PriceReality

What Does an 8 kW Solar System Cost?

The figure below includes the parts of the job that do not shrink when the job does — the permit, the delivery, the crew's morning. That is why a smaller job costs more per kW than a bigger one.

By PriceReality Editorial· Type estimate range, not a quote
$22,600 – $25,800installed, before regional adjustment

Adjust for your state

Fixed costs of $200 are included in every figure on this page, so the per-square-foot price falls as the job gets bigger.

What the number is made of

Every figure on this page follows the same arithmetic: a fixed portion for permits, delivery and getting a crew to your address, plus a per-kW rate for material and labor. The fixed part is why the per-kW price on this page is not the same as on a larger job.

Cost breakdown for this size
ComponentLowHigh
Fixed costs (permits, delivery, setup)$200$200
Materials$21,018$23,994
Labor$1,582$1,806
Total$22,600$25,800

The same size, five different states

Material prices do not change at the state line. Labor does. These five states sit at different points of the federal wage distribution for this trade.

Same job, adjusted for state wages
StateLabor factorLowHigh
Oklahoma×0.79$22,260$25,412
Arizona×0.85$22,364$25,531
West Virginia×0.92$22,473$25,656
New Hampshire×1.08$22,720$25,937
Illinois×1.40$23,234$26,524

Only the labor line moves between states. That is a deliberate limitation, not an oversight: state-level material pricing is not something we have reliable data for, so we do not pretend to.

By material

Installed cost at this size, by material
MaterialLowHigh
Monocrystalline (standard)$22,600$25,000
Monocrystalline TOPCon$24,200$27,400
Polycrystalline$21,000$23,400

Other sizes

The same job at other sizes
SizeLowHigh
3 kW$8,600$9,800
4 kW$11,400$13,000
5 kW$14,200$16,200
6 kW$17,000$19,400
7 kW$19,800$22,600
8 kW ←$22,600$25,800
10 kW$28,200$32,200
12 kW$33,800$38,600

Updated October 2026

Figures are computed from a fixed-cost-plus-rate model: $200 fixed, plus $2,800 to $3,200 per kW installed, with 7% of the variable portion treated as labor. Labor is adjusted with U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS wage data by state. Material ranges come from published 2026 cost data. These are planning ranges, not quotes.