Monthly Pool Maintenance Cost
Owning a pool costs money every month it's open. This calculator gives you the running number — chemicals, pump electricity, water top-up, and service — from your pool's size, sanitation type, and state. Here's the figure and how we get to it.
How we estimate monthly pool maintenance
The model is additive: four independent line items that sum to an in-season monthly figure. We annualize that over your region's open season — or over 12 months if the pool is heated and runs year-round.
- Chemicals. Sanitizer plus balancers, scaled to your water volume. Chlorine carries a higher ongoing spend; saltwater spends less but amortizes a replacement salt cell (~$800 every ~5 years).
- Electricity.The filter pump is the main draw. It scales with surface area and your state's electricity price, and rises when the pool is heated and circulates longer.
- Water. Evaporation top-up — roughly a quarter inch a day in season, more for warm heated water.
- Service. Labor only. DIY is zero; partial is occasional pro visits; full service is a weekly tech. Chemicals, power, and water are their own lines, so nothing is double-counted.
Estimates are a planning ballpark, not a quote. Data last updated June 30, 2026.
Plan the rest of your pool
What it costs to build the pool itself — by type, size, and features, or by drawing your footprint on a satellite map.
Compare gas, heat pump, and solar heating — install price and the seasonal operating cost that sits on top of this upkeep figure.
Pool maintenance cost FAQs
- How much does it cost to maintain a pool per month?
- Most inground pools run about $80–$300 a month while they're open, which works out to roughly $1,200–$3,600 a year. The figure depends mainly on pool size, whether you use chlorine or saltwater, whether the pool is heated, and how much of the work you hand to a service company.
- What's included in pool maintenance cost?
- This calculator adds four monthly line items: sanitation chemicals, electricity to run the filter pump, water to replace evaporation, and optional service labor. Heater fuel and one-off repairs are not included — the pool heating calculator covers running a heater.
- Is saltwater cheaper to maintain than chlorine?
- Month to month, saltwater pools usually spend less on chemicals. But a saltwater system uses a salt-chlorine-generator cell that costs around $800 and lasts about five years, so we amortize that into the monthly chemical line. Net, the two are closer than they first appear.
- Does a heated pool cost more to maintain?
- Yes. Heated pools tend to run year-round, so we annualize over 12 months instead of just the swim season, and warmer water means more evaporation and longer pump circulation. The heater's own fuel or energy cost is estimated separately in the pool heating calculator.
- How can I lower my monthly pool costs?
- The biggest levers are doing the upkeep yourself instead of paying for weekly service, running a variable-speed pump to cut electricity, using a cover to slow evaporation and heat loss, and keeping chemistry balanced so you buy fewer corrective chemicals.