Start With Carlsbad's Own Price List
The City of Carlsbad keeps an engineering unit price list to size the bonds that builders post for street work. The current one is for fiscal year 2024 to 2025, dated November 2024. It is a list of installed prices, labor and material together, for concrete work in town.
It is not a bid, and it is not our price. But it is the city's own math, and it is a good place to start a budget. We put it next to the County of San Diego list from July 2024, which runs lower.
| Item | Carlsbad | County |
|---|---|---|
| 4 inch concrete walk or slab | $14.64 | $7.84 |
| Remove and dispose of old walk | $3.68 | $2.14 |
| Driveway approach at the curb | $21.14 | $9.99 |
| Stamped decorative concrete | $15.10 | $7.12 |
| 4 inch class II base | $3.07 | $1.00 |
Three Common Jobs
| Job | County | Carlsbad |
|---|---|---|
| Replace a 400 sq ft driveway slab, 20 by 20 ft | $3,992 | $7,328 |
| New 200 sq ft patio, 10 by 20 ft | $1,568 | $2,928 |
| Replace a 4 by 50 ft front walk | $1,996 | $3,664 |
The math. A replaced slab is the removal price plus the new 4 inch price, times the square feet. A new patio is the new price only. So the Carlsbad driveway is $3.68 plus $14.64, times 400, or $7,328. If the soil needs a base course, add $1.00 to $3.07 a sq ft.
Now add the city. A new apron at the curb is a right of way permit, $584 for minor construction on the city fee schedule, plus a deposit set by the City Engineer. A 120 sq ft apron at the unit prices is another $1,199 to $2,537 in work. See the permit guide.
The Price of Concrete by the Yard
No ready mix plant in the County posts a retail price online. The closest public number we found is a city contract. The City of San Diego buys from Pedroza Ready Mix under a supply contract signed in October 2024. It lists $205.50 a cubic yard for 3,250 psi and $212.50 for 4,000 psi. Color in the truck adds $30 a yard.
That is a bulk price for a big buyer, so treat it as the floor. A single Carlsbad driveway is about 5 yards with a little extra. Ask the plant for the price per yard, the short load charge and the delivery fee to your street.
Bags, Steel and Forms From the Store
Carlsbad has no Home Depot inside city limits. At the Encinitas store just south, a 90 lb bag of Quikrete concrete mix was $6.87 on October 31, 2026, with 463 in stock. The Quikrete data sheet says that bag makes about 0.675 cubic feet, so a cubic yard takes 40 bags, or $274.80. The Oceanside store had the same price.
- #4 rebar, 10 ft, $6.32, or $5.37 each for 50 or more
- Remesh sheet, 42 by 84 in, $21.67
- 2x4 by 8 ft form board, $3.95
- 24 in grade stakes, 12 pack, $12.98
- Clear concrete sealer, 1 gallon, $28.98
The list prices are from Home Depot on October 31, 2026, and matched at every San Diego County store we checked. A 400 sq ft slab with steel on an 18 inch grid takes 60 ten foot bars, about $322.
Getting Rid of the Old Slab
Old concrete is heavy. The FHWA uses 145 pounds per cubic foot. A 400 sq ft slab at 4 inches is about 133 cubic feet, close to 9.7 tons.
The Miramar Landfill fee schedule from July 1, 2026 charges $257 a ton for C&D debris from outside the City of San Diego. That puts the old slab near $2,490 if it is landfilled. Closer to home, the City of San Diego list of certified C&D recycling facilities names Palomar Transfer Station on El Camino Real in Carlsbad for mixed C&D loads. Call them for the rate.
What the Crew Earns
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports May 2025 pay for the San Diego, Chula Vista and Carlsbad area. Cement masons and concrete finishers average $35.73 an hour, and half earn more than $31.98. Construction laborers average $29.08.
A day of wages for one mason and two laborers at the average comes to $751.12. The contractor also pays payroll tax, trucks, tools, the yard and the office. So the labor on a bid is more than the wage math.
What Changes a Carlsbad Price
- Coastal lots, where the city may ask about the coastal zone first
- Clay soil that needs more base
- Work at the curb, which brings the right of way permit and deposit
- Slopes, steps and walls on hillside lots
- Stamping, color or exposed aggregate
- Truck access, or a pump on tight lots
- HOA sign off in planned communities
Send photos and rough sizes with your request, and we will give you a written price for your lot.