Is gravel cheaper than a concrete driveway?

Yes, gravel is the cheapest driveway surface to put down, often a few dollars per square foot. The trade is permanence. Gravel scatters, ruts, washboards, and needs regrading, and many East Valley HOAs will not allow it as a finished driveway surface. Concrete costs more once and then mostly leaves you alone.

What does concrete driveway removal cost?

Tear-out and disposal typically runs $3 to $8 per square foot, so removing a 600 square foot driveway costs about $1,200 to $4,200 before the new pour. Reinforced slabs with rebar cost more to break out than plain ones. Most contractors fold removal into the replacement quote.

How thick should a new driveway be?

Four inches is the residential standard for cars and SUVs, poured over a compacted gravel base. Go to five or six inches with rebar if trucks, trailers, or an RV will sit on it. Thickness is one of the quiet price levers, since more depth means more concrete per foot.

How much does a concrete driveway cost in Arizona?

Q: How much does a 20x40 concrete driveway cost?

A 20x40 driveway is 800 square feet, which puts a plain finish at roughly $4,800 to $9,000 installed and a stamped or decorative finish well above that. Add $2,400 to $6,400 if an old driveway has to come out first. Site condition and thickness move the number, so treat this as a market range.

Q: Is a concrete driveway cheaper than asphalt?

No, asphalt usually costs less upfront, around $7 to $15 per square foot against $8 to $20 for concrete per national 2025 data. Concrete wins on the long game in Arizona: it lasts roughly twice as long and skips the sealcoating cycle asphalt needs, which matters in our heat.

Most Arizona concrete driveways run $6 to $15 per square foot installed, which puts a typical two-car driveway between roughly $2,400 and $9,600. Plain gray sits at the low end, decorative finishes climb from there, and tearing out an old driveway first adds $3 to $8 per square foot.

Those are market ranges for the Phoenix area, not a DC Construction quote. Your ground, your driveway’s size, and the finish you pick decide the real number, and a concrete driveway contractor has to see the site to give you one that holds. Here is how the pricing actually breaks down, so a quote makes sense when you get it.

What a driveway costs per square foot, by finish

Finish is the biggest lever. The concrete under it is the same, but every step up in appearance adds labor, color, and sealer.

Finish	Cost per square foot (installed)
Plain gray, broom finish	$5–$8
One color or texture	$8–$14
Stamped, multiple patterns or colors	$14–$21
High-end custom decorative	$21+

Those tiers come from Concrete Network’s 2026 pricing data, and Phoenix-area figures line up: local market data puts a basic un-reinforced driveway pour at $6 to $11 per square foot before demolition. If you want the look without the full price, stamped and decorative concrete on a border or entry strip dresses up a plain field for a lot less than stamping the whole thing.

What common driveway sizes cost

The average American two-car driveway is around 640 square feet, roughly 16 by 40. Here is the market math at Arizona rates for a plain to mid finish.

Driveway size	Square feet	Typical installed total
Single car (10x20)	200	$1,200–$3,000
Two car (16x40)	640	$3,800–$9,600
Wide two car (20x40)	800	$4,800–$12,000
Long or circular	1,000+	$6,000–$15,000+

Small pours cost more per foot than big ones. Mobilizing a crew and a ready-mix truck costs about the same either way, so a short pour spreads that fixed cost over less ground. That is why a 200 foot extension is not simply a third of the price of a 600 foot driveway.

What tear-out and replacement adds

Replacing a driveway costs more than pouring a new one because the old slab has to come out first. Market rates for removal and disposal run $3 to $8 per square foot, which is $1,200 to $4,200 on a typical 600 square foot driveway. Slabs with rebar in them fight back harder and cost more to break out than plain pours.

If your existing driveway is cracked or settling, replacement is not always the answer. Our guide on repairing versus replacing concrete walks through when a slab can be saved, and the concrete repair page covers what we actually do about damaged flatwork.

What moves the price in the East Valley

A few local realities push Arizona driveways above the national floor.

The ground is the big one. Much of the East Valley sits on caliche, a cemented hardpan that can turn excavation into demolition, and on expansive clay that swells and shrinks with moisture. Both demand proper base prep, and skipping it is how driveways crack early. The summer heat adds its own tax: pours get scheduled for cool hours and cured carefully so the slab does not flash-dry. Access matters too. A backyard pour the truck cannot reach means pumping or wheelbarrows, and that is labor.

Thickness rounds out the list. Four inches handles cars, but if a work truck or RV lives in the driveway, five to six inches with rebar is the right build, and more depth means more concrete. We covered the full thickness question in how thick a concrete driveway should be, and if you are weighing surfaces at all, see concrete versus asphalt in the Arizona heat.

FAQ

How much does a 200 square foot concrete driveway cost? A 200 square foot section, about one parking space or a short extension, typically runs $1,200 to $3,000 installed at Arizona market rates. Small pours often land near the top of the range because the crew and the truck cost about the same whether they pour 200 feet or 600.

How much does a 20x40 concrete driveway cost? That is 800 square feet, which puts a plain finish around $4,800 to $9,000 installed and stamped work well above it. Add $2,400 to $6,400 if an old driveway has to come out first.

Is a concrete driveway cheaper than asphalt? No, asphalt is usually cheaper upfront, about $7 to $15 per square foot against $8 to $20 for concrete. Concrete wins the long game here: double the lifespan and no sealcoating cycle, which is worth a lot in our sun.

Is gravel cheaper than concrete? Much cheaper to put down, and much more work to live with. Gravel ruts, scatters, and needs regrading, and plenty of East Valley HOAs will not accept it as a finished surface. Concrete costs more once and then mostly leaves you alone.

What does removal cost? Tear-out and disposal runs about $3 to $8 per square foot at market rates. Rebar-reinforced slabs cost more to break out. Most contractors fold removal into the replacement price.

How thick should the new driveway be? Four inches for cars and SUVs over a compacted base, five to six with rebar for trucks and RVs. Thickness is a quiet price lever, since more depth is more concrete.

Get a real driveway number

Ranges are for reading. Your price comes from your site. DC Construction and Development pours concrete driveways across Queen Creek and the East Valley, and we will look at the ground, the access, and the old slab if there is one, then put an honest number in front of you. Ask for a free estimate and we will price it straight.