What bathroom upgrades actually cost
Not a remodel estimate. This is what the things you can fit yourself in an afternoon cost, by category, with the running costs that make two of them pay for themselves.
By Sawyer V. · · How we research
The short answer
We earn a commission if you buy through the links on this page, at no extra cost to you. It does not change which products we pick or what we say about them — here is exactly how that works.
Quick picks
Tap any row for the full write-up. Prices are checked against Amazon rather than remembered — where we have no verified figure the button says so.
| # | Product | Best for | Renter | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  GE Relax HD LED G25 Vanity Globe Bulbs, 60-Watt Replacement, Soft White (2 Pack) 5.5 W for a 60-watt replacement at 2700K and 90 CRI — a minute per bulb, and the only upgrade here that improves how your face looks in the mirror. | A bathroom that looks wrong and you cannot say why | Safe | |
| 2 |  Moen One-Function Eco-Performance Shower Head 1.75 gpm, WaterSense, a limited lifetime warranty and about 2,190 gallons a year saved against a full-flow head. | Anyone still on a 2.5 gpm head | Safe | |
| 3 |  Brondell SimpleSpa Thinline Essential Bidet Attachment A 0.2 in. plate with a braided metal hose and an all-metal T-valve that adds a bidet to a toilet you already own, with no outlet and no plumber. | Adding a function the bathroom did not have | Safe | |
| 4 |  WarmlyYours Ibiza Freestanding Towel Warmer 90 W, six 304-stainless bars, a normal plug and about $12 a year to run on a two-hour timer — the expensive end, and the one with a published cost to own. | The one upgrade that changes how the room feels every day | Safe |
What this page is and is not
This is the cost of changing things in a bathroom without a contractor: fittings that thread on, plates that sit under a seat, appliances that plug in. It is not a remodel estimate. We do not publish remodel costs because we have no primary source for them, and the numbers that circulate for a “mid-range bath remodel” come from industry surveys we cannot quote line by line.
Everything below is either a live price, checked against Amazon on the day you are reading, or arithmetic from a published figure with its source linked.
The three bands
| Band | What it buys | Install |
|---|---|---|
| Under $30 | LED vanity bulbs; a WaterSense shower head; a cold-water bidet attachment; reusable hooks; a shower curtain liner | Minutes, hands or one wrench |
| $30 to $100 | Handheld shower heads; filtered heads; no-drill caddies and towel bars; bath mats; a towel warmer bucket; a non-electric bidet seat | An afternoon at the outside |
| $100 and up | Heated towel rails; lighted mirrors; electric bidet seats; tension shower caddies; premium filtered heads | Still no trade, but now an outlet matters |
The bands matter more than any single price, because prices move and the bands do not. If something in the first band is being sold to you at third-band money, the extra is not buying specification.
The two upgrades that pay for themselves
A WaterSense shower head. The EPA publishes a saving of “2,700 gallons per year” and “more than 330 kilowatt hours of electricity annually” for an average family. At the EIA’s published US residential average of 18.34 cents per kWh, the electricity side alone is about $61 a year — before the water bill.
LED vanity bulbs. Three 60-watt incandescent globes at three hours a day cost about $36 a year to run; the same three in 5.5 W LED cost about $3.30. The saving is roughly $33 a year, on bulbs that cost less than that once.
Nothing else on this page pays for itself, and we are not going to pretend otherwise. A towel warmer costs $12 a year to run; it saves you nothing. You buy it because a dry, warm towel is better than a cold damp one.
The costs that arrive later
Three upgrades have a second bill, and only one of them is obvious.
- Filtered shower heads. Cartridges are the real cost of the category, and they come round roughly twice a year. The cartridge arithmetic is here.
- Electric bidet seats. Small, and smaller than people expect: about $1.80 a year for the washing, with the seat heater unpublished.
- Towel warmers. Published to the watt, which makes them the easiest running cost in the house to work out. The full sum is here.
What a renter should and should not pay for
The rule we use across this site: spend on the things that leave with you. A shower head, a bidet attachment, a towel warmer, a lighted mirror and a set of hooks all come off the wall in minutes and go in a box. What you can change in a rental is here, and the under-$100 shortlist is here.
What not to pay for: anything plumbed or wired. A faucet, a fan, a vanity light or a hardwired rail is the landlord’s asset the day it is fitted, and it is their call whether it goes in at all.
A sensible order to spend in
If you are starting from nothing, the order below gets the most change for the least money, and each step is independent of the ones after it.
- Bulbs, because the room is probably lit badly and it costs almost nothing to find out.
