Know what your asphalt driveway should cost
An 800 sq ft asphalt driveway costs $3,550 to $6,050 in 2026, about $6 per sq ft installed. Across every option it runs from $1,800 (resurface the existing one) to $10,400 (full-depth with deep base).
Four questions gets you an itemised range, adjusted for construction wages where you live. The whole number, up front, before we ask for anything.
What asphalt driveway work costs in 2026
| Project | Typical range |
|---|---|
| New driveway Two-inch surface over a fresh stone base | $3,550 – $6,050 |
| Resurface the existing one New layer over sound asphalt, no excavation | $1,950 – $3,350 |
| Heavy-duty three-inch For RVs, trucks or a shared drive | $4,550 – $7,750 |
| Full-depth with deep base Poor soil, wet ground or heavy frost | $5,150 – $8,750 |
Where the money goes
Hot-mix asphalt
$1,580 · 33% of the job
Paving crew and compaction
$1,340 · 28% of the job
Excavation and stone base
$1,060 · 22% of the job
Equipment and mobilisation
$480 · 10% of the job
Permits and inspection
$340 · 7% of the job
Asphalt Driveway cost by state
Labour is the part of this job that moves with geography. These are the same 800 sq ft project, priced against construction wages in each state.
- California $3,700 – $6,300 +4.6% vs national
- Texas $3,600 – $6,100 +1.3% vs national
- Florida $3,350 – $5,650 -6.0% vs national
- New York $3,700 – $6,300 +4.4% vs national
- Louisiana $3,550 – $6,050 -0.1% vs national
- Massachusetts $3,900 – $6,700 +10.5% vs national
- Maryland $3,600 – $6,100 +0.6% vs national
- Maine $3,350 – $5,750 -5.1% vs national
- Michigan $3,550 – $6,050 +0.4% vs national
- Minnesota $3,700 – $6,300 +4.2% vs national
- Missouri $3,500 – $6,000 -1.3% vs national
- Mississippi $3,300 – $5,600 -7.7% vs national
Questions homeowners ask
How much does a 20x20 asphalt driveway cost?
That is 400 square feet, so roughly $1,800 to $3,000 installed. Small jobs carry a mobilisation minimum, bringing a paving crew and a roller to site costs the same whether the driveway is 400 square feet or 800, so the price per foot is higher than on a large one.
How much is 2,000 sq ft of asphalt?
About $8,900 to $15,100 installed for a new driveway at standard two-inch depth. At that size it is worth pricing the heavy-duty three-inch option too, because the extra asphalt is a smaller share of the bill once the base work is already being done.
What is cheaper, a blacktop or asphalt driveway?
Neither. They are the same material. Blacktop is just the common name for hot-mix asphalt, so a quote for one is a quote for the other. If two bids differ, the difference is in the depth, the base prep or the crew, not the material.
Is it cheaper to resurface than to replace?
Considerably. Resurfacing an 800 square foot driveway runs about $1,950 to $3,350, against roughly $6,400 to tear out and replace it. Overlay only works if the base below is still sound, if the surface has sunk, cracked in an alligator pattern or holds water, a new layer over the top will fail the same way within a couple of years.
Reviewed and maintained by Anchorcost. Last checked September 3, 2026. Figures are verified against this page's own calculator on every build. How these figures are worked out.