How Much Does a Website Cost in 2026?

Part 1 · The basics

Three price tiers, three very different sites

A website builder (Wix, Squarespace) costs $12–50/month and is enough for most small businesses. A template WordPress site costs $300–1,500 once, plus hosting. A custom build starts around $5,000 and goes up with features.

The real recurring cost is hosting + maintenance ($100–300/month professionally managed). Most business owners underestimate this by half.

Builder

$12–50/mo, domain included, drag-and-drop. Perfect for most small sites.

Template + hosting

$300–1,500 build, $5–30/mo hosting. Needs updates and security care.

Custom development

$5,000–20k+ for unique functionality, plus ongoing maintenance.

The hidden cost : A “cheap” $300 site with no maintenance becomes a $2,000+ emergency when it breaks or gets hacked. Budget for care from day one.

$50–500

Website builder yearly cost

domain + hosting included

$300–1,500

Custom design & build

template-based site

$5,000–20k+

Custom development

unique, hand-built site

$100–300/mo

Ongoing maintenance

hosting, care, updates

Part 2 · How it works

How to build it for the right price

Five steps that control the total.

1

Define the goal

A one-page business card site costs $300. An e-commerce store costs $5,000+. Know the purpose before you pay.
2

Pick the platform

Builder for simple sites, WordPress for flexibility, custom for unique needs. The platform sets the budget.
3

Register the domain early

Domains are ~$12/year. Register yours immediately — even if the site waits. Prices only go up.
4

Budget hosting separately

Shared hosting $3–15/mo, managed $30–100/mo. Don’t let hosting cost more than the site’s value.
5

Plan for maintenance

Set aside 10–20% of build cost per year for updates, backups and security.

Comparison

Website cost breakdown

2026 typical pricing, tier by tier.

Component	Typical cost	Recurring?	Notes
Domain name	$10–20 / year	Yes	Register early, prices rise
Website builder	$12–50 / month	Yes	Domain + hosting included
Shared hosting	$3–15 / month	Yes	For templates & small sites
Template + setup	$300–1,500	No	One-time build by a pro
Custom design	$1,500–5,000	No	Unique, professional brand
Custom development	$5,000–20,000+	No	E-commerce, apps, portals
Maintenance	$100–300 / month	Yes	Updates, backup, security

In detail

The three ways to build

Each path has a different price and skill requirement.

Builders (Wix, Squarespace)

Drag-and-drop, zero code
$12–50/month, everything included
Great for most small businesses

WordPress

Most flexible template ecosystem
$300–1,500 build + hosting
Needs updates and security care

Custom build

Full control, unique features
$5,000–40,000+ depending on scope
Requires ongoing development budget

E-commerce

Payment, inventory, shipping built in
$8,000–40,000+ for custom
Builders like Shopify: $29–299/mo

Interactive

Website cost calculator

Pick your path — see the first-year total and the monthly running cost.

Estimates only, based on your inputs.

Your situation

What fits your project

Match the path to your real needs.

Local business card site

A builder site at $12–50/mo is all you need. Add local SEO and reviews.

Service business

A template WordPress or builder site with booking covers it at $500–1,500.

Online store

Shopify or WooCommerce: $29–299/mo plus products. Custom only if you need unique features.

Portfolio / freelancer

A template site is plenty. Spend the saved budget on photography and copy.

Blog / content site

WordPress with a good theme at $300–800 build, $10–30/mo hosting.

SaaS / app

Custom development, $10,000–50,000+ plus ongoing engineering. Budget accordingly.

Pros & cons

Ways to keep it cheap & Where the budget bleeds

Ways to keep it cheap

✔Start with a builder and upgrade later — most sites never need to.
✔Register the domain early to lock the price.
✔Use a template and spend budget on content, not code.
✔Buy annual hosting plans — usually 2 months free per year.

Where the budget bleeds

✕Custom development for needs a builder solves.
✕Underestimating hosting and maintenance.
✕Skipping backups and security — then paying for the recovery.

Glossary

Website terms decoded

Web jargon in plain English.

Domain

Your web address (yourname.com), ~$12/year, renewed annually.

Hosting

The server space your site lives on, from shared to dedicated.

CMS

Content Management System — WordPress is the most common.

SSL certificate

Encryption for your site; most hosts now include it free.

Template / theme

A pre-designed layout you customize instead of coding.

Maintenance

Updates, backups, security and fixes — the recurring cost people forget.

Managed hosting

Hosting where the provider handles updates, backups and security for you.