Bounce house rentals are popular options for parties, barbecues, events, or other social gatherings. But how do you know you’re getting the best price, and how much does a rental typically costs.
Most bounce house rentals will be for blocks of 4, 6, 8, or 10 hours at a time. The average price for a standard bounce house will be $30 to $50 an hour or $125 to $285 per day. To rent larger bounce houses with slides, splash pools, or climbing areas will typically cost $375 to $580 a day.
There are some exceptions to those rental costs though. In this article I break down the cost of a bounce house rental and offer tips to help you save money on your next rental.
Average Bounce House Rental Costs
The average cost you could expect to pay for a 6 hour bounce house rental is around $240. This typically includes delivery, pick up, and set up charges, but any additional cleaning that needs to be done, or damage incurred to the unit, may cost extra.
Here’s a simple chart to show you where you may land, cost wise, depending on the type of bounce house you plan on renting. The typical residential bounce house rental falls into the average size or low end category, however, a good number of rentals are for water bounce houses.
The large and high end bounce houses are typically rented out less often because of the hefty price tag. Those options are better suited for large groups, for example, a block party, camp function, church gathering, or little league party.
Here are a few example bounce house rental prices from actual companies around the US:
| Location | Type | Cost | Company |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado | Mid Range | $330 | BigAirJumpers |
| New York | Small | $325 | NewYorkInflatables |
| Indiana | Small/Medium | $175 | BigBounceThings |
| Indiana | Water Slide | $400 | BigBounceThings |
| Florida | Small | $150 | Bounce2Bounce |
| California | Combo | $350 | BounceyHouseRentals |
| California | Water Slide | $569 | BounceyHouseRentals |
Keep in mind, the prices in the chart are for the bounce house rental only, many companies will charge an extra $50 delivery and set up fee.
As you can see, where you live makes a big impact on the price of a bounce house rental. Areas near cities can expect to pay about $100 more than rural areas are paying. The more elaborate the bounce house, the more expensive they will be to rent. Notice the water slide rentals are almost twice the cost of a small bounce house.
Standard Bounce House Rental
The standard bounce house rental will be a small or medium bounce house. The medium size rentals are sometimes referred to as combo rentals because they will be, essentially, a small bounce house sized jumping area with a slide or climbing wall added onto them.
The standard bounce house rental is a small or medium size unit, most popular for residential use, some include a slide or other unique feature.
A standard bounce house rental will typically cost between $125 to $285 for a day. Some companies will add fees for delivery and set up, so factor those costs into your budget. Any additional fees are usually around $50 extra.
If you plan on renting one of these bounce houses more than a couple times, it would actually save you money to just buy it for yourself. These types of bounce houses typically costs around $500 dollars. The cost of renting a standard bounce house three times, is about the cost of buying one to own for good.
Check out my article Best Bounce Houses By Category to get more information about pricing, what to look for, and to see a comprehensive list of the different types of bounce houses available for purchase.
Here’s an example standard bounce house, the Blast Zone Big Ol Bouncer (link to Amazon) sells for around $475, yet a rental for this same unit would cost you about $175 for just 6 hours. Add in delivery and set up fees, and you will spend more money after just three rentals than you would from just buying it outright.
A bounce house can be a bit of work though. If you don’t want to deal with cleaning and storing, and will only use it once or twice, renting is the way to go for you. I just wanted to point out the price of buying one of these units in case you plan on renting frequently, you would be better off purchasing in most cases.
Water Bounce House Rentals
Water bounce house rentals are usually classified as medium size or combo bounce houses. This is because they will include a water slide, pool, or other water feature in the design of the bounce house. Most companies will require an water hook up, as well as an electrical outlet, within 50 feet of the set up location.
A water bounce house rental will typically costs between $300 to $500 for a day, some of the larger water slides will be even higher. They do make smaller, cheaper, water slide units which cost under $200 to rent for a day, but these are really only good for 2 or 3 smaller children at a time.
Here’s an ad video from a company in Austin, Texas. This will give you a good idea of the water bounce houses most companies have available and the prices you can expect to pay.
Large Bounce House Rental
The larger bounce house units include, obstacle courses, interactive, rock climbing, slides, and adult use bounce houses. These are typically more expensive and wet or dry rentals can be found in this category.
The large bounce houses are better suited for larger events where multiple people will be jumping. A lot of companies will provide package deals for multiple bounce houses for events with many people attending.
