A locksmith is a professional who installs, repairs and removes locks from doors and offers other lock and security-related services for consumers and businesses. Here’s what I found when researching locksmith pricing in terms of average prices.
A locksmith visit costs around $155 on average depending on the work to be done with a minimum visit charge of $50 – $100. Per hour charges are as high as $75. After hours emergency charges are more expensive at $150 – $250 and a visit to open a car door costs $60 – $120 to start with.
Larger locksmith businesses also sell and install a number of security products including doors and door hardware, safes, home and commercial security systems, security cameras, access control systems, burglar alarms, audio/video intercoms, gates, fire escapes, window bars and more.
How much does a locksmith cost?
Due to the wide range of services offered, locksmith charges and costs vary widely. Your location matters too as some areas are more expensive than others and emergency or 24/7 service costs more too.
A general range of locksmith charges for one visit is around $85 – $175 with $129 – $155 being a reasonable range that you can expect for routine work.
Here are sample prices that I found online for various popular locksmith services that you may require.
| Locksmith Service | Locksmith Price Range |
| Service call | $74 |
| Duplicate a home key | $4 – $74 |
| Duplicate a car key | $60 – $240 (chip keys cost more) |
| Reprogram transponder key | $70 – $200 |
| Rekey home lock | $75 – $130 per visit ($19/lock) |
| Rekey commercial lock | $100 – $200 per visit ($23/lock) |
| Change locks | $75 – $200 |
| Unlock a door or car door | $60 – $120 |
| Fitting a new key | $35 |
| Remove key broken in door | $25 – $50 |
| Car ignition repair | $75 – $225 |
| Keypad lock replacement | $150 – $450 |
| Drill a safe | $350 |
| Labor | $50 – $75/hour plus service call fee |
What does a locksmith do?
Depending on the locksmith in question, they will tend to offer a wide variety of services including:
- Installation of new locks on consumer homes and commercial buildings.
- Repair of existing consumer and commercial locks.
- Replacement of existing consumer and commercial locks.
- Key replacement for homes, buildings and cars.
- 24/7 emergency service for urgent enquiries in the case where you have lost your keys.
More specifically, here are the major target markets that locksmiths serve and services typically offered.
Consumer Locksmith Services
- New lock installation services.
- Lock changing services for existing locks.
- Lock repair services ie. fixing worn out or damaged locks.
- Home lockout services ie. locked out of your home, lost your keys, lock is broken, key broke in the keyhole.
- Rekeying lock services ie. changing the pins inside an existing lock when you move into a resale home or apartment to ensure no one else has access to old keys.
- Safe opening services ie. you are locked out of your home safe, safe is broken.
- 24/7 emergency services.
Commercial Locksmith Services
- Commercial lock installation, repair and replacement.
- Commercial doors and door hardware sales and installation.
- Master key systems for larger companies and businesses with multiple user groups.
- Access control system ie. key fob and other entry systems.
- Safe sales and installation.
- Security consulting services including building and fire code adherence.
- 24/7 emergency services.
Car Locksmith Locksmith Services
- Lost car key and car lock out services.
- Key FOB programming and replacement.
- Car key, door lock and ignition replacement services.
Tip: Before calling a locksmith for your car, contact your car manufacturer, car dealer or your auto emergency service first to enquire as to what they suggest. Modern cars have remote unlock services that you might use to unlock a car without cost to you. Also, try your car insurance company as they might have a suggestion or advice as to how to proceed and may refer you to a trusted provider.
How much does a locksmith cost to change locks?
A locksmith may charge $75 – $200 to change a lock completely. The cost is a combination of the service visit, the cost of the new lock (if they provide it), labor to remove the old lock, labor to install the new lock and the skill that you’re paying for. Multiple locks will of course raise the price and you will also pay more for the time (hourly rate).
Plus, if the old and new locks are different sizes, there might be some additional work done to fit the new lock properly on the door.
How much does a locksmith cost for a car?
Price ranges for this service can range widely given the different styles of keys and locking mechanisms that exist.
