In 2026 a professional corporate website costs between €1,500 and €5,000, an online store between €3,000 and €12,000, and custom projects can exceed €20,000. Distrust the €300 ones: the real cost is in the design, the development and, above all, in who maintains it afterwards.

"How much does a website cost?" is the question we get asked the most and the hardest to answer with a single figure. And it's because "website" is a word that spans from a €300 digital business card to a €50,000 ecommerce platform. In between, there's a world of differences that have nothing to do with price, but with what each project needs.

In this article I'm going to give you a realistic 2026 price guide, with honest ranges, so you know what to expect and, above all, so nobody takes you for a ride with figures that don't hold up. I'll also explain where the cost comes from, which is what really helps you decide.

Why there's so much price difference

A website's price isn't set by the technology: it's set by three variables:

  • The scope: how many pages, how many features, whether there's a store, whether there are integrations.
  • The quality: custom design versus template, clean code versus patches, worked SEO versus improvisation.
  • The support: what happens after the launch: maintenance, training, fixes.

Two websites with the same number of pages can cost triple if one is custom and with professional quality and the other is a personalized template. That's why comparing prices without comparing scope makes no sense. We tell it in detail in our article on custom theme versus template.

Web designer working on a page's layout on their computer The price is set by scope, quality and support, not the technology.

The trap of the €300 websites (or €99 a month)

If you search for "cheap website", you'll find spectacular offers: websites for €300, for €99 a month, "assembled in 48 hours". Before falling for it, think about what that price really includes:

  • A ready-made template with your logo (that isn't custom design).
  • No professional texts or SEO (you'll have to put them yourself).
  • No real maintenance or support (or a "basic" maintenance that covers nothing).
  • Content hosted on the provider's platform (and if you change, you lose the website).

A €300 website can be the perfect option for a freelancer who only wants a showcase. But for a company that depends on its website, that price hides a much greater medium-term cost: the cost of rebuilding it.

Realistic ranges in 2026

Having said all the above, these are the realistic ranges we handle in the sector, always as a guide:

Corporate website (no store)

  • Basic (customized template): €1,000 - €2,500. Main pages, some customization, no great development.
  • Standard (custom design and development): €2,500 - €6,000. Own design, basic SEO, responsive, manageable CMS.
  • Premium (multilingual, integrations, features): €6,000 - €15,000.

Online store (ecommerce)

  • Basic (platform like Shopify/WooCommerce): €3,000 - €7,000. Catalog, cart, payment gateway.
  • Standard (custom, SEO, integrations): €7,000 - €15,000. Own design, conversion optimization, logistics.
  • Premium (B2B, ERP, complex features): €15,000 - €40,000 and more.

Custom projects

Platforms, applications, intranets, marketplaces: €20,000 and up. Here there's no "website": there's a digital product developed with a long process.

These figures are market figures in the Spanish-speaking scope and as of 2026. Take them as a reference point, not as a rate: each project is unique.

The hidden cost: maintenance

The price of building the website is only the first expense. Almost nobody says it, but a website needs maintenance: updates, backups, security, small adjustments. It's the cost that gives the most surprises.

The reasonable maintenance rates in 2026 are around:

  • Basic: €40 - €80/month (updates, backups, monitoring).
  • Standard: €80 - €200/month (the above + minor adjustments, content, support).
  • Complete: €200 - €500/month (content management, SEO, active security, improvements).

If someone builds your website without talking about maintenance, ask them what happens next month. The answer will tell you a lot. We go deeper into this in our article on your website's security and on speed: both require maintenance to avoid degrading.

How much should you pay for YOUR website?

The right figure depends on what the website means for your business:

  • If it's a showcase (presence, contact): the low budget may be enough.
  • If it's your lead generation tool (attracts clients, generates leads): invest like someone invests in a salesperson.
  • If it's your sales channel (ecommerce): it's your store; quality and SEO pay for themselves with sales.

A practical rule we use: a decent website costs what a month of salary of a good employee in your sector costs. If your website isn't worth that, maybe you don't need it. If it's worth more, you're under-budgeting it.

Professional planning the budget and maintenance of a website Add maintenance to your budget: it's the cost that gives the most surprises.

