Concrete Lifting Cost Calculator
Lifting a sunken slab costs $4–9 per square foot with mudjacking and $8–25 with polyurethane foam, and most contractors charge a $300–700 minimum. A sunken 10×20 ft driveway section runs about $800–1,800 to mudjack or $1,600–5,000 to foam-lift, against $1,500–3,400 to tear out and replace. Enter what sank, its size, and how far it dropped to see both lifting prices next to the replacement cost in your metro.
Estimated Lifting Cost, 200 sq ft
Mudjacking (cement slurry)
$800 – $1,800
Polyjacking (polyurethane foam)
$1,600 – $5,000
Mudjacking $4–9/sq ft, foam $8–25/sq ft, with a $300–700 job minimum
Lift or Replace?
Lift it
Mudjacking runs about 53% of the replacement cost here; foam is about 134%, so compare quotes. Fix the drainage or washout that caused the drop, or it will sink again.
Lifting prices: HomeGuide 2026 mudjacking and polyjacking price tables. New-slab prices: the SlabCalc Concrete Cost Index (state DOT bid records, adjusted to residential work).
Lifting Tips
- →Measure only the sunken section, not the whole driveway: contractors price the slabs they lift
- →Small jobs are priced by the job minimum, so bundle every sunken slab into one visit
- →Fix the downspout, grading, or leak that washed the soil out, or the slab will sink again
- →Lifting only works on slabs that are still in one piece; broken, crumbling concrete needs replacing
- →Ask each contractor for the price per square foot, the minimum charge, and the warranty in writing
For general step-by-step instructions, read our complete Mudjacking Vs Polyjacking and Mudjacking.
How Much Does Concrete Lifting Cost?
Concrete lifting costs $4–9 per square foot for mudjacking and $8–25 per square foot for polyurethane foam lifting (polyjacking), installed, based on HomeGuide's 2026 price tables. Most lifting contractors also set a job minimum of about $300–700, so a single sunken sidewalk square or stoop costs the minimum no matter how small it is. The table below shows typical job sizes.
| Project | Typical size | Mudjacking | Polyjacking (foam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steps or stoop | 40 sq ft | $300–500 | $320–1,000 |
| Sidewalk | 100 sq ft | $400–900 | $800–2,500 |
| Patio or porch | 150 sq ft | $600–1,400 | $1,200–3,800 |
| Driveway section | 200 sq ft | $800–1,800 | $1,600–5,000 |
| Garage floor | 360 sq ft | $1,400–3,200 | $2,880–9,000 |
| Pool deck | 400 sq ft | $1,600–3,600 | $3,200–10,000 |
| Full driveway | 450 sq ft | $1,800–4,100 | $3,600–11,300 |
Lift or Replace: What a New Slab Costs in Your Metro
The calculator compares lifting with tearing the slab out and pouring a new one. The replacement side uses the SlabCalc Concrete Cost Index, built from state DOT bid records for 21 US metros, plus $2–6 per square foot for removal and haul-away. For a 200 sq ft driveway section, mudjacking ($800–1,800) costs:
| Metro | New driveway, per sq ft | Replace 200 sq ft (incl. removal) | Mudjacking as share of replacing |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York, NY | $10.80–24.00 | $2,560–6,000 | 30% |
| Denver, CO | $7.19–12.38 | $1,838–3,676 | 47% |
| Chicago, IL | $5.56–8.29 | $1,512–2,858 | 59% |
| Tampa and Orlando, FL | $5.17–10.29 | $1,434–3,258 | 55% |
| Dallas, Houston, Austin, San Antonio, TX | $4.71–8.01 | $1,342–2,802 | 63% |
Lifting pays off most where new concrete is expensive. In the four Texas metros, where new flatwork is cheapest, mudjacking comes to about 63% of a replacement, past the 60% line where most contractors would tell you to replace. Those are also among the metros with the most expansive clay under them: Dallas scores 76 and San Antonio 77 out of 100 in the SlabCalc Soil Risk Index, so slabs there are more likely to move again after a lift.
Mudjacking vs Polyjacking Cost
Mudjacking pumps a cement-and-sand slurry through 1.5–2 inch holes. It is the cheaper method and fills large voids well, but the slurry weighs roughly 100 lb per cubic foot and needs about 24 hours before you drive on it. Polyjacking injects expanding polyurethane foam through holes about 5/8 inch wide. The foam weighs about 2–4 lb per cubic foot, will not wash out, and cures in about 15 minutes, which is why it costs more. The full comparison is in mudjacking vs polyjacking.
What Drives the Price
- Area lifted: the main cost driver. Measure only the slabs that sank.
- Job minimum: dominates repairs under about 75–100 sq ft.
- Depth of the drop: a deeper void takes more material; drops over about 4 inches are often quoted as replacements.
- Access: slabs behind fences or far from the truck add hose runs and labor.
- Extras: crack sealing, joint caulking, and drainage fixes are usually priced separately.
For project-specific advice see sunken driveway repair and sunken sidewalk repair. If the slab has to be replaced, price the new pour with the concrete driveway cost calculator.