Wheelchair lifts for stairs
A wheelchair lift for stairs carries you while you stay in your wheelchair, and most cost $12,000 or more once installed.
- A vertical platform lift at home, for a short rise: $12,000 to $18,000 installed
- An inclined platform lift on straight stairs: roughly $12,000 to $20,000
- Wheelchair platform lifts, no matter the type: roughly $12,000–$35,000 fitted, and unusual homes can cost more
- An elevator inside the home: $35,000–$100,000
Those figures come from three mobility companies: 101 Mobility, Lifeway Mobility, and Silver Cross. A stair lift with a seat costs far less, but the wheelchair stays behind, so it only works if the person can move safely from the chair onto the seat.
Main options for getting a wheelchair up a staircase
A wheelchair user has five main routes up and down a staircase. Each one costs a different amount, and only some keep the rider in their chair.
| Choice | Who rides | Typical cost |
|---|---|---|
| Seated stair lift on a straight run | Only the person | $2,500–$5,000 new |
| Seated stair lift on a curved run | Only the person | $8,000–$12,000 |
| Platform lift that rises straight up | The person in the chair | $12,000–$18,000 with a short rise |
| Platform lift that follows straight stairs | The person in the chair | Roughly $12,000–$20,000 |
| Elevator for the home | The person in the chair | $35,000–$100,000 |
The National Council on Aging supplied the seated stair lift figures: National Council on Aging. Lifeway Mobility, 101 Mobility, and Silver Cross supplied the platform lift and elevator figures: Lifeway Mobility, 101 Mobility, and Silver Cross.
How a Vertical Platform Lift Works
Think of a vertical platform lift as a small open elevator with a flat platform that goes straight up and down. The wheelchair rolls on at floor level, then rolls off again at the top. You will often see one next to a porch or beside a short set of outdoor steps.
How high the platform has to travel sets the price. That distance is known as the travel height. When a home lift only has to rise a short way, 101 Mobility usually charges $12,000 to $18,000 installed. That figure covers both the lift and the site work it requires, according to the company.
Bigger home models, or enclosed ones, run up to $30,000 at the same company. The model you choose and the work your site needs set the final price. Lifeway Mobility puts most installed platform lifts at $12,000 to $35,000, and more for unusual homes, because every site is different.
Platform Lifts That Ride Up the Stairs
An inclined platform lift carries your wheelchair on a platform along a rail up the stairs. You roll the wheelchair onto the platform, and the platform climbs the slope with the stairs.
A straight inclined platform lift runs from about $12,000 up to $20,000, and the size drives the price. Curved ones cost more.
A home elevator is the most convenient pick for a home with several floors, and it also costs the most, at $35,000 to $100,000.
What If the Person Can Transfer to a Seat?
If the wheelchair user can transfer safely to a seat, a stair lift costs the least. Keep in mind the wheelchair stays on one floor, so you'll need a plan for getting around upstairs.
A new straight stair lift runs $2,500 to $5,000 installed, and a used one $1,500 to $3,000. Curved lifts cost $8,000 to $12,000. A longer staircase needs a longer rail. Our cost estimates use a 15.5-foot standard rail and add about $75 per extra foot; these are estimates from our tool, not quotes for a particular lift.
| Steps (straight) | Length of rail | New lift, installed |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | Around 10 ft | Around $2,500 to $5,000 |
| 13 | Around 16 ft | Around $2,575 to $5,075 |
| 16 | Around 19 ft | Around $2,800 to $5,300 |
| 20 | Around 23 ft | Around $3,100 to $5,600 |
Width counts as well. Of the 11 straight lifts we compare, just one fits stairs 26 inches wide. At 28 inches, all 11 should fit, going by the usual guide, though only a single curved lift of the five does.
Weight capacity differs model to model. Across the 16 models we compare, the middle figure is 350 lb. The Harmar Pinnacle SL600HD tops the list at 600 lb, while the Acorn 180 sits lowest at 265 lb.
| Model | Kind of stairs | Weight it holds | Narrowest stairs it fits | Price | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Acorn 130 | Straight | 280 lb, or 350 lb as an option | 26 in | $3,000–$5,000 fitted | specs · price |
 Harmar Pinnacle SL300 | Straight staircase | 300 lb | 28 in | $3,640, then $725 to install | specs · price |
 Savaria K2 | Straight staircase | 350 lb | 28 in | $3,790 plus $345–$445 to install | specs · price |
 Stannah Siena 600 | Straight staircase | 350 lb | 27 in | Installed from $4,700 | specs · price |
 Bruno Elite | Straight staircase | 400 lb | 28 in | $4,999 before installation | specs · price |
| Harmar Pinnacle SL600HD | Straight staircase | 600 lb | 28 in | $7,505, then $725 to install | specs · price |
 Handicare Freecurve | Curved | 275 lb | 30 in | Listed at $9,999 | specs · price |
| Stannah Siena 260 | Curved | 300 lb, or 352 lb optional | 30 in | From $10,800 fitted | specs · price |
| Harmar Helix | Curved | 350 lb | 30 in | $10,995 and up | specs · price |
| Bruno Elite Curved | Curved staircase | 400 lb | 30 in | $12,000 to $25,000 or more, installed | specs · price |
Where the price leaves fitting out or lists it separately, you are paying for the lift alone, so your total will be higher once it's installed. Most of these prices come from a single dealer, so the quotes you get locally may be different.