Estimate what professional house cleaning should cost based on your home size, room count, and frequency — plus see how it stacks up against DIY.
Quick Presets
Home Details
Service Options
Pets
Cost Per Visit
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Enter your details to see results
Cost = (Sq Ft × Rate + Bedroom/Bath extras) × Pet factor × Frequency modifier
Base Sq Ft Cost
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Room Add-ons
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Pet Surcharge
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Implied Hourly
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Monthly Cost
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Annual Cost
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Service vs. DIY — Your Home at Current Settings
DIY cash cost and the value of your time are modeled separately. Professional cost uses your calculator inputs above.
Used only for the economic DIY comparison.
Pro Cost / Visit
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DIY Cash / Visit
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Time Per Clean
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Annual Pro Cost
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Annual DIY Cash
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Annual Cash Difference
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Your Time Breakeven Rate
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Hiring professionals is worth it if your time is worth more than this per hour.
Cost Comparison by Frequency
Uses your current home size, room count, cleaning type, and pet status.
Frequency
Visits/Year
Pro / Visit
Annual Pro
Annual DIY
Annual Savings (DIY)
Annual Cleaning Budget — Your Home
Annual Cost
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Per Month
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Per Week (amortized)
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Cost by Cleaning Type at Current Frequency
Highlights your current selection. Uses your home size, room count, and pet status.
Cleaning Type
Rate / Sq Ft
Cost / Visit
Annual Cost
vs. Standard
Annual Cost by Frequency & Type
✓ Methodology & TrustLast Verified: May 2026 · Next Review: November 2026
This calculator is a planning model, not a guaranteed quote. Rates, surcharges, and time estimates are heuristics informed by cleaning-industry guidance and labor-market references. Actual prices vary by location, home condition, service scope, supplies, insurance, travel, and crew size.
ISSA Residential Standards — operational time allocations per sq ft under varying layout complexity.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics SOC 37-2012 — national and regional wage benchmarks for housekeeping cleaners.
Whillans et al., PNAS (Harvard) — "Buying Time Promotes Happiness": economic framing of outsourced household chores.
Calculated values are regional averages for budgeting purposes. Actual quotes vary by company, location, and home condition.
4 min read4 steps5 terms2 examples5 FAQsCost = (Sq Ft × Rate + max(0, Bedrooms−2) × $20 + Bathrooms ×…
Professional home cleaning costs vary widely based on home size, cleaning type, frequency, and geographic location.
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Walk-through
How to Use This Calculator
4 steps▸
1
Enter Your Home Size and Room Count
Type your home's square footage in the Home Size field, then enter your number of bedrooms and bathrooms. The calculator uses $0.10/sq ft as the baseline rate for a standard clean — matching national service averages.
2
Select Cleaning Frequency and Type
Choose how often you want service: weekly (includes a 15% discount), bi-weekly (baseline), monthly (+10% premium), or one-time (+25% premium). Then select the cleaning type: Standard for routine maintenance, Deep Clean for thorough scrubbing, or Move-In/Move-Out for turnover cleaning.
3
Toggle Your Pet Status
If you have pets, tap Yes — the calculator adds a 12.5% pet surcharge to account for extra hair, dander, and cleaning time that most services charge automatically.
4
Review Results and Comparisons
The Calculator tab shows your cost per visit, annual total, and implied hourly rate. Switch to Service vs DIY to see how professional cleaning compares financially to doing it yourself, including your time breakeven rate. Use the Annual Budget tab for a complete breakdown by cleaning type and frequency.
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Reference
Formula & Methodology
2 formulas▸
Cost Per Visit
Cost = (Sq Ft × Rate + max(0, Bedrooms−2) × $20 + Bathrooms × $25) × Pet Factor × Frequency Modifier
Rate is $0.10/sq ft (standard), $0.20/sq ft (deep clean), or $0.18/sq ft (move-in/out). Pet factor is 1.125 with pets, 1.0 without. Frequency modifier: weekly 0.85, bi-weekly 1.00, monthly 1.10, one-time 1.25.
Visits per year: weekly 52, bi-weekly 26, monthly 12, one-time 1. Cleaning time is estimated at 1 hour per 400 sq ft (minimum 1 hour). DIY supply cost is assumed at $15/visit. If your hourly wage exceeds the breakeven rate, hiring a professional is financially rational.
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Glossary
Key Terms Explained
5 terms▸
Base RateThe per-square-foot price a cleaning service charges before room add-ons and surcharges. National averages: $0.08–$0.12 for standard, $0.15–$0.25 for deep clean, $0.15–$0.22 for move-in/out.
Deep CleanA thorough cleaning that goes beyond routine maintenance. Includes scrubbing baseboards, cleaning inside appliances, grout work, window tracks, and other detail tasks. Typically costs 75–150% more than a standard clean and is recommended every 3–6 months.
