Wood vs vinyl fence, a 10-year total cost breakdown
The vinyl-vs-wood debate is mostly religion at this point. Wood people love the look and smell and the seasonal ritual of staining. Vinyl people love never thinking about the fence again. Both are right and both are wrong, and the real answer depends on how you value your time versus your dollars.
Here's the 10-year math, with actual numbers from actual quotes I've collected over the last four years.
The upfront number everyone quotes
Cedar (Western Red Cedar, the common premium wood): around $28 to $34 per linear foot installed at 6ft. For a 150ft yard, that's $4,200 to $5,100 on day one. Pressure-treated Southern yellow pine lands cheaper, about $17 to $22 per foot, or $2,550 to $3,300 for the same run.
Vinyl (CertainTeed, WamBam, or Barrette Outdoor Living): $28 to $38 per foot installed. 150ft yard is $4,200 to $5,700. Close enough to cedar on day one that the "vinyl is expensive" narrative isn't really true anymore.
Chain-link installed by a contractor is $11 to $14 per foot, but we're comparing privacy options here so it's not in the mix.
Year 1, both look great
Both fences look fresh. Your neighbor is jealous. The dog is contained. No work needed on either.
Quiet exception: wood should get sealed or stained in its first summer. Unsealed cedar turns silver-gray in about 18 months. If you want to keep the warm reddish tone, plan a $400 to $700 stain job (Behr, Cabot, or Olympic semi-transparent, about 3 gallons for a 150ft run of 6ft cedar) in month 6 or so. Vinyl does nothing.
Year 3, the first real divergence
Wood needs its second seal or stain. Same $400 to $700 cost if you DIY, or $1,200 to $1,800 if you hire it out (most people hire it, honestly, because staining 150 feet of 6ft fence on both sides is miserable).
Pressure-treated wood might also have a cupping or warping picket or two by now. Replace those for $15 to $25 each. Budget $100 to $150 in year 3 for PT spot repairs.
Vinyl still looks the same. Maybe a tiny bit of oxidation if it gets direct afternoon sun, but nobody except you is noticing.
Year 5, the gap widens
Wood gets its third stain if you care about looks, or goes silver if you don't. Another $400 to $1,800 depending on DIY or hired.
Pressure-treated starts showing more spot failures. A rail might sag. A post might loosen if your concrete was shallow. Budget $250 to $500 in year 5 for PT fence maintenance. Cedar is more forgiving, maybe $100 to $250 of spot work.
Vinyl: still doing nothing except sitting there. One caveat, if you're in a deep-freeze climate (Upper Midwest, Northern Plains), a cold snap could crack a panel. The January 2024 polar vortex did this to dozens of yards I saw photos of on Nextdoor. Quality vinyl from CertainTeed or WamBam survived. Budget vinyl didn't. Allocate $300 to $500 in year 5 for a possible cold-weather repair if you're in one of those climates.
Year 8, the total picture
Running totals for a 150ft 6ft privacy fence, DIY install not counted:
- Pressure-treated wood: $2,900 install + $400 stain-Y1 + $500 stain-Y3 + $400 PT repairs + $500 stain-Y6 + $500 PT repairs = roughly $5,200
- Cedar wood: $4,600 install + $500 stain-Y1 + $600 stain-Y3 + $200 repairs + $600 stain-Y6 + $250 repairs = roughly $6,750
- Vinyl (quality brand): $4,900 install + $0 maintenance + maybe $300 cold-repair if applicable = roughly $4,900 to $5,200
Vinyl wins the 8-year math. Barely. And only if you don't value your time maintaining wood.
Year 10 and beyond
This is where it gets interesting. Quality vinyl can easily hit 20 years with nothing but a pressure-wash. Wood, even well-maintained cedar, is usually reaching the "do I rebuild or patch" decision by year 12-15. Pressure-treated pine often hits that decision by year 10.
If you're planning to live in the house for 20+ years, vinyl's cost advantage grows. If you're planning to move in 7-8 years, cedar is close to even and looks better the whole time.
The things the math misses
Wood smells good. Vinyl doesn't smell like anything. That matters to some people.
Wood dents and dings repair easily. Vinyl panels have to be fully replaced when damaged. A kid with a baseball bat is a cheaper story on wood.
Vinyl is easier to clean. A hose gets it back to new. Wood never quite loses the green mildew tinge in humid climates no matter how much you scrub.
Wood looks better in photos. For resale value, a freshly-stained cedar fence photographs like a million bucks. Vinyl photographs clean but cold.
My actual recommendation
If you hate outdoor maintenance, vinyl. Every time. The 10-year math is close enough that the time savings alone are worth it.
If you genuinely enjoy the spring ritual of staining a fence, cedar. You'll get 15+ good years out of it, the smell is worth something, and your yard photographs better.
If you're on a tight budget and the fence is for a rental or back-of-property, pressure-treated. Accept that you'll rebuild in year 12 and plan accordingly.
Regional notes that change the answer
Pacific Northwest. Cedar's hometown. Locally sourced from Washington and Oregon mills, it lasts longer in PNW rain than anywhere else because the wood acclimates to the climate it grew in. Vinyl still wins on maintenance, but cedar has a genuinely strong case here.
Texas and the Southeast. Hot, humid, and hard on everything. Pressure-treated pine (Southern yellow pine) is the value winner because it's grown nearby and treated for termites and rot. Cedar does okay but dries out faster. Vinyl holds up well but gets screaming-hot to the touch in July afternoons.
Upper Midwest and Mountain West. Freeze cycles wreck cheap vinyl. Buy CertainTeed, WamBam, or Barrette Outdoor Living, not the budget PVC from the off-brand big-box house line. Cedar handles the cold fine but moisture swings can cause mild cupping. Pressure-treated pine is reliable but ugly under snow.
California. Labor is expensive no matter what you pick. Because installation is 55+ percent of the total, material choice matters less than the contractor you hire. Get three bids, compare apples to apples, and pick the one with the clearest warranty terms.
The resale question
A fresh wood fence boosts listing photos. Realtors consistently say cedar outperforms vinyl in curb appeal when the house hits the market. But a three-year-old vinyl fence looks nearly identical to new, while a three-year-old cedar fence needs a fresh stain to look its best.
If you're planning to sell within 2-4 years, vinyl's consistent appearance pays back. If you're selling in 8+ years, a cedar fence stained the spring before listing will photograph better and appraise slightly higher.
Use the calculator
Run your numbers through the FenceCalc estimator for both materials. The per-foot price will show you the upfront gap. Multiply the stain cost and repair budget by your expected years and you'll see which one actually costs less over your timeline.
Related: 6ft privacy fence real pricing, cheapest fence options, and the fence FAQ.