Home โบ Cities โบ Saint Louis, MO โบ Plumbing
๐ง Plumbing ยท Saint LouisA plumber in Saint Louis charges roughly $70/hour โ driven by the BLS OEWS national mean hourly wage of $32.74 for SOC 47-2152, the MO cost-of-living index of 88.5, and the standard 2.4ร contractor markup. Below: project-by-project pricing.
| Project | Time | Typical cost | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard service call (diagnosis + minor repair) | 1โ2 hours | $157 | $129 โ $189 |
| Drain cleaning (sink, tub, or floor drain) | 30โ90 min | $92 | $75 โ $110 |
| Single-fixture leak repair (faucet, supply line) | 1โ2 hours | $166 | $136 โ $200 |
| Toilet replacement (you supply fixture) | 2โ3 hours | $192 | $158 โ $231 |
| Water heater replacement (40โ50 gal tank) | 4โ6 hours | $1,119 | $918 โ $1,343 |
| Sewer line repair (spot repair, not full replace) | 1โ2 days | $1,795 | $1,472 โ $2,154 |
| Whole-house re-pipe (1500 sq ft, PEX) | 3โ5 days | $5,057 | $4,147 โ $6,069 |
Local rate = BLS national mean ร 2.4 markup ร (MO COL 88.5/100). Materials adjusted by the same factor.
A licensed plumber handles anything that touches the pressurized water supply, the DWV (drain-waste-vent) system, the gas line, or fixed gas-fired appliances like water heaters and pool heaters. A typical service call begins with a 15โ30 minute diagnosis: the plumber will run faucets, check water pressure at a hose bib (40โ80 PSI is normal), inspect supply lines and shut-off valves, and โ if the call involves a drain โ usually run a snake or scope a camera before quoting the repair. Bigger jobs (re-pipes, sewer-line work, water-heater swaps) require a written scope, a permit pulled in the homeowner's name, and at least one rough/final inspection by the local building department.
A plumber who quotes a major job sight-unseen, refuses to put the price in writing, or asks for more than 30% up front. Door-to-door "I noticed something wrong with your house" pitches after a storm are almost always scams.