- Shower head, because it is the fitting you use longest every day and it pays for itself.
- Bidet attachment, because it adds something the bathroom did not have.
- Storage, because clutter undoes everything above it.
- Towel warmer, last, because it is the only one that is purely a pleasure.
Every pick in full
4 we would buy. Each carries its Renter-Safe Install Rating, the published specs behind it, and the honest gap in what we know.
1. The cheapest change worth making
GE Relax HD LED G25 Vanity Globe Bulbs, 60-Watt Replacement, Soft White (2 Pack)
GE Lighting · Relax HD G25, 60 W replacement · best for a bathroom that looks wrong and you cannot say why
5.5 W for a 60-watt replacement at 2700K and 90 CRI — a minute per bulb, and the only upgrade here that improves how your face looks in the mirror.
Lighting is the cheapest thing in this bathroom and the one most people never touch. GE’s Relax HD globe publishes “500lm” from 5.5 watts, 2700K, a CRI of 90 and a five-year warranty.
CRI is the figure that matters and almost nobody shops on. At 90, colors render close to how they look in daylight, which is the difference between a mirror you trust and one you argue with. Soft white against daylight, at the same CRI, is compared here.
Three 60-watt incandescent globes replaced with these, run three hours a day, saves roughly $33 a year at 18.34 cents per kWh. The bulbs cost less than that.
Renter-Safe Install Rating
- Drilling
- None
- Tools
- Hands only
- Time to fit
- About a minute per bulb
- Power
- The existing fixture
- Reversible on move-out
- Fully
Why: A bulb swap. Nothing about the fixture or the wiring changes.
Read from published documentation, not from fitting one. GE Lighting — Relax HD LED G25 vanity globe bulbs, 60-watt replacement, soft white. How the verdict is derived: renter-safe ratings explained.
What’s wrong with it
If the fixture itself is the problem — a single bare globe over a mirror — better bulbs will not fix the shadows.
What we can’t tell you
GE publishes no rated life and no damp rating for this bulb, and a bathroom is a damp location.
Published specifications
| Power | 5.5 watts (60-watt replacement) |
|---|---|
| Light output | “500lm” |
| Color temperature | 2700K |
| CRI | 90 |
| Dimmable | “Yes with Dimmer Switch” |
| Base | Medium |
| Warranty | 5 years |
| Life | Not published on the product page |
| Damp rating | Not published |
Source: GE Lighting — Relax HD LED G25 vanity globe bulbs, 60-watt replacement, soft white
#ad Price $11.03 as of October 18, 2026. Prices change; Amazon’s listing is the one that counts. How we’re funded.
2. The upgrade that pays for itself
Moen One-Function Eco-Performance Shower Head
Moen · 6300EP · best for anyone still on a 2.5 gpm head
1.75 gpm, WaterSense, a limited lifetime warranty and about 2,190 gallons a year saved against a full-flow head.
The Moen 6300EP publishes “1.75 Gpm (6.65 L/Min) Max.”, “One-Function Full Spray” on a “2-1/2″ Diameter Spray Head”, and that it “meets EPA WaterSense® criteria”.
The EPA publishes the saving for an average family switching to WaterSense: “2,700 gallons per year” and “more than 330 kilowatt hours of electricity annually”. That electricity alone is about $61 a year, which is several times what the head costs.
It is also fifteen minutes with one wrench. Everything under $50 is ranked here.
Renter-Safe Install Rating
- Drilling
- None
- Tools
- One wrench
- Time to fit
- Not published
- Power
- None
- Reversible on move-out
- Fully
Why: One threaded joint on the shower arm already in the wall. Nothing is drilled, nothing is glued, and the old head screws back on.
Read from published documentation, not from fitting one. Moen, One-Function Eco-Performance Shower Head, 1.75 gpm (6300EP). How the verdict is derived: renter-safe ratings explained.
What it costs to run — Water
- Flow rate
- 1.75 GPM (Moen’s published maximum)
- Shower length
- 8 minutes
- Showers
- 365 a year
1.75 GPM x 8 min x 365 = 5,110 gallons a year, against 7,300 for a 2.5 GPM head
About 2,190 gallons a year less than a full-flow head
Arithmetic on published specifications, not a measurement. Rate source: U.S. EPA WaterSense — Showerheads (2.5 gpm federal standard, 2.0 gpm WaterSense maximum).
What’s wrong with it
One spray pattern, and a 2-1/2 in. face is small.
What we can’t tell you
Moen does not publish what the body is made of.
