In my part of the country (the nation's capital) no contractor will come out for less than 7 times that.
Two shut-offs (ball valves) on the washing machine cost me $500. That taught me to solder.
Of all the contractors I have ever called out (over 30 by now), over 90% turned up late, at least a third never showed up at all and three-quarters did not do the job as I would have liked (inferior materials, code violations etc.)
So from now on, I DIY whenever possible.
In every other country I have lived in I always hired licensed professionals for all types of home work (because they tended to be better with far fewer cowboys due to stricter laws and compliance both for contractors and what DIYers are allowed to do). Pick almost any other country, phone any contractor from the phone book and if he turns up unlicensed you can call the police and he would be put out of business. The first contractor I called from the phone book where I now live (a glazier) failed to show until our 3rd appointment, then took my money (yes, most other places do not require deposits) and then never came back to do the work.
This is why the big box stores around here are so big. It took me so long to work out why. Most other countries' DIY stores stock far fewer items because there simply is no home-owner demand to do this type of work yourself. Here we are not left with much choice.
I wish I lived where you live.
