How Much Does It Cost to Open a Safe in 2026?

Cost to Open Safes with Key Overrides | Cost to Open Safes without Override Keys | Minimum Charges

Cost to Open Summary

Opening a locked safe is not as cut and dry as people think it is. We are often asked how much it will cost, but the charges are all over the place because it depends on what type of safe it is and the technique used to open it.

The average cost to open a safe 2024 was $414. Adjusting for inflation in 2026 the same safe opening cost will be $444, but can be as little as $60. It can also be as much as several hundred. The cost to drill a safe is the most expensive. Cost varies depending on the type of lock, safe brand, method of entry used, and anti-theft measures.

Safe Service	Cost
Open by Making a Key	$50-80
Open by Drilling and Replacing Keyed Lock	$80-150
Open Cheap Safes By Breaking In – Safe will be unusable	$60
Open a Decent Home Safe by Drilling	$300
Open a Quality Safe by Drilling	*$444+
Opening a High-Security Safe	$750+

Cost to Get Into Safes That Have Keys

Safes that have key overrides, like Sentry safes, Honeywell, and other big box store safes or safes on Amazon are the least expensive safes and thus, the least expensive to open

It doesn’t matter if there is also an electronic or dial lock on the safe, if there is a key override that will open the safe on its own (not requiring that the combination be set first), then the safe can be easily opened.

• Picking: key cylinders can typically be picked open. This is true for both standard keyways and tubular keys. Once picked a key can be then be made.
• Using a Code: Often, there’s a code on the safe that can be used by a locksmith to originate a key using the code.
• Impressioning: If it cannot be picked and no code is available, the locksmith may also impression the lock to make a key.

If the above are not possible (in some cases manufacturers use high-security, restricted, or non-common keyways) a locksmith may be able to have a key sent to you from the manufacturer. Manufacturers use locksmith to verify that you 1) have possession of the safe 2) are who you say you are and 3) own/rent the property the safe is in.

If you still have your proof of purchase or you registered the safe when you bought it, the manufacturer may send the safe key directly to you without the need for a locksmith.

In rare cases, the lock will need to be drilled out and replaced by a locksmith.

The table below illustrates the cost of these techniques to open a safe. This is just the cost of the opening and not the cost of getting a locksmith onsite (the service call) which is additional when you cannot bring the safe to a locksmith shop. It also does not include any repair of the safe afterward. A new lock or dial is parts and labor on top of the opening.

If these prices seem too high, you can try to open safes without an override key on your own.

Opening Safes That Don’t Have Key Overrides

The cost to open safes without key overrides can be broken down into two categories.

Cost to Open Cheap Big-Box-Store Safes

If you bring us a $150 or less big-box home safe, we are not going to spend an hour carefully picking or drilling it open. We are going to break into it. On a cheap safe, the time it takes to open it and then repair it costs far more than the safe is worth.

It is simply cheaper to force it open and replace it. So the real cost to open a cheap home safe is the price of a new safe, plus a few minutes of labor if you have us do the breaking in for you. Bring it to the shop and we will have it open fast, just plan on buying a replacement afterward since the old one will not be reusable. And do yourself a favor, replace it with a decent safe.

When we break-in to one of these safes, the cost at one of our locations will be around $60.

Cost to Open a Decent Home Safe

Here we are talking about safes that were designed primarily as fire protection with mild security features. Unlike the Big-Box-Store plastic cheap safes, they have metal bodies and can cost several hundred dollars. Depending on the cost of the safe, they may be worth professionally opening and restoring. Such as these value home safes on our website.

They can be difficult to break into so professional drilling is often required, but restoring the safe to its original function after it is drilled is not usually a good value, it’s better to replace it once it’s opened.

The cost to drill and open one of these types of safes will be around $300.

Cost to Open Quality Safes

Here is where things get interesting…and expensive.

Burglary safes and high-security safes are designed to protect their content. They are expensive, they are fortresses, and getting into them is also expensive.

Once professionally drilled opened, good safes can and should be repaired. They will be as good as new.

Companies that open safes with either bill a flat rate or by the hour.

I’ve seen flat-rate pricing to drill open high end TL15 & TL30 safes as high as $1500, and for good reason. These are the hardest safes to get into, but typical burglary rated safes can be opened for around $450.

Most quality burglary rated safes can be drilled open and repaired in 1-2 hours. The cost to open a quality, burglary safe will be in the range of $450+. High-security safes (RSC, TL rated safes) start around $750.

Why do Some Safe Companies Charge Flat Rates to Open Safes?

The knowledge necessary to drill a safe is accumulated over years of experience. That translates into cost. Someone who is good at getting into a quality safe and takes less time shouldn’t bill less than somebody who’s bad and takes longer to get in. So most professional companies prefer a flat rate, and it also ensures that you know exactly what you’re paying ahead of time.

When preparing to drill a safe, there is also a lot of time spent in getting ready for the job that the customer is unaware of. The equipment needs to be picked up, and checked, a lock replacement for the safe found, and everything loaded into the van and then taken to the customer.

So even if it turns out to be something simple, that takes just a few moments, all of the time spent prepping for the opening needs to be recovered.