How Much Does a Bathroom Remodel Cost in Chicago? (2026)

A bathroom remodel in Chicago and the northwest suburbs runs $6,900 to $32,900 in 2026. A standard hall or guest bath is $6,900 to $9,900, a spa-level primary bath with a tiled shower and double vanity is $13,900 to $19,900, and a full luxury primary bath with a layout change runs $22,900 to $32,900.

Those are the numbers we quote across Chicago, Hoffman Estates, Schaumburg, Arlington Heights, Palatine and the rest of northwest Cook County. Bathrooms have the widest cost spread of any room in the house because so much of the money is hidden behind the tile.

Bathroom remodel cost by scope

Standard bath: $6,900 to $9,900

Timeline: 3 to 7 days. Financing from $149 a month.

The hall bath, the guest bath, the kids' bath. Fixtures stay where they are:

• New tub or tub-to-shower conversion in the existing footprint

• New tile on the walls and floor

• New vanity, sink, faucet and toilet

• New exhaust fan and lighting

• Paint, trim and accessories

Spa bath: $13,900 to $19,900

Timeline: 1 to 2 weeks. Financing from $299 a month. This is the most-booked package.

• Curbless or low-curb tiled shower with a glass enclosure

• Double vanity with quartz top

• Heated floor

• Niche, bench and upgraded fixtures

• New plumbing rough-in within the existing walls

Luxury primary bath: $22,900 to $32,900

Timeline: 2 to 4 weeks. Financing from $499 a month.

• Layout changes, including borrowing space from a closet or adjacent room

• Freestanding tub plus a separate walk-in shower

• Relocated plumbing and new venting

• Custom vanity, stone slab surfaces, designer fixtures

• Permits and inspections

Quick reference table

Where the money actually goes

Labor, not materials

A bathroom is the most labor-dense room per square foot in a house. Plumbing, electrical, waterproofing, tile setting, glass and finish carpentry all happen in a space smaller than most closets, and each trade has to finish before the next starts. Labor is typically 50 to 60 percent of a bathroom budget.

Whether the plumbing moves

Keeping the toilet, tub and vanity in place keeps the number in the lower band. Moving a toilet means opening the floor and re-running the drain at the correct slope, which on a slab or over a finished ceiling gets expensive quickly.

Waterproofing

The layer nobody sees and the one that decides whether the bathroom lasts fifteen years or leaks in three. In older northwest suburban homes we routinely find failed pans and rotted subfloor once the tile comes off. Budget for the possibility.

Tile choice and tile size

Large-format tile needs a flatter substrate, which means more prep. Mosaic and herringbone patterns cost more to set. The tile price per square foot is rarely the real driver, the installation time is.

Glass

Frameless shower glass is custom-measured after the tile is in and is one of the larger single line items in a spa bath.

Ways to bring the cost down

• Leave the fixtures where they are. This is the single biggest lever available.

• Convert the tub to a shower instead of doing both. In a hall bath a well-built shower beats a tub nobody uses, though keep one tub in the house if you are ever selling to families.

• Use a standard-size tile in a straight lay and spend the savings on the shower fixtures you touch daily.

• Keep the vanity single if the room is under 60 square feet. A cramped double vanity is worse than a generous single.

• Get it itemized. A lump-sum bathroom quote hides where the money is and makes trade-offs impossible.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a bathroom remodel cost in Chicago?

$6,900 to $32,900 depending on scope. A standard bath is $6,900 to $9,900, a spa bath is $13,900 to $19,900, and a luxury primary bath is $22,900 to $32,900.

What is the average cost to remodel a bathroom?

In this market most homeowners land between $13,900 and $19,900, which buys a tiled shower, a quartz double vanity, heated floor and new fixtures with the plumbing staying where it is.

How much does it cost to remodel a small bathroom?

$6,900 to $9,900 for a full remodel of a standard 5x8 hall bath, assuming the tub, toilet and vanity stay in their existing positions.

How long does a bathroom remodel take?

3 to 7 days for a standard bath, 1 to 2 weeks for a spa bath, and 2 to 4 weeks for a luxury primary bath with a layout change.

Do I need a permit to remodel a bathroom?

If you are replacing fixtures in place and retiling, usually not. If you are moving plumbing, changing the layout or altering electrical service, yes. Each village runs its own process and review times differ, so we pull permits as part of the job rather than leaving it to you.

Can you finance a bathroom remodel?

Yes. 0% for 12 months on approved credit with a soft credit check that does not affect your score, with payments starting at $149 a month.

See our bathroom remodeling packages, browse completed bathrooms, or read 7 bathroom ideas that add instant luxury.

Get a real number for your project

Every range on this page is a range because we have not seen your home yet. We come out, measure, and send an itemized written estimate within 5 business days. No charge, no obligation.

Pana Pro Builders is a family-run general contractor licensed by the City of Chicago (TGC142642), working out of Hoffman Estates and serving Chicago plus Schaumburg, Arlington Heights, Palatine, Mount Prospect, Elk Grove Village, Des Plaines, Park Ridge, Rolling Meadows, Inverness and Barrington.