Landscape Maintenance Prices: Tips for Contractors to Maximize Profit 

When a job’s underpriced, you feel it. You put in the hard work, but have little to show for it. 

That’s why knowing how to price your landscaping work is critical to your long-term success. It protects your profit margin and fuels sustainable growth. And it gives you total quoting confidence. 

You charge enough to cover your expenses and pay yourself and your team, but not so much that you lose out to cheaper competitors. 

What should your landscape maintenance prices be? It depends on the service. 

Yard maintenance covers everyday work that keeps outdoor spaces looking sharp. Services include mowing, fertilization, basic irrigation, and seasonal cleanup. Add-ons like pest defense or plant care can boost your revenue when priced and packaged right. 

In this guide, we’ll explore national price ranges and service-specific costs. We’ll look at the factors that determine what you can realistically charge. 

We’ll also give you practical tips to keep your rates competitive without cutting into your margin. 

Smart pricing really is all about building a business that lasts. Here’s what you need to know. 

Lawn Care Maintenance Average Price Chart 

The right rates help you cover labor, fuel, equipment wear, and growth-driving activities like marketing. 

This lawn care price chart is a breakdown of monthly costs in the U.S. by yard size. While these are customer-facing prices, it’s helpful to keep these total cost ranges in mind while building your own pricing.  

Lawn Size	Average Monthly Cost	Typical Pricing Model
⅛ acre	$100 to $200	Hourly or per service
¼ acre	$200 to $400	Monthly maintenance plan
½ acre	$400 to $800	Per project or seasonal contract
1 acre	$800 to $1,600	Custom pricing (often per acre)
2 acres	$1,600 to $3,200	Larger contracts or bundled work

RELATED ARTICLE — Landscaping Pricing Guide: How to Price Landscaping Jobs 

Hourly vs. Per-Project Pricing 

Lawn maintenance jobs are priced in a few different ways. Hourly and per project are the two most common. 

Hourly pricing is straightforward. You track time and bill accordingly. It’s often used when the scope of work could change once you’re on-site. 

• Pro: It protects your time when a job turns out more involved than expected. 
• Con: Some clients hesitate if they’re unsure how long a job might take. 

With per-project pricing, you quote a set amount based on what the job involves. This works well for routine maintenance. It’s also a smart choice for any service where the time and labor are predictable. 

• Pro: It’s easier to explain to the customer and easier to bill on a regular schedule. 
• Con: If conditions change mid-job, your margin could take a cut. 

What Affects Pricing? 

Lawn services costs vary for a reason. The work might look similar at first. But what you charge needs to reflect your location, overhead expenses, and the kind of property. 

For example, where you work affects what you can charge—and what your clients are used to paying. 

• In Seattle, for example, you’ll likely spend more on labor and fuel, and that drives rates up. Monthly service might fall in the $110 to $450 range. 
• Boston jobs often pay higher because of elevated living costs and tighter yards, with some clients paying $500-plus per month. 
• Dallas tends to fall on the lower end, especially in suburban areas with high competition and wide-open lawns. 

What’s more, demand changes throughout the year. 

In spring and early summer, you’ll be mowing and seeding. In late fall and winter, your work might include leaf removal, equipment maintenance, or snow-related work, depending on your region. 

Then, there are labor rates. Hourly wages range between $30 and $65. The more you pay your workers, the more you’ll need to charge your customers. 

Finally, when it comes to mowing and lawn care, grass variety will play a role in how you quote. 

• Bermuda and zoysia grasses are quick growers. In warmer climates, they can need mowing every week. 
• Fescue and ryegrass, common in cooler zones, grow more slowly. Biweekly service often does the trick. 

The difference in frequency can double your labor over the course of a season. If you’re not accounting for that, you may end up overpromising or undercharging. 

FROM ONE OF OUR PARTNERS — The 7 Best Commercial Lawnmowers for Landscapers 

Essential Lawn Services: Average Cost 

Your customers want their lawn to look cared for without having to think about it. 

That’s why yard maintenance services are always in high demand. The landscaping services market in the U.S. has grown 7.2% per year since 2019. 

As a contractor, knowing which services are essential (and what they typically cost) allows you to nail your pricing and earn more profit. 

Lawn Mowing 

Routine mowing keeps the lawn healthy. It prevents disease and makes the property look maintained. The cost? 

• Smaller yards: $50 to $150 per visit 
• Larger yards: $200 to $800 per visit 

As a general pricing rule, you can charge between $0.01 and $0.06 per square foot. If you typically work on larger yards, that translates to between $50 and $200 per acre. 

Aeration and Overseeding 

Soil compacts over time. When that happens, roots can’t get the water or nutrients they need. Aeration fixes that. Overseeding fills in patchy spots and keeps weeds down. 

Generally, these services are priced as follows: 

• Aeration only: $75 to $200 
• Seeding: $440 to $1,750 

Pricing changes based on lawn size and seed type. Ryegrass blends cost less. Fescue or custom turf mixes cost more. 

