Lawn care pricing guide (2026)

Mowing prices by lot size.

Mowing is priced per visit, usually by lot size, and the published ranges overlap but don't match. Here's what four sources say.

Frequency changes the per-visit price. In HomeGuide's table, a ¼-acre lawn is $45–$65 weekly, $60–$85 every two weeks and $70–$100 every four weeks, because longer grass takes longer to cut and bag. Housecall Pro's data shows the same pattern, but notes it doesn't prove a fixed biweekly surcharge.

First cuts cost more. Housecall Pro lists overgrown or first-visit mows at $70–$150 or more, and a $20–$60 surcharge for grass over 10 inches. HomeGuide's overgrown range is the same $70–$150.

By square foot, Housecall Pro's own price book shows $45–$70 for lawns under 1,000 sq ft, $55–$100 for 1,000–3,000 sq ft and $65–$150 for 3,000–10,000 sq ft. Jobber gives a per-square-foot range of $0.01–$0.06.

Fertilization and aeration prices.

Treatment work is priced per application and sold as a season program. That makes it the steadiest revenue on a lawn route.

Jobber's fertilization figures run higher than the others: its guide lists an average fertilization job at $225 in one place and $275 in another. Its aeration figures are in line, at $75–$205 per 10,000 sq ft with a $140 average. The gap is partly lawn size and partly what's included, so compare per 1,000 sq ft where you can.

Treatments are commonly sold as a named program: a set number of rounds per season, a price per round based on lawn size, and an agreement that renews. HomeGuide's size table runs from $25–$50 per application for 5,000 sq ft to $220–$440 for an acre.

Price the stop, not just the grass.

A lawn route makes or loses money on time per stop. Build the price from these parts.

Pricing one weekly mow.

Every number below is an example, chosen to show the math. Use your own.

Check it against the market. $52 sits inside HomeGuide's $45–$65 weekly range for ¼ acre and inside Housecall Pro's $43–$70 weekly recurring range. Notice how much of the cost is fixed per stop: drive time, vehicle and overhead are more than half of it. That's why a stop across town needs a higher price, and why a minimum stop charge matters.

To set a minimum, take the fixed part of a stop (drive, unload, overhead, invoicing) and add the shortest realistic mow. Housecall Pro's guide recommends exactly that: calculate a minimum from fixed per-stop time, then compare it to your smallest lawns.

Where lawn prices leak.

Spring calls go to whoever answers first.

Most lawns can be measured from a satellite view before you ever drive out. Measure turf area, look for slopes, gates and beds, and quote from your price sheet the same day. Ask the customer three things: address, frequency they want, and whether they want treatments too.

Put a recurring option and a program option on every mowing quote. A weekly mow price next to a season fertilization program gives the customer one decision instead of two later.

Then follow up. In spring, a homeowner asking you for an estimate may be asking other companies too. A text the next day, another a few days later and a last one about a week out is enough. Retention matters just as much: re-sign last season's customers before the first cut, not after they've hired someone else.

Lawn care pricing questions.

Fill the route, then keep it full.

Good pricing needs estimate requests coming in and customers who renew every spring.

Where these numbers come from.

Prices checked October 2026. Ranges are national figures from the sources above; your local market, access and job mix will move them. Example numbers in the worked example are illustrations, not benchmarks.