How much does CCTV installation cost in the UK?
A CCTV installation costs £900 on average in the UK. Most jobs fall between £400 and £2,500 supplied and fitted. Number of cameras: 1 to 2 cameras £400 to £800; 4 cameras £700 to £1,400; 6 to 8 cameras £1,400 to £2,500. Prices reviewed July 2026.
A home CCTV system usually costs between £400 and £2,500 supplied and fitted in the UK, with a standard four-camera system around £900. The price depends mainly on how many cameras you want, the resolution, and whether the system is wired or wireless.
CCTV installation cost calculator
Use the calculator to price your CCTV installation in 2026. Adjust the options and area for a UK cost range. Nothing is sent anywhere.
CCTV installation cost breakdown
Typical CCTV installation costs, by option:
| Number of cameras | Typical UK cost |
|---|---|
| 1 to 2 cameras | £400 to £800 |
| 4 cameras (standard system) | £700 to £1,400 |
| 6 to 8 cameras | £1,400 to £2,500 |
What's included in the price?
Typical CCTV installation prices include:
- The cameras, usually four in a standard home kit
- A recorder (NVR or DVR) with a hard drive to store the footage
- Cabling from each camera back to the recorder
- Mounting the cameras and running the wiring neatly
- Setting up remote viewing on your phone or tablet
- Positioning, testing and a handover once it is working
What changes the price?
The things that move CCTV installation prices most:
How many cameras you want
Camera resolution, from 1080p up to 4K
Wired versus wireless cameras
How far the cable has to run and how easy the route is
Camera brand and features like colour night vision or AI detection
How much recording storage you want
These are why two quotes for the same job can differ, and the only way to know your price is to get prices from local firms.
How the price is built up
The quote covers the cameras, the recorder and its hard drive, the cabling and connectors, and the labour to mount everything, run the wiring and set up remote viewing. More cameras mean more kit and more cable runs, higher resolution needs more storage, and awkward routes through walls or lofts add fitting time. On a standard kit, roughly half the cost is the cameras and recorder and half is labour for the cabling, mounting and setup. On premium systems the balance tips towards the equipment, and on tricky wired installs it tips towards labour.
Ways to keep the cost down
- Buy a matched kit with the recorder and cameras together rather than piecing parts separately
- Cover the entry points well with fewer cameras rather than dotting cheap ones everywhere
- Choose 1080p or 4MP cameras over 4K if you mainly want to identify people, as they need less storage and cost less
- Get two or three quotes from local CCTV or security installers
Does where you live change the cost?
In London, a CCTV installation typically costs around £1,100 supplied and fitted, about 20% above the UK average of £900. In the North, Scotland and Wales the guide figure is nearer £870.
| Region | From | Typical | Up to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midlands / East (UK average) | £400 | £900 | £2,500 |
| London | £480 | £1,100 | £3,000 |
| South East / South West | £420 | £950 | £2,600 |
| North / Scotland / Wales | £390 | £870 | £2,400 |
Guide prices supplied and fitted, scaled with the same regional multipliers as the calculator. Not quotes.
CCTV installation cost in major UK cities
| City | From | Typical | Up to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belfast | £380 | £860 | £2,400 |
| Birmingham | £400 | £900 | £2,500 |
| Bristol | £420 | £950 | £2,600 |
| Cardiff | £390 | £870 | £2,400 |
| Edinburgh | £390 | £870 | £2,400 |
| Glasgow | £390 | £870 | £2,400 |
| Leeds | £390 | £870 | £2,400 |
| Liverpool | £390 | £870 | £2,400 |
| London | £480 | £1,100 | £3,000 |
| Manchester | £390 | £870 | £2,400 |
| Newcastle | £390 | £870 | £2,400 |
| Sheffield | £390 | £870 | £2,400 |
City guide estimates, scaled by local labour costs. Indicative averages for CCTV installation, not quotes.
Firms in London and the South East charge the most for labour; the North, Scotland and Wales are typically cheaper for the same system.
Compare this with a real quote
The figures above are guide prices. Two or three quotes for your CCTV installation tell you what it costs where you live.
Common questions
How much does CCTV installation cost?
A home CCTV system typically costs £400 to £2,500 supplied and fitted, depending on how many cameras you want. A single camera or a small two-camera setup runs about £400 to £800, a standard four-camera system is around £700 to £1,400, and a larger six to eight camera system can reach £2,500 or more.
