How much does a website cost? Here are real numbers.
Most agencies answer this with “it depends” and a contact form. This page gives you the ranges for every route, the recurring costs nobody quotes up front, and TMN Creative's own published prices. If you only want the short version: a serious small-business site runs $2,000 to $10,000 once, plus roughly $20 to $200 per month to keep it running.
What each option actually costs.
Ranges reflect the US market in 2026 for small and mid-sized business sites. Where TMN publishes a fixed price, it is stated exactly.
DIY builder · $0 to $600 per year
Wix, Squarespace, or Shopify on a template. Plans typically run $16 to $50 per month, plus a domain and any paid apps. Real cost is your time: most owners spend 20 to 60 hours and still end up with something that looks like the template. You do not own the platform, and moving off it later means rebuilding.
Freelancer · $500 to $5,000 once
Wide quality range at the same price. A strong freelancer at $2,000 to $5,000 can be excellent value. The risks are availability and continuity: one person with other clients, and no backup if they stop responding. Ask what happens to your site if they disappear, and get the answer in writing.
Small studio · $2,250 to $10,000 once
Custom design and build, hand-coded or on a real CMS, with strategy and copy included. This is TMN's tier: $2,250 Starter Refresh, $3,750 Full Site Rebuild, $5,000+ Custom Studio Build. You get senior attention on a small roster and you own the files afterward.
Full agency · $10,000 to $100,000+
Account managers, discovery phases, brand work, and larger teams. Correct for enterprises, multi-location operations, complex ecommerce, and custom applications. Overkill for a practice or a local business that needs 8 good pages, and you will often pay for process rather than output.
What a website costs every month.
The build is one number. These are the recurring ones, and they are why “how much does a website cost per month” is the more useful question.
Domain · $10 to $25 per year
Renewed annually. Premium domains cost more, sometimes far more, but a normal .com is in this range. Keep it registered in your own account, not your developer's.
Hosting · $0 to $50 per month
Static sites can host free or near-free on modern platforms. WordPress typically runs $10 to $50 per month for decent managed hosting. Cheap shared hosting is usually slow, which costs you more in lost visitors than you save.
Care and updates · $0 to $500 per month
Content edits, security updates, backups, and monitoring. WordPress needs this more than a static site does, because plugins update and break. TMN's Site Care starts at $50 per month and is optional, not required to keep your site.
Email and tools · $6 to $100 per month
Business email, scheduling, forms, CRM, analytics. Analytics can be free. These are business tools rather than website costs, but they land on the same bill, so count them.
SEO or content · $0 to $5,000 per month
Entirely optional and entirely variable. Be skeptical of anyone guaranteeing rankings, because no one controls Google or ChatGPT. TMN's add-ons for care clients are published: AI Search Optimization at $200, Compliance Site Care at $250, and Content Care at $400 per month.
Realistic total
A small business running a static site with basic care lands around $50 to $150 per month all in. A WordPress site with managed hosting and maintenance lands closer to $100 to $300. Anything dramatically above that should come with a specific reason.
Why two quotes for “a website” differ by $8,000.
When quotes vary wildly, one of these is usually the reason. Ask about each before comparing numbers.
Page count and content
A 5-page site is not half a 10-page site, because the design system is the fixed cost. But who writes the words matters enormously. If you supply copy, you save real money. If the studio writes it, that is a significant part of the fee.
Custom design versus template
A template costs less and looks like a template. Custom design costs more and is the reason a site looks like your business instead of a category. This is the single biggest driver of price variance.
Integrations
Scheduling, payments, CRM, patient intake, MLS or IDX feeds, and inventory each add scope. Regulated industries add review cycles, which add time. Name every integration you need before asking for a number.
Who actually does the work
A $12,000 agency quote may route your build to a junior or an offshore team while an account manager fronts it. A $3,750 studio quote may mean the founder builds it. Ask who writes the code and who you email when something breaks.
What TMN Creative charges, published.
Same prices quoted to everyone, on the pricing page since launch. The final number and scope are confirmed in writing before work begins.
Starter Refresh · $2,250
A focused custom site for a single-location business or solo practice. First draft typically targets 72 hours after kickoff. Free homepage preview in 48 hours before you commit.
Full Site Rebuild · $3,750
A complete rebuild with deeper page architecture, service or specialty pages, and the content structure search engines and AI assistants can read. First draft typically targets 72 hours.
Custom Studio Build · $5,000+
Multi-location, multi-provider, regulated content, or custom functionality. First review typically targets 7 to 10 days. Scope and price confirmed before work begins.
Every build is hand-coded, with project files transferring to you after full payment subject to the signed agreement. No page-builder license, no retainer requirement, no hostage situation. Building for a law firm? See law firm website design cost. See how to verify any of this.
The questions behind the question.
How much does it cost to have a website?
Building it costs $0 to $100,000+ depending on route. Keeping it costs roughly $20 to $200 per month for most small businesses: domain, hosting, and optional care. A realistic all-in for a serious small-business site is $2,000 to $10,000 to build and $50 to $150 per month to run.
How much does a website cost per month?
For a static site with basic care, $50 to $150 per month covering hosting, domain, and content updates. For WordPress with managed hosting and maintenance, $100 to $300. DIY builders run $16 to $50 per month but you are renting the platform rather than owning the site.
How much does a website domain cost?
A standard .com runs $10 to $25 per year at any major registrar. Some registrars offer a cheap first year and renew higher, so check the renewal price. Premium or already-owned domains are negotiated separately and can run into the thousands.
Is a $500 website worth it?
Sometimes, if it is a competent freelancer using a template and you need presence rather than performance. It is not worth it if the site has to compete for customers, because at that price nobody is doing strategy, custom design, or original copy. For most businesses the honest floor for a site that earns its keep is around $2,000.
Why do agencies hide their prices?
Usually so the number can be set after they learn your budget. There are legitimate reasons for ranges, since scope genuinely varies, but a studio that cannot publish a starting price is choosing not to. TMN publishes starting prices and confirms the final number in the approved scope before work begins.
Should I pay monthly for a website instead of upfront?
Read what happens if you stop paying. In many monthly website plans you never own the site, and cancelling means losing it entirely. Those plans can total more than an outright build within 2 to 3 years. If you go monthly, get ownership terms in writing first.
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