A large bounce house rental can cost anywhere between $400 to $600 and up, depending on the size and features. Many of the large bounce houses will be designed for either wet or dry use. However, many companies will charge extra if you want to use water on a large bounce house.
Bounce House Rental Packages
Rental packages can vary, but most companies will allow you to mix and match multiple bounce houses to fit your needs and offer a discount for multiple rentals on the same day.
Rental packages typically include an obstacle course, a large bounce house, a slide, and a smaller bounce house. However, you should be able to choose which units you want to rent.
Rental packages are a great option for large events where there will be too many people for just one unit. You will most likely receive a discount as well, but it will take some time selecting the bounce houses that are right for your group or event, and discussing availability with the rental company.
Here’s a video showing what a bounce house rental package might look like.
Additional Rental Costs
Many bounce house rental companies will have additional costs that aren’t advertised so well on their site, and you may not even know about them until you call for a quote.
Make sure to ask what the additional costs are, if any, when booking your bounce house.
Here are some examples of extra fees they might try to tack on.
Delivery Fees
Delivery fees are actually pretty standard practice, and are usually around $50 for the unit. Some companies will include this in their price and you won’t see an extra charge for it.
Setup and Take Down Fees
Most companies won’t let you set up the bounce house on your own, so the set up and take down fees are included in the rental price or the delivery fee. There are however some companies that will allow you to set up the bounce house yourself, you could save some cost on set up and take down that way, but may lose any guarantee they include with their set up.
Cancellation Fees
Many bounce house rental companies will charge you a fee for cancelling the rental on the day of delivery. They will usually have a 24 hour cancellation policy of some kind. I’ve seen the late cancel fees range from $50 to well over $100 for the more expensive rental units.
Travel Fees
If you live far enough from the rental company location, they may charge you a delivery fee. They will typically have limits that they will deliver, or not deliver, but in some cases, they will deliver a certain range from them for a small travel fee, usually around $25 to $50.
Cleaning Fees
Most companies will including cleaning and maintenance in their rental price, but excessive cleaning may warrant an extra fee. If you have gotten mud, glue, gum, or anything hard to clean out. They will need to pay someone to do an extra level of deep cleaning and may charge you a fee for it.
Generator Fees
If you’re planning to set the bounce house up where there are no accessible outlets, many companies will offer a generator rental. This is typically the case for events at a park or open area with no access to electricity.
Bounce House Rental Discounts
There are some given discounts, like the rental package discounts, and some not so well known discounts. The easiest way to find out if the company is doing a discount you may not know about, is to simply call and ask. For the most part, they will be happy to tell you about any discounts they have currently running, especially if you let them know you are deciding between them and a competitive company.
The most common discounts will be holiday or spring time discounts when the rental companies are trying to get a jump start to their season.
How To Get The Lowest Price
I have already mentioned this first method to you in the discount section, but it’s worth mentioning again. Call the rental company and let them know you are currently deciding between a bounce house they have, and one that a competitor has. In most cases, they will knock off a few bucks to secure the sale.
Ways To Get The Best Price:
- Haggle A Little Bit: Some companies won’t budge on price, while others will offer a deal to seal the sale.
- Pick Up and Drop Off Yourself: You will probably need a truck or vehicle with enough space, but it could save you some money.
- Set Up Yourself: Ask if you can do the set up yourself to save some money. Many companies want to do the take down themselves because of the certain way they like to pack and store the units.
- Ask About Discounts: Many companies will have seasonal discounts, or discounts for students, veterans, and emergency service workers.
Another thing I’ve noticed works quite well. Offer to come pick up and drop off the bounce house to avoid any delivery, set up, and take down fees. Some companies will have those costs factored into the rental price, and will be able to give you a better deal if you do some of that work, while other companies will require that they deliver and set up the bounce house themselves.
I wrote a guide on Bounce House Set Up And Take Down you could follow if you do find that you could save some money by doing it yourself.
Costs To Buy A Bounce House
I have talked about this a little already up above, but I wanted to touch on this again. If you plan on renting a bounce house more than a couple times, it will most likely be cheaper for you to just buy the bounce house yourself. Instead of renting a used bounce house multiple times, consider buying a brand new one for less money.
Here is my list of the Best Bounce Houses To Buy, I’ve sorted them by category so you should be able to find something to fit your needs. I also talk about the things to look for when purchasing and what makes a quality bounce house.
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