What changes the price of a CCTV system?
The number of cameras is the biggest driver, followed by resolution. A 4K system with AI motion detection costs more than a 1080p one. Wired systems need cable runs back to the recorder, so a two-storey house or long routes through walls and lofts add labour. Better brands, more storage and extras like colour night vision all push the price up.
Is wired or wireless CCTV better?
Wired systems are more reliable and record continuously, which is why most fixed home installs are wired. They cost a bit more to fit because of the cabling. Wireless or battery cameras are quicker and cheaper to put up and suit renters or awkward spots, but they depend on Wi-Fi and need charging or a nearby power point. For a whole-house system that runs all day, wired is usually the better bet.
Can I install CCTV myself?
You can. Plug-in wireless cameras and small kits are sold for DIY and need no special skills for a basic setup. What a professional charges for is running cables neatly, mounting cameras at the right height and angle, setting up the recorder and remote viewing, and making sure blind spots are covered. If you want a tidy wired system that actually captures useful footage, paying an installer is usually worth it.
How long does CCTV installation take?
Most home installs are done in a day. A single camera can take a couple of hours, while a four-camera wired system is usually half a day to a full day. A larger system with awkward cable runs across a two-storey house can take two days.
How long does a CCTV system last?
The cameras usually outlast the box they record to. A recorder, DVR or NVR, is generally good for 5 to 8 years, but the hard drive inside it goes first: surveillance drives are built for constant writing and are typically replaced at 3 to 5 years, sooner on a system that records a lot of motion. That is worth knowing because a dead drive is the quiet failure mode of CCTV. The cameras keep showing a live picture, the lights stay on, and there is simply no footage when you need it, so it pays to play back a recording occasionally rather than assume. Heat and power are what kill drives: a recorder shut in a hot cupboard with no airflow, or a house with frequent brief power cuts interrupting a write, will get through them faster, and a small UPS on the recorder is a cheap answer to the second. Set against a £400 to £2,500 installation, a replacement surveillance drive is a modest running cost rather than a new system.
Is a CCTV system worth it?
For most homes, yes. Cameras deter intruders, give you footage if something happens, and let you check on the property from your phone. At £400 to £2,500 fitted it is far cheaper than most home security work, and it can trim some insurance premiums. If you only want to see who is at the door, a video doorbell for £100 to £250 may be enough on its own.
Are there rules about where home CCTV can point?
Yes, and most people fitting a doorbell camera do not realise it. If the camera only covers your own property you are outside data protection law. Once it records beyond your boundary, a neighbour's garden, a shared drive or the pavement, the law applies, and the ICO's guidance says you then need a clear reason for recording, must capture no more than you need, put up a sign saying CCTV is in operation, delete footage regularly or automatically, provide footage to someone who appears in it if they ask, and stop recording a person who objects unless you have a legitimate reason to carry on. None of that costs anything, but it is worth deciding where the cameras point before the installer starts drilling.
Official guidance and sources
The rules and schemes referenced on this page come from these official UK sources. The price figures are Costwise's own; see how we price.
- Home CCTV systems ICO · Where a camera records beyond your property boundary, data protection law applies. The regulator then expects a clear reason for recording, no more capture than you need, a sign that CCTV is operating, regular deletion of footage, a response to a request from someone who appears in it, and to stop recording someone who objects unless there is a legitimate reason to continue.
Cite this data
These figures are free to use in articles, reports and research under a CC BY 4.0 licence. All we ask is a credit to Costwise, and online a link. Where your style allows, please make "Costwise" the linked word so readers can check the figure for their own region.
Costwise (2026): A CCTV installation typically costs £900 in the UK, ranging from £400 to £2,500 supplied and fitted. Reviewed July 2026. costwiseuk.co.ukSource: Costwise (costwiseuk.co.uk)Costwise (2026). CCTV installation cost. Costwise UK cost data, version 2026-10-12. https://costwiseuk.co.uk/cctv-installation-cost/2026-10-12 (158 jobs)Dataset DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.21159943 · also on Kaggle, Hugging Face and Figshare. Method: how we price. Downloadable CSV.
These are independent guide prices based on typical UK jobs in 2026. Your actual cost depends on your property, spec, access and where you live. Always get at least three written quotes before committing.