in Greater Toronto.
Show every province
| Province | Sites read | Post a price | Typical starting price | Seasonal installers that also sell permanent lights |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ontario | 222 | 65 (29%) | $700 (38) | 40% |
| British Columbia | 132 | 30 (23%) | $650 (14) | 47% |
| Alberta | 103 | 29 (28%) | $375 (10) | 57% |
| Saskatchewan | 32 | Fewer than 15 sites post a price: too few to show | ||
| Quebec | 31 | Fewer than 15 sites post a price: too few to show | ||
| Manitoba | 29 | Fewer than 15 sites post a price: too few to show | ||
| Nova Scotia | 12 | Fewer than 15 sites post a price: too few to show | ||
| New Brunswick | 7 | Fewer than 15 sites post a price: too few to show | ||
| Prince Edward Island | 1 | Fewer than 15 sites post a price: too few to show | ||
Three in four installers make you call to find out what it costs
From 569 websites read October 29, 2026
Before you book
Six things to ask an installer
What the websites leave out tells you what to ask on the phone.
- 01
Is takedown included?
Most installers take lights down in January, and most posted prices include it. Some charge extra or don’t say.
Mostsay the price includes takedown - 02
Whose lights are they?
Renting means new bulbs every year and nothing to store. Buying means a bigger first bill and a smaller one after.
- 03
Where are the lights kept until next year?
Storage is often in the price, but not always. Ask before your garage fills up.
3 in 5include storage in the price - 04
Are you insured?
They’re on your roof. Ask for proof of liability insurance.
63%mention insurance on their site - 05
What if a strand goes out in December?
Ask if repairs during the season are free, and how fast.
7 in 10include repairs in the price - 06
When is the last day to book?
Schedules fill by November on most sites that say so.
13%name a book-by month
Run a Christmas light company? Putting a starting price on your site is the easiest way to stand out: three in four competitors don’t.
See how we design websites for Christmas light installersHow we did it
- 641installers on our list
- 612have their own website
- 596could be read
- 569hang holiday or permanent lights
- 144post a price of their own
Then three hand checks, blind: 60, 25 and 25 sites
What we read
Our list of 641 Christmas light installers in Canada, found in October 2026 from their own websites, social pages and ads. 612 have their own website. On October 29, 2026 we read the home page and up to 15 more pages of each, lights, price, FAQ and service pages first. 596 could be read (sites behind a bot check were read in a real browser). 569 offer holiday or permanent lights; they are the base for every share.
Prices
Every dollar amount near lights words went to a careful read with a written brief: only the company’s own posted price for holiday or permanent lighting, with what the text says it includes. Industry averages, other trades, shop items and insurance amounts don’t count. Each site counts once per measure, at its lowest posted price. We show the median and the middle half, before tax.
What the price covers and dates
For every site with a seasonal price, a second careful read went through the lights page, the price page and the FAQ for takedown, storage, repairs, timers and whose lights they are. Booking, install and takedown dates were read the same way on every site that mentions them.
Everything else
Insurance and French were read twice: by our own site reader and by English and French word lists. A thing counts as there if either one found it.
Hand check
Second readers checked random samples by hand, blind: 60 sites for prices, insurance, permanent lights and French, 25 for what the price covers and 25 for dates. We settled each disagreement against the page. A number is shown only where the two reads agree at least 9 times in 10. Where they agree less, as on takedown and whose lights they are, we use words like “most” instead.
Limits
Prices inside images, PDFs and quote tools are missed. A posted price is not a quote. Per-foot rates come from a small number of sites, so we give them with their counts. We name no company.
Use the numbers
Free to quote with a link to this page. Want the charts or a PDF for a story? Email us and we’ll send them. We won’t share which sites we read. Email us for the charts or a PDF
See every number: prices by kind of job, province, city and month
Cite this study
Figured Media (2026). What it costs to get your Christmas lights hung in Canada. https://figuredmedia.com/research/christmas-light-installation-prices-2026/
Photo credits
- The house at the top of the page: Christmas lights in Ottawa (49235590818), Ross Dunn, CC BY-SA 2.0
- The duplex in the photo band: December 25 at 1 am 2017, Québec City Limoilou, Canadá 01, Wilfredor, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Both from Wikimedia Commons, house numbers removed.
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