Stairlifts

Stair Lift Cost: A Complete Guide for Consumers

January 27, 2022
Woman on the stairlift

How Much Does it Cost to Put in a Stair Chair Lift?

The price of a chair lift will depend on your staircase. If your home has a straight staircase with eight-foot ceilings, you should budget anywhere from $3,250 to $7,500 to purchase a new stair lift. The average cost usually ends up in the middle of this range, between about $4,000 and $5,000. These prices include installation as well as a one-year service warranty.

How Much Does a Stair Lift Cost?

Starting your stair lift journey begins with examining your staircase. Consider if your staircase is straight or has turns and corners. Knowing this helps you choose the right type of stair lift.

If you already know what kind of stair lift you need, like a straight, curved, or outdoor one, use the buttons below to see the costs for each type. This helps you understand how much you might spend.

If you’re not sure which stair lift is right for you, keep reading. We’ll guide you through the options to help you make a good choice. The right stair lift is not just about fitting your stairs, but also about safety, comfort, and ease of use.

Bruno Elan Straight Stair Lift

We receive many calls from customers asking, “How much does a stair lift cost?” While we strive to be as transparent as possible, the reality is that there is no simple answer to this question. That’s because a stair lift is a piece of highly technical machinery, and there is no one-size-fits-all solution.

Chair Lift for Stairs Cost Will Vary Based on Custom and Unique Options

Some of the cost variations of a chair lift are due to the variety of models and manufacturers that we offer. Just as with buying a car, different chair lifts for stairs have different base prices as well as unique available options. A stair lift in the $3,250 range will be a more basic model, purchased with the goal of transporting a user up and down a staircase. This type of unit may have limited options for add-ons. A stair lift that starts in the $4,500 range will be a higher-end model and may have standard features such as a slimmer profile and higher weight capacity. It would also have additional customization options, such as power-folding rail and seat material and color options to better match your home’s décor.

While this cost may seem high at first, it is important to consider the costs of alternatives. You could move out of your multi-story home in favor of a single-story unit, but this comes with realtor fees, closing costs, and moving costs, not to mention the emotional cost of giving up your home and neighborhood. If you were to move into an assisted living facility, you would pay $4,300 per month, on average – at that rate, a lift would have paid itself off after just the first month! Nursing home costs are even higher, averaging $8,800 per month for a private room. By comparison, the cost is trivial and comes with the added benefit of staying comfortable and independent in the home you love!

Check out our stair lifts for sale here >

Stair Lift Rental Cost

Straight Rail Stairlift at the top of the stairs

Sometimes you only need a stair lift for a short period of time, whether you’re recovering from a surgery or need to accommodate mom while she visits for the holidays. That’s why we offer a selection of our straight stair lifts for rental, often with terms as short as three months. Stair lift rental cost will vary depending on rental inventory and customer requirements, but often range between about $175 – $450 per month. This economical option ensures that nobody needs to struggle through a short-term need.

Curious about rental options? Click here to learn more about our rental options

Financing Available at Participating Locations

We know that everyone has different needs when it comes to chair lifts for stairs, so we’ve partnered with Hearth at many of our locations to offer you flexible financing options. Hearth specializes in personalized financing plans for chair lifts for stairs, making it easier to find a plan that fits your and your family’s budget. They have a simple pre-qualification process that helps you understand your options quickly.

Hearth is dedicated to helping you find the best financial solution for your chair lift for stairs, ensuring that it’s affordable and meets your needs. To learn more about these financing options for your chair lift for stairs, just get in touch with your local 101 Mobility location. Our team is ready to guide you through Hearth’s financing plans and help you make the right choice for your home.

Pre-Owned Stair Lifts

Folded Straight Rail Stairlift

How Much Does a Used Stair Lift Cost?

We offer a variety of lightly used lifts for sale at a discounted price. These are typically units that had been previously rented out but are still in like-new condition. Our inventory of used stair lifts fluctuates, but if you let our consultants know you are interested in refurbished options we will do our best to identify a unit to fit your needs. Cost varies based on the make and model of the unit but is often between $500 to $1,500 less than retail price. They are still backed by our expert installation so you can be sure that your lift is set up to run safely and reliably.

Click here to learn more about stair lifts

Custom Curved Stair Lift Prices (for Stairways with Curves, Turns, or Landings)

Bruno Elite Curve Stair Lift

Some homes have more complex stairways with curves or landings, where a straight rail stair lift simply will not fit. If this sounds like your home, worry not – you still have options! We offer models that are meant to be customized to fit your home’s unique staircase, so they can accommodate nearly any stairway. These models are referred to as “custom curved stair lifts”.

How Much Does a Curved Stair lift Cost?

Because of the customized nature of these models, they often cost more than the standard straight rail stair lifts. Prices typically begin at about $10,000 – $12,000 and can increase depending on the complexity of the staircase, such as total length and number of landings, and any additional features selected to meet your needs. Despite the higher cost, it is important to consider that a custom stair lift will still pay itself off in only a few months in comparison to the cost of an assisted living facility. For someone who uses a stair lift for just five years, the average cost would be under $200 / month – a nominal fee for the ability to stay comfortably in the home you love!

Click here to learn more about our custom curved options

Outdoor Stair Lift Prices

For outdoor staircases, such as patio steps, decks, and docks, we offer a variety of outdoor stair lifts. Just like their indoor counterparts, outdoor lifts are available with standard straight rails or custom curved rails. They are specifically suited to withstand the elements, such as cold weather, rain, and salt air, and come with seat covers to keep the chair as well as the rider safe from the sun on rain. Pricing varies, but straight outdoor lifts typically cost between $4,000 and $7,000. Outdoor curved stair lift prices start at $12,000 and can increase depending on the length and complexity of the staircase.

Click here to learn more about our outdoor options

DIY Stair Lifts

Straight Rail Stair Lift

Want to save money by installing your stair lift yourself? You might want to think again. Many online retailers have popped up promising bargain prices for lifts sold over the web with the expectation that the customer will perform a DIY installation. However, stair lifts are complex pieces of machinery and should not be treated like toaster ovens and coffee makers. We often receive calls from people who were lured in by the low cost, only to find that the stair lift does not fit their staircase or the unit does not work correctly. Even worse, the seller offers no assistance or stops responding altogether, while the customer is stuck with a dysfunctional, dangerous piece of machinery.

At 101 Mobility, we do not support the DIY stair lift model. We care about our customers’ safety, which is why each of our stair lifts comes with professional installation – our installers undergo thorough training from our manufacturers before installing anything in a customer’s home. We also include our one-year service warranty to keep your stair lift running like-new while providing additional peace of mind. Whether your lift needs routine maintenance or you have a question days, months, or even years down the road, you can count on us to be there for you.

Next Steps

Mobility Consultant showing product information via the tablet to the customer

Indoor or outdoor, straight or curved, we have a stair lift to fit your staircase.

Find your local 101 Mobility to talk to an expert and schedule a free consultation, where we will talk to you about your needs and assess the staircase and surrounding area in order to help you find the best stair lift for your home.