Artificial Grass vs Sod Cost Calculator for Canada
Compare artificial grass and real sod for your yard, laid by a pro or done yourself. For sod, we add a year of mowing.
Measure the area
Measure the lawn area only.
Your answer
- Artificial grass, laidMiddle of 12 installers. Typical: $10–$22 a sq ft.
- Sod, laidAll 10 landscapers. ON, AB, MB about $2.60; BC about $4.75.
- Turf only (DIY)Lawn area only, at 5 installers' prices. Whole 15 ft widths, base and infill cost more.
- Sod only (farm pickup)Picked up at the farm. Middle of 11 farms and yards.
Mowing the sod: about $1,560 a year (24 × $65). $65 is a medium-lawn price; small lawns run $45–$55 (2 companies). We use 24 cuts, the middle of 20–28. Change both under "Change prices".
These are typical prices, not quotes. Sod costs more in BC than in Ontario or the Prairies.
Prices we used
Laid: the middle of 12 turf installers and 10 sod landscapers. DIY: 5 installers' turf prices and 11 sod farms and yards. Few pages say if tax is in; we show them as before GST/HST (Oct 2026).
Quick answers
- Artificial grass per sq ft
- About $16.75 laid, the middle of 12 installers. Typical ranges are $10–$22.
- Sod installation per sq ft
- Laid, about $2.60 in Ontario, Alberta and Manitoba (7 landscapers). BC runs about $4.75 (only 3 landscapers). The calculator uses $2.98, the middle of all 10. Before tax.
- A 500 sq ft yard
- Turf is about $8,375 laid. Sod is about $1,490, plus $1,080–$1,320 a year to mow a small lawn.
- Lawn mowing
- About $65 a cut, the middle of 5 companies. A May to October season costs $1,200–$2,000 (only 2 companies).
- Turf roll width
- 15 ft wide. Some rolls are 12 ft.
How to work it out
- Measure the lawn's length and width in feet. Multiply the two for the lawn's square feet.
- Multiply the square feet by each price per sq ft.
- For sod, add mowing: cuts in a season × price per cut.
- Divide the extra cost of turf by a year of mowing. That is how many years turf takes to pay back.
20 × 25 = 500 sq ft
Turf: 500 × $16.75 = $8,375
Sod: 500 × $2.98 = $1,490
Mowing a small lawn: 24 × $45–$55 = $1,080–$1,320 a year
$6,885 ÷ $1,320–$1,080 = 5.2–6.4 years
When does turf pay for itself?
Turf costs more to lay. Sod needs mowing every year. This table finds when the mowing adds up to turf's extra cost.
| Lawn | Turf | Sod | Mowing a cut | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500 sq ft | $8,375 | $1,490 | $45–$55 | 5.2–6.4 |
| 1,000 sq ft | $16,750 | $2,980 | $45–$55 | 10.4–12.8 |
| 2,000 sq ft | $33,500 | $5,960 | $65 | 17.7 |
| 3,000 sq ft | $50,250 | $8,940 | $65 | 26.5 |
24 cuts a year. Under 2,000 sq ft we use small-lawn prices (2 companies); bigger lawns use the $65 medium price. Counts mowing only.
Treat the years as rough. If you mow it yourself, turf may never pay back on mowing alone.
Turf has upkeep too. One Ontario landscaper says the infill needs topping up every 2–3 years, at $300–$800 a time.
Sod, done yourself
Sod picked up at the farm is about $0.55 a sq ft, the middle of 11 farms and yards. The sod calculator counts the rolls.
Laying turf yourself
Here is what a 20 × 25 ft yard needs.
Turf
Rolls come 15 ft wide, so you buy whole widths. Strips 20 ft long need 600 sq ft of turf. Strips 25 ft long need 750 sq ft.
So buy 600 sq ft, not 500. At $5.00 a sq ft, that is $3,000.
Stone base
Canadian installers lay crushed stone under turf. At 4 in deep, this yard takes about 6.2 cubic yards (4.7 m³) once packed.
Order about 8.3 cubic yards of loose stone. That is 35% more for packing down, as two Quebec yards do. The gravel calculator can price it.
Infill
Sand infill goes on top, about 1.5 lb a sq ft. That is 750 lb (340 kg), or 30 bags of 25 lb.
This figure comes from two US makers and one Canadian installer. One Scarborough store sells 25 lb bags of green turf infill (SYNLawn) for about $41.
Turf and infill come to about $4,230, before the stone base.
Store rolls or installer turf?
Store turf rolls cost about $2.50 a sq ft. That is the middle of 4 prices at only 2 stores, in Toronto and Scarborough ($1.29–$3.69).
Those rolls are 12 ft wide, sold by the square yard as turf carpet. Installers price the turf they lay at about $5.00 a sq ft. Our DIY price uses the installers' figure.
What lawn mowing costs
We found 5 lawn companies in Ontario and Alberta. They charge $45–$100 a cut, and the middle is $65.
A season runs May to October, with 20–28 cuts. Only 2 companies say what that costs: $1,200–$2,000.
Got a quote? Type its price per visit and visits a year under "Change prices" in the calculator.
In Ontario, 3 companies charge $50–$100 a cut for a medium lawn. Two Calgary companies charge less per cut for weekly visits than for a single cut.
Questions people ask
How much does it cost to lay artificial grass in Canada?
About $16.75 a sq ft laid. That is the middle of 12 installers in Ontario, BC, Alberta and Quebec. Their prices run from $5 to $40.
How much to lay artificial grass per m²?
About $180 per m², laid. Most installers charge $108–$237 per m². These are their sq ft prices × 10.76, and none say if tax is in.
How much to lay fake grass or artificial turf yourself?
The turf alone is about $5.00 a sq ft ($54 per m²), at 5 installers' prices. For a 20 × 25 ft yard, whole roll widths plus sand infill cost about $4,230. The crushed stone base is extra.
Is artificial grass cheaper than sod?
Not at first. For 500 sq ft, turf costs $6,885 more. Mowing a small lawn costs $45–$55 a cut (2 companies). On mowing alone, turf catches up in about 5.2–6.4 years.
How much does lawn mowing cost in Canada?
About $65 a cut for a medium lawn, from 5 companies in Ontario and Alberta. Weekly visits cost less per cut.
How wide are artificial grass rolls?
Installers and makers sell rolls 15 ft wide. Some are 12 ft, like the store rolls we found.
How much infill does artificial grass need?
About 1.5 lb of sand per sq ft. Two US makers say 1–3 lb. One Canadian installer uses 1 lb.
What goes under artificial grass?
Packed crushed stone. Canadian installers use 2–6 in; we use 4 in (100 mm).
Where our numbers come from
- Artificial grass price: the middle of 12 Canadian installers (Oct 2026)
- Artificial turf, material only: 5 installers' figures (Oct 2026)
- Store prices: Ontario Home Depot, RONA, Home Hardware and Chamberlain Timber Mart (Oct 2026)
- Sod installed: 10 Canadian landscapers (Oct 2026)
- Sod prices: 11 Canadian farms and yards (Oct 2026)
- Lawn mowing price: 5 Canadian lawn-care companies (Oct 2026; few prices)
- Turf upkeep: Project Landscaping, cost of artificial grass in Ontario (2026)
- Artificial turf roll width: installers and makers
- Artificial turf infill: makers' sheets (1–3 lb per sq ft)
- Artificial turf base: 6 Canadian installers
- Quebec yards: bulk calculators (tonne, packing)
Made by BuildersCount. Last checked 4 Oct 2026.
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