How Much Does an Oak Tree Cost?

Updated on September 4, 2026 | Written by Alec Pow
This article was researched using 11 sources. See our methodology and corrections policy.

An oak tree can cost as little as $14.99 for a small bare-root white oak, around $44.99 to $99.99 for a 1- to 3-gallon container tree, roughly $479 to $659 for a 2- to 3-inch landscape-size oak, and about $1,339 to $2,199 for current locally installed jumbo oaks. Planting, delivery, irrigation, site access, and the distance from the nursery can add to the tree price.

The biggest price difference is not simply species. Buyers are paying for years of nursery growth and for the equipment needed to move a larger root ball. A small oak can fit in a vehicle and be planted by a homeowner. A 5- to 7-inch oak may require a 90-inch tree spade, a large truck, and clear access to the planting site.

For most residential buyers, current real-world pricing places a professionally sourced 2- to 3-inch oak around $479 to $659 for the tree. One current Nebraska nursery charges another $150 per tree for ordinary planting, putting many installed examples around $629 to $809 before any unusual site work.

Article Highlights

• A bare-root white oak currently costs $14.99 (at $30 per hour, earning that amount would take about 30 minutes, before taxes) through the Arbor Day Foundation.
• Current 1-gallon and 3-gallon white oaks cost $44.99 and $99.99.
• Current 2- to 3-inch landscape oaks at one regional nursery cost roughly $479 to $659.
• The same nursery charges $150 to plant an ordinary tree.
• Current 4- to 5-inch jumbo oaks are $1,339 planted, while 5- to 7-inch examples are $2,199 planted within the nursery’s local service area.
• Larger trees cost more and can also take longer to establish after transplanting, so paying for immediate size has a biological tradeoff.

How Much Does an Oak Tree Cost?

Oak tree type	Current price	What you get
Bare-root white oak	$14.99 (about 30 minutes at $30 per hour)	3- to 4-foot young tree
1-gallon white oak	$44.99	1- to 2-foot container tree
3-gallon white oak	$99.99	2- to 3-foot container tree
Grow-bag landscape tree	$249 to $375	About 1 to 1.75 inches in trunk diameter depending on inventory
2-inch landscape oak	$479 to $509	Field-grown nursery tree
2.5-inch landscape oak	$559 to $589	Larger field-grown tree
3-inch landscape oak	$629 to $659	Larger immediate landscape presence
4- to 5-inch jumbo oak	$1,339 planted	Tree-spade installation in local service area
5- to 7-inch jumbo oak	$2,199 planted	90-inch tree-spade installation in local service area

The low end is easy to verify. The Arbor Day Foundation currently sells white oak at $14.99 bare-root, $44.99 in a 1-gallon container, and $99.99 in a 3-gallon container.

Landscape-size trees move into a different price class. Current Arbor Hills oak pricing runs from $479 to $509 for 2-inch trees, $559 to $589 for 2.5-inch trees, and $629 to $659 for 3-inch trees. Heritage Oak and Kindred Spirit Oak sit toward the lower end, while Bur Oak, Northern Red Oak, Regal Prince Oak, Shumard Oak, and Swamp White Oak are currently slightly higher.

What You’re Buying

Oak trees are sold in several forms, and the label on the nursery tag changes what the buyer receives. Bare-root trees are shipped without a container of soil and are light enough for straightforward homeowner planting. Container trees arrive with roots growing in potting media and can offer a larger root system and a longer practical planting window.

Field-grown landscape trees are often sold by trunk caliper rather than height. A 2-inch tree may already have spent years in nursery production before being dug with a large root ball. Jumbo trees add another step. They can be moved and planted with truck-mounted tree spades that lift a substantial mass of roots and surrounding soil.

These are all oak trees, but they are not substitutes at the moment of installation. The small tree trades immediate size for a much lower purchase cost. The jumbo tree charges for years of nursery growth, machinery, transport, and a mature-looking landscape on planting day.

Small vs Landscape-Size Math

The jump from a young container tree to a landscape tree is substantial. A 3-gallon white oak costs $99.99 (about 3.3 hours of work at $30 per hour), while a current 2-inch Heritage Oak costs $479. The larger nursery tree costs $379.01 more, or about 3.8 times as much.

The difference buys immediate trunk diameter and years of nursery growth, not simply a more expensive species. The Arbor Day white oak is only 2 to 3 feet tall in its 3-gallon form, while Arbor Hills says its field-grown trees commonly reach 12 to 20 feet across its broader 2- to 5-inch inventory.

Mini case 1, lowest initial cost: A buyer who plants a $99.99 3-gallon oak instead of a $479 2-inch landscape oak keeps $379.01 in the initial budget. The trade is waiting for the smaller tree to produce the visual effect the larger tree provides immediately.

The jump within landscape sizes is much smaller. A current 2-inch Heritage Oak is $479, while its 3-inch version is $629. The extra inch of trunk diameter adds $150, or about 31.3%.

Mini case 2, upgrading the nursery tree: Adding the nursery’s $150 standard planting service puts the 2-inch Heritage Oak at $629 and the 3-inch version at $779. The complete difference remains $150 because the planting charge is the same for either tree.

