A website can cost USD 1,500 or USD 100,000 and both prices can be fair. The difference is what the site has to do. Here is how the pricing breaks down.
Website cost by type
| Type | Best for | Typical market cost |
|---|---|---|
| Brochure site on a theme | New businesses, consultants, local services | USD 1,500 to 4,000 |
| Custom designed corporate site | Established companies that compete on trust | USD 4,000 to 12,000 |
| E-commerce store | Selling products online | USD 3,000 to 15,000 |
| Enterprise website | Several regions and languages, approval workflows, integrations | USD 15,000 to 50,000 |
| Web platform or portal | Logins, dashboards, bookings, marketplaces | USD 10,000 to 100,000+ |
Typical market ranges, not a quote.
Brochure site
Five to ten pages on WordPress, Webflow, Wix or Squarespace, built on a quality theme and adjusted to your brand. It tells people who you are, what you do and how to reach you. It is the right choice when the website supports your sales but does not drive them.
Custom designed site
The design is drawn for your business from a blank page. The structure follows how your buyers decide. This matters when visitors compare you against three competitors in open browser tabs. A site that looks like a template loses that comparison before anyone reads a word.
E-commerce store
Shopify or WooCommerce covers most stores. Cost depends on the number of products, the payment and shipping rules, and how far the design moves from the base theme. A store with 50 products and standard checkout sits at the low end. A store with custom product builders, subscriptions or multiple currencies sits at the top.
Enterprise website
Large organisations need more than design. Several languages and regions. A content management system with approval workflows. Integration with CRM and marketing tools. Accessibility to WCAG standards, a security review and uptime commitments. The build is a programme with stakeholders from marketing, IT and legal, and the budget reflects that.
Web platform
Once users log in and do something, you are buying software, not a website. Member portals, booking systems, auction sites and internal dashboards all belong here. These are priced like apps because they are apps.
What you pay after launch
- Domain, USD 10 to 20 a year
- Hosting, USD 5 to 50 a month for most business sites
- Platform fees if you are on Shopify, Webflow or Wix
- Maintenance, USD 150 to 1,000 a month for updates, backups, security and small edits
Skipping maintenance is the most expensive saving in this list. An unpatched WordPress site gets hacked sooner or later, and a cleanup costs more than two years of upkeep.
Three things that inflate a quote
- Content that is not ready. If the agency has to wait for or write your text and source your images, the price and the timeline both grow.
- Unlimited revisions. They sound generous. They produce slow projects and padded quotes. Two or three structured rounds work better for everyone.
- Features added for later. A blog nobody will write for, a members area with no members. Build them when you need them.
How to choose
Ask one question. Does the website have to win the customer, or only confirm what a salesperson already said? If it has to win the customer, pay for custom design and good copy. If it only confirms, a well built theme site is enough and the rest of the budget belongs in marketing.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a website cost for a small business?
A theme-based business website costs USD 1,500 to 4,000. A custom designed site costs USD 4,000 to 12,000. Hosting, domain and maintenance add USD 150 to 1,000 a month depending on the level of support.
How much does an e-commerce website cost?
Most Shopify and WooCommerce stores cost USD 3,000 to 15,000 to build. The price depends on product count, payment and shipping rules, and how custom the design is.
How long does it take to build a website?
A brochure site takes 2 to 4 weeks. A custom corporate site takes 6 to 10 weeks. Enterprise sites and web platforms take 3 to 6 months.