Is It Cheaper to Replace Locks or Rekey?

Published October 10, 2026

Rekeying is one of the most common calls we get across the valley, and the cost question comes up on almost every one, so here is the short answer before the details.

• Rekey costs lessFixr puts a house rekey at $70 to $160, against $150 to $550 to change the locks.
• Same trip either wayThe service call costs the same for both jobs, so the real gap is the price of new hardware.
• Replace a bad lockRekeying a lock that sticks, wobbles or was forced just puts new pins in a lock that is failing.
• One key for the houseA rekey can set every door to one key in the same visit, with no new hardware.
• Sometimes freeKwikset SmartKey locks can be rekeyed by the owner in seconds with the working key.
• Our starting priceOur residential rekeys start at $79, and you hear the full price before we drive out.

Why Rekeying Costs Less

A lock has two parts that matter for price. The body is the metal you see on the door, with the bolt, the latch and the handle, while the cylinder is the small part your key slides into. Inside it sits a row of pins cut to match your key, and a rekey swaps those pins for a new set so the old keys stop working and a new key takes over. That means you keep the whole lock and pay only for pins and labor.

Replacing means buying the whole lock and then paying someone to put it in. Fixr, a national cost guide last updated on January 31, 2025, lists a deadbolt at $40 to $75 and a door knob at $25 to $55 for the hardware alone. Its totals put a house rekey at $70 to $160 and a lock change at $150 to $550, and most of that gap is the price of the metal.

Here is the part most cost guides skip, and it changes how you should compare quotes. The service call is the same for both jobs. The truck, the drive and the visit cost the same whether the technician rekeys or replaces, so the fair test is to compare pins and labor against new hardware and labor, one lock at a time.

A Worked Example for a Las Vegas Home

Take a typical house with a front door and a door from the garage into the house. Each door has a knob and a deadbolt, so that makes four cylinders. This is a worked example built from the public ranges above, and it is not a quote.

If you rekey all four, Meyer's Local Locksmith, a Texas shop that updated its price page on September 8, 2026, would charge $35 to $50 per cylinder plus one service call. It lists a four keyhole house at $200 to $380 all in, and for that every old key is dead and one new key opens all four locks.

If you replace all four instead, Fixr's hardware ranges put two deadbolts and two knobs at $130 to $260 before labor, and then you still pay for the visit and the install. You end up with new metal, but you spent it on locks that already worked.

Las Vegas prices will not match Texas or a national average to the dollar, but the shape holds anywhere. When the locks work, a rekey saves you the cost of the hardware. Our own residential locksmith rekeys start at $79, and we give you the full price on the phone.

When Replacing Is the Better Buy

Rekeying is cheaper, but it is not always the smart move, and there are four cases that flip the math.

The first case is a lock that is failing, because if the key sticks, the bolt drags, or the lock was forced in a break in, new pins will not fix it. You would pay to rekey a lock you end up replacing a few months later.

The second case is wanting a stronger lock, and the reason is simple. A rekey changes who has a key, not how hard the lock is to beat. Lock strength is graded under ANSI/BHMA standards, and the Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association lists Grade 1 as its highest level. A cheap builder grade lock is still a cheap lock after a rekey.

The third case is a plan to move to a smart lock or a keypad soon, since paying to rekey the old deadbolt first means paying twice, and Fixr lists smart lock hardware at $100 to $450. Our guide to the best locks for your home walks through the options.

The fourth case is keys that will not match, because different brands often use different key shapes. Area Safe and Lock Service notes in its rekey or replace guide that locks without a matching keyway usually cannot share one key, and swapping out the odd lock is often the fix.

The cheapest real answer is often a mix, where you rekey the good locks and replace only the tired one in the same visit.

Can You Rekey for Free?

Sometimes you can, because Kwikset SmartKey locks let the owner rekey the lock without a locksmith. Kwikset says it takes a few seconds with three things in hand, which are the working key, the SmartKey tool from the box, and the new key. If the working key is lost, Kwikset tells you to call a locksmith or its support line.

Rekey kits for other brands exist, but each one works on a single brand, and a slip can leave a cylinder that will not turn. For a house full of mixed locks, one visit often costs less than the kits plus your Saturday.

If you are buying new locks anyway, pick a keyed alike set so every lock opens with one key, and remember that veterans and active military get 10% off new lock purchases with us.

Rules for Renters and Landlords in Nevada

Nevada law has two rules worth knowing here, and the first is NRS 118A.345. Under it, a tenant who gives notice of domestic violence, harassment, sexual assault or stalking can require the landlord to put in a new lock, at the tenant's cost. The landlord can meet that by rekeying a lock in good working order or by replacing it with one of equal or better quality. Either way, the landlord must not hand the new key to the other party.

Under NRS 118A.332, large apartment properties in a county the size of Clark County, meaning more than 50 units on one parcel, must keep written key policies and a log of every key issued and returned, and rekeying between tenants is the low cost way to keep that log honest.

For a rental home between tenants, rekeying is almost always the cheaper call. Landlords with several units can also have them rekeyed so one master key opens them all. If you are moving in yourself, our move in rekey checklist covers garage codes, keypads and every other door that needs attention.

Questions We Get Asked

Ready to price your doors? See our residential locksmith services, our move in rekey checklist and what locksmith work costs in Las Vegas, or call (725) 280-5051 any hour and we will quote the job before we drive out.

Sources

• Fixr, Locksmith Prices and Cost to Rekey Locks (updated January 31, 2025)
• Meyer's Local Locksmith, Changing Locks on a New House (updated September 8, 2026)
• Area Safe and Lock Service, Rekey or Replace Your Locks
• Kwikset, SmartKey Security
• Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association, Product Grade Levels
• Nevada Revised Statutes, Chapter 118A (sections 118A.332 and 118A.345)