How Much Does a Concrete Patio Cost?
A concrete patio costs 6 to 12 dollars per square foot for a plain or broom finish, or 12 to 25 dollars per square foot for stamped or stained concrete, installed in 2026. A 12 by 12 foot patio, 144 square feet, runs about 900 to 1,700 dollars in plain concrete, while a 20 by 20 foot patio runs 2,400 to 4,800 dollars. Below is a size by size cost table, what drives the price up or down, and a calculator that sizes the concrete for your patio.
Key takeaways
- Plain, broom-finish concrete patios cost 6 to 12 dollars per square foot installed in 2026; stamped or stained runs 12 to 25 dollars.
- A 12x12 ft patio (144 sq ft) costs about 900 to 1,700 dollars in plain concrete; a 20x20 ft patio (400 sq ft) runs 2,400 to 4,800 dollars.
- Labor makes up 50 to 60% of the total cost, with concrete, base material and forms covering the rest.
- Removing an old patio before the new pour adds 2 to 6 dollars per square foot on top of the base price.
- A standard patio slab is poured 4 inches thick, needing about 1.36 cubic yards of concrete per 100 square feet with a 10% waste allowance.
Concrete patio cost per square foot in 2026
A plain, broom-finished concrete patio costs 6 to 12 dollars per square foot installed, which covers the concrete, base prep, forms and a basic finish. Decorative options push the price higher: stamped concrete runs 12 to 25 dollars per square foot, and stained concrete costs 8 to 25 dollars per square foot depending on the technique.
Exposed aggregate sits in between at 7 to 18 dollars per square foot. Across all finishes, most homeowners land around 9 to 15 dollars per square foot for a standard backyard patio once labor, materials and site prep are included.
| Finish | Cost per sq ft |
|---|---|
| Plain / broom finish | $6 to $12 |
| Exposed aggregate | $7 to $18 |
| Stained | $8 to $25 |
| Stamped | $12 to $25 |
The fastest way to turn a footprint into a firm number is to enter your dimensions in the concrete slab calculator, which returns the cubic yards, bag count and an estimated cost for your exact patio size.
Concrete patio cost by size, 10x10 to 20x20
Cost scales with area, but not perfectly, since delivery minimums and setup time stay roughly fixed no matter how small the pour is. The table below assumes a standard 4 inch slab with a 10% waste allowance built into the cubic yard figure.
| Patio size | Sq ft | Cubic yards | Plain cost | Stamped cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 x 10 ft | 100 | 1.36 | $600 to $1,200 | $1,200 to $2,500 |
| 12 x 12 ft | 144 | 1.96 | $864 to $1,728 | $1,728 to $3,600 |
| 16 x 16 ft | 256 | 3.48 | $1,536 to $3,072 | $3,072 to $6,400 |
| 20 x 20 ft | 400 | 5.43 | $2,400 to $4,800 | $4,800 to $10,000 |
Smaller patios often cost more per square foot than the table suggests, because a crew and a truck show up whether the pour is 80 square feet or 400. Combining a patio with a walkway or pad in the same visit usually lowers the effective rate for both.
What drives the price: labor, thickness and reinforcement
Labor typically makes up 50 to 60% of the total bill, covering excavation, formwork, placing, finishing and cleanup. Materials, mainly the ready-mix concrete itself at roughly 125 to 180 dollars per cubic yard delivered, make up the rest.
Thickness affects both material cost and durability. A patio only needs to be 4 inches thick to carry foot traffic and outdoor furniture; the deeper 5 to 6 inch slabs covered in how thick a concrete slab should be are for driveways carrying vehicle loads, not patios.
Reinforcement adds 0.50 to 2 dollars per square foot, whether that is welded wire mesh, rebar on a grid, or fiber mixed directly into the concrete. It is optional on a small patio but recommended in freeze-thaw climates to control cracking.
Extra costs: demolition, base prep and sealing
Removing an existing patio before the new pour adds 2 to 6 dollars per square foot, depending on slab thickness and whether the old concrete needs to be hauled away or can be broken up on site.
Base preparation, meaning excavation, compacted gravel sub-base and grading for drainage, is usually included in a standard quote but can add 1 to 3 dollars per square foot on soft or uneven soil.
Stamped and stained finishes need resealing every 2 to 3 years to protect the color and surface, which runs 0.50 to 1.50 dollars per square foot each time, a cost plain concrete does not carry.
Plain vs stamped vs stained: which is worth it
Plain concrete is the cheapest and lowest-maintenance choice, with no color to fade and no resealing schedule to keep. Stamped and stained finishes cost roughly double to triple per square foot but mimic stone, brick or pavers without the per-unit labor those materials require.
If a patio is essentially a small, undecorated slab, its pricing tracks closely with the general cost to pour a concrete slab, since labor and base prep are nearly identical for both.
Pricing a driveway instead of a patio? Driveways need thicker concrete and heavier reinforcement to carry vehicle loads, which is why the cost of a concrete driveway runs higher per square foot than a patio of the same size.
How to budget a concrete patio project
Get at least two or three quotes and confirm what each one includes: demolition of any existing slab, base prep, control joints, and finish. Quotes that look unusually low often exclude one of these steps and add it back as a change order later.
Ask specifically about thickness and reinforcement, since a contractor quoting a thinner slab or skipping wire mesh can undercut a more solid bid by a wide margin. Matching quotes on the same thickness and reinforcement is the only fair way to compare them.
Once you have a target size in mind, enter the dimensions into the concrete slab calculator above to see the cubic yards, bags and an estimated cost range before you start calling contractors.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a 12x12 concrete patio cost?
Is it cheaper to pour concrete or use pavers for a patio?
How thick should a concrete patio be?
How much does it cost to remove an old concrete patio?
Is stamped concrete worth the extra cost for a patio?
References
- Concrete (Wikipedia)
- NRMCA: Ready Mixed Concrete
- ACI 332: Residential Concrete Code
- QUIKRETE: Concrete Mix product data