Material choice moves the per-foot price more than anything else
Chain link sits at the basic tier — the 0.75× multiplier puts it around $22.50 per linear foot installed (0.75 × $30). It's the least expensive option because the material itself is cheap and installation is fast, but it offers no privacy and the least curb appeal of any common fence type. Wood privacy fencing sits at the standard tier ($30 per linear foot) — full visual privacy and the classic backyard look, at the cost of periodic staining or sealing every 2–3 years to keep it from graying and warping.
Vinyl, aluminum, wrought iron, and composite fencing sit at the upscale tier — the 1.65× multiplier puts these around $49.50 per linear foot (1.65 × $30). Vinyl and composite trade a higher material cost for near-zero maintenance over the fence's life; aluminum and wrought iron trade privacy for an ornamental look that typically doesn't need refinishing at all. Match the tier to how long you're staying in the house — the maintenance savings on vinyl or aluminum take years to offset the higher upfront cost versus wood.
See also: Siding Replacement Cost — $8–$25 per sqft of exterior wall. The same exterior-project season as a fence install — bundle bids for a full property refresh.
Measure the actual fence line, not your property perimeter
The single most common estimating mistake on a fence project is confusing the property's full recorded perimeter with the length of fence actually needed. Most residential fence jobs don't enclose the entire lot line — a shared front-yard side often stays open, and an existing structure, wall, or neighbor's fence frequently closes part of the boundary already. Walk the actual intended fence line with a measuring wheel or a long tape and add it up section by section; don't pull a perimeter number off a tax assessor's plat map and assume that's your job.
Once you have the real linear footage, add roughly 5–10% before finalizing a budget to account for gate widths (a gate opening still needs posts and hardware, but less fabric than a solid run) and for the fact that post spacing rarely divides your total run into whole panel widths without at least one custom-cut section. The calculator above takes your actual measured length — plug in the real number, not a rounded guess.
Frost depth, property lines, and HOA review are what stall a signed bid
Fence posts have to be set below the local frost line or they heave and lean within a few winters — frost depth runs from essentially 0 inches along the Gulf Coast and southern Florida to 42+ inches across the northern tier and much of the Mountain West. Your contractor should already know the local code depth, but it's worth asking directly, since a shallow-set post is the single most common reason a "new" fence needs post repair inside five years.
Before any digging starts, confirm the property line — a professional survey if there's any doubt, or at minimum a documented setback check against your local zoning ordinance — because moving a fence that turns out to encroach on a neighbor's land or a utility easement is far more expensive than the survey would have been. And if you're in an HOA or deed-restricted community, get material, height, and often color pre-approved in writing before you sign a contractor bid; HOA rejection after a fence is installed is a real and expensive failure mode, not a hypothetical one.
Compare: Room Addition Cost — $130–$400 per sqft. New additions often reshape the yard footprint a fence line needs to work around.