It depends on the type and amount of fabric, the item being reupholstered and how busy your upholster is.

The chair is similar to the Macy's link below. I guess I'm looking for an estimate on labor since the price of the fabric will depend on what I pick.

Here is a link that might be useful: Armchair

Where you are located will make a huge difference, too. And who you hire. Get 2-4 estimates from upholsterers in your area. If you don't have any personal recommendations, check Angie's List.

I agree that it depends on where you live. I live in the Boston area and recently had a very similar chair reupholstered and I think the labor was around 400-500. Here's mine!

{{!gwi}}

About 3 years ago I was quoted $400 for a club chair and $600 for a loveseat NOT INCLUDING THE FABRIC.

Wow, I did not think it was that expensive. I was hoping to save money but it seems that it's about the same as buying new. Sueb20, great chair and I really like that fabric.

I had two chairs of the same style upholstered the middle of 2003. Cost was $484 each. That did not include the fabric.
Only use someone that has some of his work sitting around for you to inspect.

Get at least 3 bids. I had a wingback chair upholstered and was told it would take 8 1/2 yds of material to do it. The guy that ended up getting the job used only 6 yards of fabric. I've always wondered what would have happened to the extra 2 1/2 yards I would have purchased for the other guy?!

sophie,
Whether it'd be like buying new depends on the chair. My chair, new today, would be around $1500.

It's the same as buying new if you buy junk. I think older furniture (meaning all wood construction, hand-tied, etc. from the 30s-60s) is so much better than anything you can buy new that the cost of recovering is worth it.

I buy fabric from eBay, and live in Southern California, where a wing chair costs around $4-500 to have reupholstered.

I guess I'm shopping in the junk category then - $400-500 is a lot of money for a chair for me. I bought new and don't regret it. But I can certainly understand that if it's heirloom quality reupholstering might be the best option.

Two years ago I had a lot of furniture reupholstered at one time. We paid $375 each for five club chairs on the smallish side, NOT including the fabric. Our 81" sofa was about $700, and two chair and a halfs together were $1200. I had five occasional chairs done and they ranged between $250 and $300 (the latter price for Martha Washington chairs, each).

This was in 2006, and I received a substantial discount because of the volume of work. I believe we had 18 pieces: two sofas, five occasional chairs, five club chairs, two barstools, two chair-and-a-halfs and a giant ottoman and a normal-sized ottoman. The upholsterer I used was about an hour north, and they charged a pick-up/delivery fee that I thought was reasonable.

Again, these prices did not include fabric, which I purchased through our designer.

I'm in the Philly burbs & got estimates for these 2 chairs last year:

Each upholsterer quoted $300 each for labor. Fabric was estimated at 3yrds. per chair and was an additional fee. Seeing as each quote was the same I felt confident that I wasn't being ripped off. Still haven't had the chairs redone.

I also went t a deeply discounted fabric warehouse to buy fabric.

I like in a moderately high-cost area and am having a chair (similar to yours) recovered for $440, excluding material (another $100). Curiously, I bought the chair for only $40! My sense is most new furniture is not well made and ends up going to the landfill after a decade or so. I like to rescue old stuff and recover. With the exception of a couple side tables, the "youngest" piece of furniture in my LR is almost 20 years old. Two of my chairs have slipcovers (because the underlying fabric is good, just not a color I want to see right now). Three other upholstered pieces have been recovered. I also changed the finish, shades, and wiring on two lamps (again, it might have been cheaper to buy new, but the old stuff is very well made).

Very timely question for me - I just had my two newly re-upholstered chairs delivered yesterday. They are pretty similar to the example you show from Macy's (no skirt, wooden legs, etc.). My guy - who I've used for many projects - charged me $350 each, not including fabric. This was just to have them recovered; no replacement of cushion material, etc. They're only about 6 or 7 years old, but my old dog (may she now RIP) did a number on the fabric in her last year and they looked pretty bad.

I needed about 16 yards of fabric total (it was a pretty small repeat) for the chairs and two throw pillows to put on my loveseat.

I live in the Wash D.C suburbs (pretty pricey area). Looks like I got a decent deal!

Thanks to everyone who responded. It seems that the prices are fairly consistent and, more importantly, much higher than I wanted to spend. The chairs that I have are not heirlooms but just pieces I wanted to freshen up. It seems that buying new is better for me since I want to spend up to 400/chair and won't have to deal with looking for and interviewing upholsterers.