What a decent budget includes (and what it doesn't)

When comparing budgets, demand a clear breakdown. A serious budget identifies:

  • Design: how many mockups, how many iterations, whether it's custom.
  • Development: what's built, what platform, what integrations.
  • Content: texts, photos, and who provides them. (If content isn't discussed, the budget is incomplete.)
  • SEO: what SEO work is included by default.
  • Training and documentation: how they teach you to manage your website.
  • Subsequent maintenance: what it includes and what it costs.

And an honest budget also says what it doesn't include: the photographs, the logo, the translations. That avoids arguments at the end.

How to compare budgets without getting it wrong

The most common mistake is asking for three budgets and choosing the cheapest one. The correct way to compare is:

  1. Ask the three proposals for the same scope in writing.
  2. Compare the breakdown, not the total.
  3. Add to each total the 3-year maintenance cost.
  4. Assess the quality of the response: did they understand you? do they answer technical questions clearly?

When you add three years of maintenance, the difference between "cheap" and "expensive" shrinks, and sometimes reverses. The cheap website that needs to be rebuilt in two years ends up costing more.

Questions that save you scares with the budget

When you have the proposal in front of you, ask these questions before signing:

  • Does this price include the texts or do I have to provide them?
  • Are the photographs included or do they have to be bought separately?
  • Is the initial SEO in the price or is it an extra?
  • What happens if the project is extended: does the price change?
  • What happens after delivery: is there a guarantee, fixes?

These five questions turn an ambiguous budget into a real comparison. And they're the gateway to the ones we recommend in our article on how to choose a web design agency.

The price is only the beginning: the total cost

Why prices go up (and why it's a good sign)

You've probably noticed that website prices have gone up in recent years. It's not a whim: there are real reasons behind it, and understanding them helps you value proposals better.

  • Quality costs: serious design and development take hours. A high price doesn't always mean better, but a ridiculously low price almost always means cut work.
  • Maintenance and guarantees: a website with real support behind it is more expensive than one that's delivered and "goodbye".
  • Specialization: good SEO, good design, solid development: they're scarce and expensive profiles.
  • Sector inflation: tools, subscriptions and salaries rise every year.

When a proposal seems expensive to you, before bargaining ask yourself what that price is covering and what risk you assume with the cheaper one. Sometimes the initial saving is the best investment you make in not suffering afterwards.

The cost of "doing nothing": the website as an asset

There's a cost that's almost never calculated: that of having a bad website. Think about what it costs your business for the website not to rank, not to convert or to convey a bad image. That cost is called opportunity cost, and in many companies it far exceeds the price of a good website.

Some quick examples:

  • If your website captures clients and converts at 1% when it could convert at 2%, every 100 visits you lose half of the possible clients. That's real money.
  • If your website doesn't rank, you depend on paid advertising forever. SEO pays for itself with organic sales that didn't exist before.
  • If your website conveys neglect, you lose projects before talking to the client.

Seen that way, the website isn't an expense: it's an asset that works for you. And the difference between a good asset and a bad one shows in the bottom line every month.

The "total cost of ownership": beyond the entry price

Budget experts talk about the "total cost of ownership": what a website costs over its useful life, not just on the day of purchase. And here there's a trap worth understanding:

A cheap €1,500 website may need a €3,000 overhaul in two years because it was badly built. A well-made €5,000 website can last 5 years with only maintenance. In the end, the "cheap" one has cost you more. That's why in comparisons you shouldn't look at the entry price, but at the total of the website's life.

To calculate it, add to the entry price: monthly maintenance × 36 months + expected overhaul cost. With that figure, compare proposals honestly.

The conclusion: don't look for the price, look for the fit

The price of a website in 2026 is very variable because websites are too. The important thing isn't finding the cheapest one, but the one that fits your scope, your quality and your support. A coherent budget, with breakdown and clear maintenance, is the best sign of a serious agency.

At TakeYourDesign we give itemized and honest budgets, and we tell you what you need and what you don't. If you want to know how much your specific project would cost, write to us and we'll tell you without obligation. And if what you're looking for is to guide yourself first, I hope this guide has served you to avoid scares.