Jumbo Oak Math

Jumbo trees are where the price begins to include heavy equipment. Arbor Hills currently offers 4- to 5-inch Red Oak and Swamp White Oak trees at $1,339 planted using a 50-inch tree spade. Its 5- to 7-inch Heritage, Red, Swamp White, and Sawtooth oaks are $2,199 planted with a 90-inch spade.

Those prices include the tree, labor, and tree-spade fees when the job site is within 20 miles of Omaha. Sites beyond that limit incur an additional spade mileage charge.

Mini case 3, jumbo upgrade: Moving from the $1,339 4- to 5-inch oak to the $2,199 5- to 7-inch class adds $860, or about 64.2%. That premium is buying both additional tree size and a much larger transplant operation.

Worked example: Compare a planted 3-inch Heritage Oak with the first jumbo tier. The 3-inch tree costs $629, and ordinary planting adds $150, for $779. The 4- to 5-inch jumbo oak costs $1,339 planted. Paying for the jumbo option therefore adds $560, or about 71.9%, for a much larger tree and tree-spade installation.

The Tree Is Only Part of the Bill

Planting and delivery can sit outside the sticker price. Arbor Hills currently charges $150 per tree for standard planting. Its separate delivery policy charges $75 per load within 50 miles when customers want trees delivered but plan to install them themselves. Delivery is included when Arbor Hills does the planting.

That creates another useful buying calculation. A $509 2-inch oak planted by the nursery becomes $659. Buying the same tree for self-installation and paying the $75 delivery fee would total $584. DIY planting saves $75 in that local example, assuming the homeowner already has the tools, labor, and ability to handle the root ball safely.

Unusual sites can change that equation. Poor equipment access, retaining walls, slopes, buried irrigation, compacted urban soil, rock, or major drainage work can require a custom quote.

Routine planting does not automatically require hundreds of dollars of soil amendments. Purdue Extension’s tree-planting guidance recommends backfilling with native soil and says soil amendments and fertilizer are not necessary during ordinary installation.

Watering Is the First-Year Job

The most persistent aftercare expense is usually time and water, not an automatic annual fertilizer program. Penn State Extension says lack of water is the leading reason newly planted trees fail and recommends regular watering until roots are established in its July 2026 watering guidance.

A larger tree can require a longer establishment period. Penn State notes that in colder USDA zones, a 2-inch balled-and-burlapped landscape tree can take roughly two growing seasons to establish. Another Penn State planting guide uses 20 to 40 gallons per watering as an example for a 2-inch landscape tree during the establishment period, with frequency adjusted for weather and season.

That creates a tradeoff the purchase price alone misses. The jumbo tree gives immediate shade and visual scale, but the larger disturbed root system needs careful establishment. Buying the largest tree available is not automatically the easiest route to a healthy mature oak.

Routine fertilizer should not be budgeted as an automatic annual charge either. Penn State says fertilization is unnecessary after planting in many sites and should be based on actual soil fertility needs rather than a fixed schedule.

Oak Pruning Has a Timing Rule

Newly planted oaks do not need expensive annual aesthetic pruning. Early pruning should focus on damaged, dead, rubbing, or structurally poor branches while preserving enough foliage to help the roots establish.

Oak-specific disease risk can also affect timing. Illinois Extension advises avoiding oak pruning from March through October to reduce the spread of oak wilt in areas where the disease is a concern. Its pruning guidance recommends dormant-season work for oaks.

This is a better ownership rule than assigning every oak an arbitrary $200 to $1,500 annual pruning bill. A young tree may need little professional work in a given year, while a mature oak near a house may eventually require an arborist for large or hazardous branches.

What We Verified

Related Tree Costs

For a very different landscape plant that can spread rapidly and create its own containment costs, compare the cost of bamboo plants.

A smaller flowering landscape tree can require much less space than a mature oak. Current dogwood tree costs provide a useful comparison for yards where a broad shade-tree canopy would be too large.

For buyers prioritizing ornamental foliage rather than a large native-style shade tree, compare current Japanese maple tree prices.

Answers to Common Questions

How much does a small oak tree cost?

Current white oak pricing starts at $14.99 for a bare-root tree. A 1-gallon tree is $44.99, and a 3-gallon example is $99.99.

How much does a larger oak tree cost?

Current 2- to 3-inch landscape oaks run about $479 to $659 before ordinary planting. Jumbo 4- to 7-inch oaks currently cost about $1,339 to $2,199 planted in one regional nursery’s local service area.

How much does it cost to have an oak tree planted?

Planting varies by nursery and site. One current nursery charges $150 per ordinary tree, while its jumbo oak prices already include tree-spade planting locally.

How much space does an oak tree need?

Use the mature spread of the specific species or cultivar rather than a rule based only on height. White oak, for example, can develop a mature spread of roughly 50 to 80 feet, while columnar oak cultivars can remain much narrower.

Should I buy the largest oak tree I can afford?

Not automatically. A larger tree gives more immediate visual impact, but it costs more to purchase and move and can require a longer establishment period after transplanting. A smaller healthy tree can be easier to plant and establish if immediate size is not the main goal.