Opening a car door will cost around $60 – $120. Car ignition repair may cost $75 – $225. Replacing a car key may cost as little as $4 for a basic key or as much as $75 – $250 for a transponder key that is so commonly found these days. To replace a door lock can cost $200 – $600 and rekeying the car may cost $50 – $300.
Other car services can be more expensive if it involves reprogramming a higher end car key fob with a chip or transponder. You might be better off contacting your car dealer or manufacturer first to see if you can it find it cheaper or to see if a warranty covers it.
Auto locksmiths may be specifically trained in the field of auto locksmithing. This training can take several years when it’s learned properly so when searching for a locksmith for your car, ensure it’s an actual auto-trained one.
What is the difference between rekeying and changing locks?
Rekeying a lock means that a locksmith replaces the pins inside the locking system with new ones so that the old key doesn’t work any longer and a new key is used in its place.
In order to rekey a lock, you do need a copy of the current key so as long as you have that, you’re fine. Rekeying a lock typically takes about 10-15 minutes and is a standard job for a locksmith.
In some cases rekeying a lock may not be possible and a complete lock change might be necessary. If an existing lock is damaged, worn out or your house was broken into, these would be common cases where a new lock would be a better option.
In addition to being more work in general, replacing a lock might mean the door needs to be drilled or otherwise adjusted to accommodate a lock that is bigger or smaller than the one it’s replacing.
If you upgrade your lock to a keypad entry system or key chip system, you should also expect to pay more.
Is it cheaper to rekey or replace locks?
Rekeying a lock is typically much cheaper than replacing a lock completely. When rekeying, you are just replacing the pins inside the lock and supplying a new key. The rest of the lock is the same and remains in place.
Replacing a lock means just that: Removing the old lock from the door and replacing it with a brand new locking mechanism and key set.
Why are locksmiths so expensive?
Locksmiths may complete their work – particularly opening a car door, extracting a broken key from a keyhole, etc – in very short time, several minutes in some cases. You pay locksmiths for the result not the time that it takes. After all, if is was that easy we’d do the work ourselves.
It’s human nature to think that we’re paying for the actual time involved rather than the work and skill. We’re used to being charged for a period of time like 30 minutes or 1 hour and receiving a service that takes that long ie. massage therapy, therapist appointment, tanning salon session, etc.
A qualified locksmith might have to be certified depending on where they work. They may also have completed several months of training and quite possibly have done a 2-3 year apprenticeship program in some cases. Plus they typically have to be bonded or have passed a security clearance given that they may be entering a person’s home or business to do the work.
When you add up the cost of driving to your location, parts, labor and the skill provided, it comes with a charge. And if you achieve the result you’re looking for, isn’t that the important part?
Major lock manufacturers and brands
You will see a number of brands of lock and locking mechanisms on the market and many names that tend to be easy to find. Here are some of the major brands on the market.
- Schlage
- Yale
- Weiser
- Master Lock
- KABA
- ASSA ABLOY
- Baldwin Hardware
- ALLEGION plc
- Mul-T-Lock
- EVVA
- Medeco Security Locks
- SARGENT Manufacturing
- Arrow Lock & Door Hardware
- Corbin Russwin
Summary
- If you’re moving into a new home or business previously occupied, it’s not a bad idea to rekey or change the main locks into the building for safety.
- A locksmith charges a fee for the skill and experience they provide in addition to parts and actual labor. The work might not take very much time to complete but you are paying for the result.
- If you live in a condo or apartment, check with your HOA, board or management office before changing or adding a lock. Some buildings have rules concerning changing locks as they may need a spare key to enter your unit in an emergency ie. water leak, fire.
- You can improve the strength of your doors and locking systems to ensure your door can’t be kicked in by a thief.
- Don’t forget your garage door(s) too. Investing in a high quality garage door opener can help give some convenience and also security.
- Home and commercial security isn’t just about securing the doors with locks but can be increased with monitored security services to act in parallel in the case where you are broken into.