Cost guide
How much does tile installation cost?
The cost of a tiled bathroom or terrace is made up of materials and labour. If you know the area, format and room type, you can estimate the price far more accurately than with a flat per-square-metre figure.
The planning tool opens after free sign-up.
By the floorplanning.app editorial team
Material costs: tile, adhesive, grout
The biggest item is often the tile itself: €20–80/m² is typical, design and natural stone much more. Add adhesive (about €5–10/m²), grout (€2–5/m²) and special profiles. Our tip: calculate the exact tile count before ordering.
What matters in practice
Labour costs: complexity counts
Tilers often charge €40–80/m² in 2026, depending on region and effort. Small bathrooms, diagonal, herringbone and many cuts cost more. A large living room with straight rows is cheaper per square metre.
Format and room shape affect the price
Large format costs more tile per square metre because of higher waste – up to 30% more in small rooms. Our analysis of 500 rooms shows small formats often get by with under 5% waste.
Save with planning
Anyone who optimises cuts in advance can reduce material demand by 5–15%. The tool’s optimisation tests many orientations and computationally reuses offcuts. This saves money, transport and disposal.
Which costs come from where?
Separate the cost drivers before comparing quotes.
Materials
Tiles, adhesive, grout, profiles, waterproofing, and reserve.
- Format and quality
- Waste and reserve
- Special parts and profiles
Labour
Surveying, preparation, cutting, laying, and detail work.
- Substrate and removal
- Patterns and many cuts
- Region and accessibility
Price example: 20 m² bathroom
Tiles €35/m² = €700, adhesive/grout approx. €200, labour €60/m² = €1,200. Total around €2,100. In small bathrooms the share for labour and waste rises.
Cost factors at a glance
So you can realistically estimate the price for your project.
- Tile price per m² by material and format
- Adhesive, grout, profiles and special accessories
- Labour costs by region and effort
- Extra cost from diagonal, patterns and cuts
- Savings through optimisation and exact quantity calculation
How to calculate the costs
1. Set room area and format
Create the floor plan and choose a format with low waste.
2. Research material prices
Ask the retailer for tile, adhesive, grout and profiles.
3. Ask labour costs in your region
Get several quotes, mention complex details like niches.
4. Calculate waste and reserve
Use the tool to determine quantity including waste and reserve.
5. Compare quotes
Check total costs and savings potential through planning.
Total cost = material quantity × material price + area × labour rate + additional work
Example: Example: a 20 m² bathroom is not the same as 20 m² of material. Derive cuts and reserve from the floor plan first.
Regional prices, substrate conditions, and manufacturer requirements can change the estimate substantially.
Examples from the tool
This is what it looks like planned out
The numbers above do not come from a spreadsheet but from a real layout. You can open these example projects directly – floor plan, laying plan and material list, exactly as the tool outputs them.
Small bathroom with tub and stud wall
Under 3 m² of floor left, but two cutouts: this room produces more cut tiles than full ones – exactly where the m² rule of thumb fails.
- 2.82 m² · 30 × 60 · 2 mm joint
- 9 full tiles, 22 cuts
- 35 tiles incl. 10% reserve
Three-room flat, one grid
Six rooms, eleven walls, five doorways – and a single herringbone grid running through every opening. Material is calculated for the whole flat at once.
- 63.79 m² across 6 rooms
- 90 × 30 herringbone, one grid
- 334 planks · 199 cuts
Terrace on pedestals
L-shaped terrace with a planting bed cut out: slab grid, slope and every support point – including the pedestal parts list.
- 20.78 m² · 60 × 60 · 4 mm joint
- 79 slabs incl. 8% reserve
- 97 pedestals · 1.5% slope
Opens the read-only client view of a share – the same one you create for your own projects with Premium.
Common questions
What does a tiler charge per m²?
In 2026 the price in Germany is usually between €40 and €80/m². More in big cities and with complex patterns.
Is it cheaper to tile yourself?
Material costs stay the same, labour is saved. But for complex patterns a professional can save material and avoid mistakes that become expensive later.
Why is a small bathroom more expensive per m²?
Because many cuts, corner work and detail work increase the time required. A large rectangle is faster for the tiler to lay.
How much more does diagonal laying cost?
Often 10–20% more material and 20–30% more labour time. In our analysis the surplus was a median of 24.8 percentage points.
How can I save costs?
Choose a format that fits the dimensions well and produces little waste, and calculate the material quantity exactly. Reuse offcuts where possible.
Related calculators & guides
- The 10% rule is wrongWe ran 500 floor plans through our laying engine. Result: real material surplus ranges from under 2% to over 58%. Method, tables and raw data to…
- Large or small format?Eight formats, 500 rooms, the same room per run: 20×20 gets by with a median surplus of 0.3%, 60×120 needs 17.4%. The full comparison table.
- Calculate tile material demandCalculate tile quantities accurately, including full tiles, cuts, waste, and reserve, and get a reliable material list for purchasing.
Calculate costs for your project
Create your room, choose a format and determine the exact tile count including waste – the basis for a sound cost calculation.
The planning tool opens after free sign-up.