How Much Do Permanent Christmas Lights Cost? (2026 Price Breakdown)
It's the first question everybody asks, and the answer has a huge range — because "permanent Christmas lights" can mean a $6,000 professional installation or a DIY kit you hang yourself in an afternoon. Here's what each option actually costs in 2026, including the costs nobody puts in the ads.
The short answer
- Professional permanent installation: $3,000–$6,000+ for an average home
- DIY permanent light kit: roughly $90–$600 total, depending on how much roofline you cover
- Hiring someone to hang regular lights every year: $300–$600 per season — every season, forever
Option 1: Professional installation
Pro installers price by the linear foot — typically $25 to $40 per foot installed, covering the track, lights, controller, and labor. Most homes have 100 to 200 feet of front roofline, which lands at $3,000 to $6,000. Two-story homes, steep or cut-up rooflines, and second-story peaks push higher.
What that money buys: a clean install you never touch, a warranty, and somebody else on the ladder. What it doesn't buy: flexibility. You're locked into that company's system, app, and replacement parts.
Option 2: A DIY permanent light kit
DIY kits cover the same roofline for a fraction of the price because you're providing the ladder work. Our GlowLine™ Permanent Outdoor Lights start at $89.99 with free shipping on every order. Most homes need two to four kits to cover the front eaves — call it $180 to $400 all-in for the typical house, front and peaks included.
The trade-off is honest: you install them yourself (most people finish the front of a house in an afternoon), and you don't get a pro warranty. What you do get is the same app control, the same color scenes for every holiday, and a system you own outright.
Option 3: The cost nobody counts — doing it the old way, every year
Regular Christmas lights look cheap until you add up the years:
- Hiring a seasonal installer: $300–$600 a year for hanging and removal. Over 10 years that's $3,000–$6,000 — the same as a permanent pro install, except at the end of it you own nothing.
- DIY seasonal lights: $50–$200 a year in lights and clips once you count the strands that die in storage — plus a weekend on a ladder every November and another in January, in the cold, every single year.
What about the electric bill?
Permanent lights are LEDs, and LEDs sip power. A typical home setup running every evening costs on the order of $1 to $3 a month — less than the porch light you forget to turn off. Electricity is not where the money goes in any of these options; installation and repetition are.
Quick comparison
| Option | Upfront | Per year after | 10-year total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pro permanent install | $3,000–$6,000 | ~$0 | $3,000–$6,000 |
| DIY permanent kit | $90–$600 | ~$0 | $90–$600 |
| Seasonal pro hang/remove | $0 | $300–$600 | $3,000–$6,000 |
| Seasonal DIY | $50–$200 | $50–$200 + your weekends | $500–$2,000 |
Common questions
How many feet of lights does an average house need?
Measure the eaves you want lit — most single-story homes run 100–150 feet across the front, two-story homes 150–200. Walk it with a tape or count your gutters; that number drives every quote.
Do permanent lights only work for Christmas?
No — that's the point of "permanent." Halloween orange in October, red-white-and-blue in July, your team's colors on game day, warm white for everyday curb appeal. One install, every occasion, changed in the app in seconds.
Are they worth it?
We broke that down honestly — pros, cons, and who should skip them — in Are Permanent Outdoor Lights Worth It?
The bottom line
If you want it done for you and warrantied, budget $3,000–$6,000 and get two pro quotes. If you're comfortable on a ladder for one afternoon, a DIY kit like GlowLine™ gets you the same year-round light show for a few hundred dollars — and either way, you stop paying the annual ladder tax. Every order ships free.