Fall is prime time for this service, so it pairs well with a seasonal upsell strategy. 

Fertilization Treatments 

You can mow every week, but if the soil’s weak, results will always fall short. 

Fertilization boosts growth and overall lawn health. It costs: 

• Smaller yards: $70 to $200 
• Larger yards or service bundles: $200 to $380 

Frequency matters. Single applications are cheaper. Multistep programs—or when bundled with weed control or aeration—are more expensive. 

Pricing also depends on whether you’re using synthetic or organic blends. 

Sprinkler System Installation and Repair 

Watering by hand isn’t practical for many customers. A sprinkler system saves time and enables even coverage during hot, dry weather. 

You can charge around: 

• Installation: $1,665 to $3,550 
• Repairs: $130 to $410 

Outdoor Pest Defense (Mosquitoes, Fleas, Ticks) 

Targeted pest treatments make yards more usable and add value beyond looks. Your customers can expect to pay about $100 to $260 per visit.  

This fee depends on property size, pest type, treatment needed, and how aggressive the infestation is. 

RELATED ARTICLE — The Ultimate Landscaping Checklist Every Professional Needs 

Average Price for Surrounding Landscaping Services 

These services round out your offerings. They give clients fewer reasons to call someone else. 

Landscape Bed Weeding 

Weeds grow at a lightning pace. If they’re left alone, they choke out plants and make a property look neglected. Routine weeding tidies things up and gives clients visible results right away. 

• Smaller yards: Around $35 per visit 
• Larger yards: Up to $200 or more 

Some companies have a $30 minimum for small jobs. Heavily overgrown beds or jobs requiring hand-pulling tend to cost more. 

Tree Trimming 

Tree work is a different beast, but it’s worth offering if you’ve got the equipment and training. Trimming supports tree health, improves light flow, and reduces storm damage risk. 

Expect to charge: 

• Smaller trees: $75 to $200 
• Larger or mature trees: $500 to $2,000+ 
• Job average: Around $460 

Accessibility affects price. For example, trees near power lines or rooftops take longer to trim. 

Perimeter Pest Control 

Perimeter pest control acts like a shield. The goal is to stop pests well before they enter the property’s boundaries. 

• Standard treatment: Around $125 per visit 
• Larger properties: Higher, depending on coverage area and barrier width 

Many contractors schedule this service quarterly. Some bundle it with mosquito or tick control, which is easy to explain on one invoice. 

Plant Health Care (Indoor and Outdoor) 

Plant health care involves monitoring, watering, pruning, and adjusting soil or nutrients. It’s hands-on and time-based, so pricing depends on the number of plants and their needs: 

• 1–5 plants: $100 to $200 per month 
• 16–25 plants: $350 to $600 per month 

These jobs usually start with a consultation. Some clients just want watering during vacations. Others want full-service care for tropicals, fruit trees, or landscaped beds. 

FROM ONE OF OUR PARTNERS — 5 Spring Season Landscape Maintenance Services to Offer 

Understanding Yard Maintenance Cost Factors 

Accurate pricing depends on context. There’s more going on than just square footage. 

Here are a few factors that affect what you can (and should) charge: 

• Property size: A ⅛-acre lot in town with flat, open grass will take less time than a sloped ¾-acre yard with trees and garden beds. Add a hill or narrow access, and you’re adding labor hours and equipment wear. 
• Landscape complexity: A basic lawn is one thing. But when there are stone borders, tiered beds, hedges, or paver walkways to edge around, your crew slows down. 
• Location: In some places, labor will likely cost more. Customers might have higher expectations too. This means you’ll be spending a couple extra hours on detail work. 
• Service mix: Mowing is consistent. But once you add fertilization or pruning into the package, your hours stack up. And that affects how you bill—flat rate, per service, or bundled monthly. 
• Access and layout: If your team has to move a mower through a narrow gate or haul tools around the back of a detached garage, the job takes longer. You need to price for this. 
• Client expectations: Some want a quick cut and blow. Others want perfect lines, tight edging, and zero grass clippings left behind. If you’re delivering a higher level of detail, reflect that in your rate. 

RELATED ARTICLE — 7 Tips for Seasonal Cash Flow Management for Lawn Care Businesses 

4 Tips to Set Competitive yet Profitable Prices 

Pricing too low burns time. Pricing too high loses work. Somewhere in between is the number that keeps your schedule full and your margins intact. 

• Use estimating software to quote faster and more accurately. Tools like Joist help you build clean, professional estimates, store client data, and track approvals.  
• Know what your competitors are charging, but don’t copy the average price for landscaping exactly. Look at their service level and whether they bundle extras. Use that to position your business smartly, not just cheaply. 
• Build your profit margin on purpose. List out your costs. Then, add the income you actually need to stay afloat. That’s your baseline. 
• Make simple packages priced by value. A flat monthly fee for weekly mowing, edge trimming, and cleanup is easier to sell than billing each item separately. Clients like knowing the total. You’ll like how it smooths out cash flow.