Move-In / Move-Out CleanA comprehensive cleaning performed when a tenant moves in or out of a property. Similar in scope to a deep clean but focused on restoring the property to rental or sale condition. Landlords often require this between tenants.
Frequency ModifierA pricing multiplier based on how often you schedule service. Weekly cleaning earns a discount (0.85×) because the home stays cleaner between visits, reducing cleaning time. Infrequent or one-time cleans carry a premium (1.10–1.25×) due to higher buildup.
Breakeven Hourly WageThe hourly value of your time at which hiring a professional cleaner and doing it yourself cost the same. If your effective hourly wage exceeds this rate, outsourcing makes financial sense. Calculated as (Pro Cost − DIY Supply Cost) ÷ Hours to Clean.
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Scenarios
Real-World Examples
2 worked examples▸
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Deep Dive
Home Cleaning Cost Guide: Pricing, Services, and Value
Professional home cleaning costs vary widely based on home size, cleaning type, frequency, and geographic location. Understanding what drives pricing helps you compare quotes accurately and decide whether DIY or professional cleaning offers better value for your situation.
Cleaning Cost Factors: Size, Type, and Frequency
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The primary driver of cleaning cost is square footage: standard rates range from $0.05-0.15 per square foot. A 1,500 sq ft home typically costs $75-$225 per standard cleaning. Deep cleanings (move-in/move-out, post-construction, spring cleaning) run 2-3x standard rates because they include inside appliances, window sills, baseboards, and areas skipped in regular maintenance. Frequency discounts are significant: weekly service is typically 10-20% less per visit than bi-weekly, which is 10-15% less than monthly, reflecting lower labor per visit as homes require less work to maintain.
Professional Cleaning vs. DIY: Time and Value Analysis
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At a median US wage of $22/hour, cleaning a 1,500 sq ft home takes 3-5 hours of DIY time — a $66-$110 implicit cost. Professional cleaners accomplish the same work in 2-3 hours using specialized equipment and products (microfiber systems, commercial vacuums, professional-grade cleaners). For households earning above the median, professional cleaning often provides positive ROI purely on time savings, before accounting for the higher cleaning quality professional services typically deliver.
Regional Price Differences and Finding Reliable Service
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Cleaning costs vary 30-60% across US metro areas. San Francisco, New York, and Boston average $150-$250 per standard cleaning; mid-size cities average $90-$150; rural areas average $60-$100. When evaluating cleaning services, verify insurance and bonding (protects against damage claims and theft), ask for references or check review platforms, confirm product preferences (some households need fragrance-free or allergy-friendly cleaners), and understand their tipping policy. Most professional services are tipped 15-20% for exceptional work; regular tip amounts are often built into recurring arrangements.
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Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
5 questions▸
How much does house cleaning cost on average?+
Professional house cleaning typically costs $100–$200 per visit for a standard clean of a 1,500 sq ft home, or roughly $0.08–$0.12 per square foot. A 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom home bi-weekly runs $130–$175 depending on your region, pet status, and the service used. Deep cleans run $200–$400 for the same home size.
What does a maid service charge per hour?+
Most professional cleaning services charge $25–$50 per cleaner per hour, or $50–$90/hour for a two-person team. Many companies price by the job rather than hourly — a 1,500 sq ft home takes roughly 3–4 hours, implying an effective rate of $35–$55/hour. Deep cleans are priced 75–150% higher than standard maintenance.
Is weekly or bi-weekly cleaning cheaper per visit?+
Weekly cleaning costs less per visit — typically 10–20% less than bi-weekly — because the home stays cleaner between sessions, reducing scrubbing time. However, the total annual spend is much higher: 52 weekly visits vs. 26 bi-weekly visits. A 1,500 sq ft home might pay $120/visit weekly ($6,240/year) vs. $150/visit bi-weekly ($3,900/year).
How much extra does a deep clean cost vs. a standard clean?+
A deep clean typically costs 75–150% more than a standard cleaning for the same home. Standard cleaning covers routine surfaces, vacuuming, and bathrooms. Deep cleaning adds baseboards, inside appliances, grout scrubbing, ceiling fans, and window tracks. For a 1,500 sq ft home, expect $150–$175 standard vs. $275–$375 deep clean. Most services recommend a deep clean every 3–6 months.
Is it worth hiring a cleaning service vs. doing it yourself?+
The financial case depends on your hourly value. A professional clean of a 1,500 sq ft home costs roughly $150 and takes about 3–4 hours. If your time is worth more than $35–$45/hour — the rate at which pro cost minus your supply cost equals your time cost — hiring makes financial sense. Beyond money, professional services provide equipment, trained technique, and consistency that most homeowners can't replicate, especially for deep cleans.
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