How Much Is Artificial Grass?

Initial Costs

• For the sake of comparison, we'll compare the costs associated with artificial grass to the costs associated with real grass for a 1,000-square-foot area. The initial installation cost of artificial grass is $9 per square foot, whereas the initial installation of a "regular" lawn is $2 per square foot. That means that it will cost $9,000 to install artificial grass and $2,000 to install real grass on a 1,000-square-foot area.

Upkeep Comparison

• The costs of upkeep for a real lawn includes water (irrigation), maintenance, fertilizers and other chemicals. Watering in some areas will run $100 per month, or $1,200 a year. Maintenance is estimated to be $100 a month for the average lawn, equaling another $1,200 a year. Fertilizers and other chemical applications cost an average of $200 per year. That is a total of $2,600 per year for lawn care. If the cost of lawn maintenance is cut by five months in areas that don't enjoy year-round lawns, the cost is $1,600. The only maintenance needed with an artificial lawn is a power wash with disinfectant. The annual cost of such a power wash in 2010 was $350.

Long Term Costs

• The average life span of an artificial lawn is 10 years. To get a clear picture of whether it is worth the initial investment, one must compare the costs over that 10-year time period. Factoring in the initial cost of installation and the power washes that must be performed annually, artificial grass has a final price tag of $12,500 over a 10-year time frame. During that same time, a real lawn in an area that enjoys grass year-round is $28,000, including installation and yearly upkeep. The costs for a real lawn in an area that has only seven months of lawn upkeep per year is $18,000 over a 10-year period.

Other Considerations

• Pet urine can't kill artificial grass, so there's never a need to replace sections of the lawn due to brown grass. The time normally spent on mowing, weeding and fertilizing the lawn can be used in another way. A home with artificial grass is guaranteed a green lawn year-round.