Short answer: on a typical 200-foot roofline, permanent lights cost about $4,800 to $7,000 once. A crew costs about $500 to $1,400 every season. At the middle of both ranges, permanent pays for itself in about six years, and you get lights every night of the year instead of a few weeks.
The 10-year math for a 200-foot roofline
| Hire a crew | Permanent (Nex-Gen) | |
|---|---|---|
| Price basis | $2.50 to $7 per foot, every season | $24 to $35 per foot, once |
| Year 1 | $500 to $1,400 | $4,800 to $7,000 |
| After 5 years | $2,500 to $7,000 | $4,800 to $7,000 |
| After 10 years | $5,000 to $14,000 | $4,800 to $7,000 |
| After 15 years | $7,500 to $21,000 | $4,800 to $7,000 |
| Nights lit per year | A few weeks around the holidays | Every night you want |
| Colors | Whatever was hung | Warm white plus 16 million colors |
Crew totals assume the same price each year; real prices tend to rise. Permanent totals are the installed price only.
When does permanent break even?
- Best case (low permanent price, high crew price): about 3 to 4 years.
- Middle of both ranges ($5,900 vs $950 a year): about 6 years.
- Worst case (high permanent price, low crew price): about 14 years.
If you only pay for a small front display, like HomeAdvisor's Kansas City average job of about $327, a crew stays cheaper for a long time. Permanent lights make the most sense when you'd light most of the roofline, or when you'd use them for more than Christmas.
What the price doesn't show
- Year-round use. Warm white every night, plus every holiday and game days.
- No booking scramble. Crews book up in November. Permanent lights are already there.
- No clips or nail holes. Lights sit inside a track that's color matched to your trim.
- No ladders. If you hang lights yourself, that's the biggest difference of all.
When a crew still makes sense
- You plan to move in the next couple of years.
- You only want lights a few weeks a year, on a small part of the house.
- You love the look of classic strands, wreaths and trees in the yard.
Want your own numbers? Use the calculator in our Kansas City cost guide.