Published specifications
| Flow rate | “1.75 Gpm (6.65 L/Min) Max.” |
|---|---|
| Spray function | “One-Function Full Spray” |
| Head diameter | “2-1/2″ Diameter Spray Head” |
| Connection | “1/2″” IPS |
| Certification | “meets EPA WaterSense® criteria to conserve water without sacrificing performance” |
| Finishes | Chrome; Brushed Nickel also published |
| Warranty | “limited lifetime warranty” |
| Material | Not published on the product page |
Source: Moen, One-Function Eco-Performance Shower Head, 1.75 gpm (6300EP)
#ad Price $23.12 as of October 18, 2026. Prices change; Amazon’s listing is the one that counts. How we’re funded.
3. The biggest change for the smallest money
Brondell SimpleSpa Thinline Essential Bidet Attachment
Brondell · SS-150 · best for adding a function the bathroom did not have
A 0.2 in. plate with a braided metal hose and an all-metal T-valve that adds a bidet to a toilet you already own, with no outlet and no plumber.
Brondell’s SimpleSpa Thinline is the only item on this page that adds a function rather than improving one. It publishes a “Universal, adjustable toilet fit” that “installs under your existing seat”, a “braided metal hose and all-metal T-Valve” and “no plumbers or plumbing knowledge required”.
Metal at both joints is the specification to care about. The attachments that leak are the ones with plastic valves at the tank. Why attachments leak is covered here.
Running cost is zero: Brondell publishes it as “Powered by water pressure alone, no batteries or electricity required”.
Renter-Safe Install Rating
- Drilling
- None
- Tools
- Hands only
- Time to fit
- Not published
- Power
- None
- Reversible on move-out
- Fully
Why: Brondell publishes an under-seat fit with a metal T-valve at the tank. There is no fixing into any surface, so removal is the install run backwards.
Read from published documentation, not from fitting one. Brondell, SimpleSpa Thinline Essential Bidet Attachment (SS-150). How the verdict is derived: renter-safe ratings explained.
What’s wrong with it
Cold water only. Brondell publishes it as an “ambient temperature wash”, which in a cold house means cold.
What we can’t tell you
No published install time, and no published hose length.
Published specifications
| Dimensions | “15.4″(W) x 9.15″(L) x 1.6″(H)”, profile “0.2 inches” |
|---|---|
| Weight | “0.6 lbs” |
| Water | “refreshing, ambient temperature wash” — cold only, no heating |
| Nozzle | “angled nozzle”, “retractable”, with “on-demand, self-cleaning” and a “hygienic nozzle guard” |
| Hose and valve | “braided metal hose and all-metal T-Valve” |
| Power | “Powered by water pressure alone, no batteries or electricity required” |
| Fit | “Universal, adjustable toilet fit” that “installs under your existing seat” |
| Tools | Not stated; Brondell publishes “no plumbers or plumbing knowledge required” |
| Warranty | “1-year warranty provided by US-based customer service team” |
Source: Brondell, SimpleSpa Thinline Essential Bidet Attachment (SS-150)
#ad Price $31.99 as of October 18, 2026 $39.99 (20% off). Prices change; Amazon’s listing is the one that counts. How we’re funded.
4. The top of the ladder
WarmlyYours Ibiza Freestanding Towel Warmer
WarmlyYours · TWS5-IBZ06PP · best for the one upgrade that changes how the room feels every day
90 W, six 304-stainless bars, a normal plug and about $12 a year to run on a two-hour timer — the expensive end, and the one with a published cost to own.
The Ibiza is where this page stops being cheap, and it is worth seeing what the money buys: WarmlyYours publishes “90 W”, “307 Btu” an hour, “304-stainless steel”, a “71″” cord on a standard plug and a “5-year limited warranty”.
90 W x 2 h ÷ 1000 x $0.1834 = about 3 cents a day, or $12 a year on a timer. For an appliance that runs daily, that is a published number almost nothing else in the house can match. The full review is here.
Renter-Safe Install Rating
- Drilling
- None
- Tools
- None
- Time to fit
- Not published
- Power
- Standard outlet
- Reversible on move-out
- Fully
Why: WarmlyYours publishes this one as freestanding with a NEMA 5-15 plug: it stands on the floor, plugs into a normal outlet, and leaves with you.
Read from published documentation, not from fitting one. WarmlyYours, Ibiza Freestanding Towel Warmer (TWS5-IBZ06PP). How the verdict is derived: renter-safe ratings explained.
