How much to charge for lawn mowing (2026)

Most lawn care businesses in the US charge $44 to $71 for a regular mow of an average yard. In Canada, weekly mows run about CA$25 to $55 and every-two-weeks mows CA$50 to $80. Here's how to work out a price that pays for your crew, your truck and you.

How lawn care businesses price it

• Per visit, by lawn size: the most common for regular customers. A quarter-acre lawn is often $45 to $65 a week.
• By the hour: $32 to $68 an hour, for one-off or odd jobs.
• By the acre, for big properties: about $60 to $150 an acre. Some charge $150 to $200.
• By the season: $900 to $2,000 a year for 25 to 35 visits, paid monthly.
• A minimum charge: around $30, so small lawns still pay for the drive.

Work out your own price

Every price has three parts: the crew's time, what the business costs to run, and your profit. Here's a quarter-acre lawn, mowed weekly by a crew of two. Each stop takes 40 minutes: 25 mowing and trimming, 10 driving, and 5 loading up and fuelling.

• Labour: landscaping workers earn a median of $18.82 an hour in the US. Payroll taxes and benefits add about 30%, so call it $24.50 an hour. Two people for 40 minutes is $32.70.
• Running costs: truck, fuel, mowers, trailer, insurance, phone and software. Say they're $30,000 a year, and the crew bills 1,400 hours a year: about $21.40 an hour, so $14.30 for this stop.
• Break-even: $47.00. Add 15% profit: about $54 a visit.

At $45 you'd lose money on every visit. At $54 to $60 you're paid properly and have room for a rainy week. If the going rate near you is lower, look at the driving first: a tighter route saves more than a lower price. Put in your own numbers with our hourly rate calculator.

What pushes the price up or down

• Long grass: over 6 inches often costs 1.5 to 3 times the normal rate.
• The lawn itself: slopes, trees and garden beds take longer.
• Bagging the clippings, instead of mulching them.
• Distance: customers outside your usual area.
• How often: a one-time mow often costs about 50% more than a weekly one.

Add-ons worth offering

• Fertilizing: $65 to $100 a treatment. Weed control: $50 to $125.
• Aeration: $75 to $250. Leaf removal: $150 to $350. Spring or fall clean-up: $125 to $400.
• Edging: $1 to $5 a foot.

In Canada

• Landscape labourers earn a median of CA$20.75 an hour (Alberta $21.00, BC $22.50, Ontario $20.96).
• Add CPP, EI, vacation pay and workers' compensation to the wage before you do the sum.
• Canadian landscaping businesses averaged an 11.4% net profit in 2024.

Put it on a quote

Offer three options and let the customer choose:

• Good: mow and trim.
• Better: mow, trim, edge and blow.
• Best: Better, plus fertilizing 4 times a season.

Many people pick the middle one. In MightyCrews, the quote becomes weekly visits on the calendar, and rain days move in one tap. Start from the free landscaping quote template.

Sources (checked November 2026)

• Prices: LawnStarter (Oct 2026) and HomeGuide (Dec 2025; Apr 2023 for weekly prices by lawn size).
• Canadian prices: HomeStars (Aug 2026).
• Pay: US Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025 pay; June 2026 employer costs) and Canada's Job Bank.
• Profit: Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, 2024 data.