What it costs to run — Electricity
- Rated power
- 90 W (WarmlyYours’s published figure)
- Run time
- 2 hours a day on a plug-in timer
- Electricity rate
- 18.34 cents per kWh (US residential average, June 2026)
90 W x 2 h / 1000 x $0.1834 = $0.033 a day
About 3 cents a day, or roughly $12 a year on a two-hour daily timer
Arithmetic on published specifications, not a measurement. Rate source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.A — US residential average 18.34 cents/kWh, June 2026.
What’s wrong with it
Six bars is one towel, and it wants a 13.97 in. deep strip of floor it can keep.
What we can’t tell you
No published heat-up time and no published duty cycle, so the $12 is a ceiling.
Published specifications
| Wattage | “90 W” |
|---|---|
| Supply | “120 V”, “0.75 A” |
| Heat output | “307 Btu” per hour |
| Bars | “6” heated bars |
| Dimensions | “34.84″ (885 mm) H x 21.85″ (555 mm) W x 13.97″ (355 mm) D” |
| Material | “304-stainless steel”, published in “Polished Stainless Steel” and “Matte Black” finishes |
| Cord and plug | “71″” cord, “NEMA 5-15 (Type B)” |
| Mounting | “Freestanding” — no wall mounting or drilling |
| Safety | “built-in TempSmart overheat protection” preventing surface temperatures above “149°F (65°C)” |
| Certification | “cULus Listed” |
| Warranty | “5-year limited warranty” |
Source: WarmlyYours, Ibiza Freestanding Towel Warmer (TWS5-IBZ06PP)
#ad Price $351.00 as of October 18, 2026. Prices change; Amazon’s listing is the one that counts. How we’re funded.
Where to buy
Everything recommended on this page, in one place. Each link is an Amazon Associates link — we earn a commission at no extra cost to you, and it never decides a pick.
- $11.03View on Amazon
GE Relax HD LED G25 Vanity Globe Bulbs, 60-Watt Replacement, Soft White (2 Pack)
GE Lighting · Relax HD G25, 60 W replacement · Renter verdict: Safe
- $23.12View on Amazon
Moen One-Function Eco-Performance Shower Head
Moen · 6300EP · Renter verdict: Safe
- $31.99View on Amazon
Brondell SimpleSpa Thinline Essential Bidet Attachment
Brondell · SS-150 · Renter verdict: Safe
- $351.00View on Amazon
WarmlyYours Ibiza Freestanding Towel Warmer
WarmlyYours · TWS5-IBZ06PP · Renter verdict: Safe
#ad Prices are not shown because we only publish figures we have verified on the day. How we’re funded.
Questions people actually ask
how much do bathroom upgrades cost
Done yourself, in three bands: under $30 for LED bulbs, a WaterSense shower head or a bidet attachment; $30 to $100 for no-drill storage, filtered heads, bath mats or a towel warmer bucket; $100 and up for heated rails, lighted mirrors and electric bidet seats.
which bathroom upgrade saves the most money
A WaterSense shower head. The EPA publishes 2,700 gallons and more than 330 kWh a year saved for an average family, which is about $61 of electricity alone at 18.34 cents per kWh — several times what the head costs.
what is the cheapest bathroom upgrade
Vanity bulbs. A pair of 90 CRI LED globes costs less than a takeaway and changes how every face in the mirror looks, and replacing three 60-watt incandescents saves roughly $33 a year.
do bathroom upgrades have ongoing costs
Three do. Filtered shower heads need cartridges about twice a year, electric bidet seats use roughly $1.80 a year for washing, and a 90 W towel warmer costs about $12 a year on a two-hour daily timer.
what bathroom upgrades can a renter pay for
Anything that leaves with you: shower heads, bidet attachments, towel warmers, lighted mirrors, no-drill storage and hooks. Avoid paying for plumbed or wired work — a faucet, fan or vanity light becomes the landlord's the day it goes in.
Sources
- U.S. EPA WaterSense — Showerheads (2.5 gpm federal standard, 2.0 gpm WaterSense maximum, 2,700 gallons and 330 kWh a year)
- U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.A — US residential average 18.34 cents/kWh, June 2026
- GE Lighting — Relax HD LED G25 vanity globe bulbs, 60-watt replacement (5.5 W, 500 lm, 2700K, CRI 90)
- Moen, One-Function Eco-Performance Shower Head 1.75 gpm (6300EP)
- Brondell, SimpleSpa Thinline Essential Bidet Attachment (SS-150) — published fit, hose and valve, and zero power
- WarmlyYours, Ibiza Freestanding Towel Warmer (TWS5-IBZ06PP) — published 90 W, 307 Btu, cord and warranty
Read next
Back to Renter-Safe Upgrades.