Pricing guide
How Much Does House Cleaning Cost?
House cleaning is priced by the home, the type of clean, and how often you book. Recurring visits cost less per clean; deep and move-out cleans cost more. Frequency is held constant below so you can see what the type of clean costs on its own, rather than comparing a deep clean against a maintenance visit.
Founder, Smarfle · Published June 26, 2026
Average house cleaning
$100 to $200 per visit
A standard clean of an average home. Deep cleans, move-out cleans, and larger homes cost more; recurring visits are usually discounted.
Quick answer
Most homeowners pay $100 to $200 for a standard house cleaning, or $25 to $50 per hour. Deep cleans run $200 to $400 and move-out cleans $150 to $350. Recurring weekly or biweekly visits are discounted to about $90 to $160 each.
House Cleaning price list
| Service | Typical price |
|---|---|
| Standard clean | $100 to $200 |
| Deep clean | $200 to $400 |
| Move-out / move-in clean | $150 to $350 |
| Recurring (weekly/biweekly) | $90 to $160 / visit |
| Per hour | $25 to $50 |
| Per square foot | $0.05 to $0.20 |
Prices are typical U.S. ranges and vary by region, scope, and condition. Always get a written quote.
Cost by home size (standard clean)
| Home | Approx. size | Standard clean |
|---|---|---|
| Studio / 1 bedroom | up to 800 sq ft | $80 to $130 |
| 2 bedroom | 1,000 to 1,500 sq ft | $100 to $180 |
| 3 bedroom | 1,500 to 2,000 sq ft | $130 to $230 |
| 4 bedroom | 2,000 to 2,500 sq ft | $180 to $300 |
| 5+ bedroom | 2,500+ sq ft | $250 to $400+ |
Cost by clean type
| Type | Price | Typical frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | $100 to $200 | weekly / biweekly |
| Deep clean | $200 to $400 | quarterly / first visit |
| Move-out / move-in | $150 to $350 | one-time |
| Recurring (per visit) | $90 to $160 | weekly / biweekly |
What house cleaning labor costs by state
Labor is the largest single input in most house cleaning jobs, and it is the part that moves most between states. The median janitors and building cleaners wage runs from $28,380 to $45,580, a 1.6x spread, against a national median of $36,840. Expect a quote above the ranges on this page in the first group and below them in the second.
The adjusted column divides each wage by that state's cost of living, so a high number in the first column does not automatically mean an expensive market. In California a $41,090 wage is worth $37,112 once living costs come out, while in Arkansas a smaller $29,750 is worth $34,220.
| State | Median | Cost adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | $45,580 | $43,099 |
| Washington | $45,520 | $42,537 |
| New York | $41,640 | $38,584 |
| California | $41,090 | $37,112 |
| Vermont | $40,910 | $41,763 |
| State | Median | Cost adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Mississippi | $28,380 | $32,638 |
| Louisiana | $28,930 | $32,798 |
| Arkansas | $29,750 | $34,220 |
| Alabama | $30,620 | $34,473 |
| West Virginia | $30,980 | $34,616 |
Where janitors and building cleaners pay goes furthest
Median wage after each state's cost of living, highest first.
Wages are the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics median for Janitors and Building Cleaners (SOC 37-2011), 2025. The adjusted figure divides by each state's BEA Regional Price Parity (2024, US = 100). A few states are suppressed by BLS for confidentiality and are left out. See all 50 states.
How crowded the house cleaning market is where you live
Wages explain what a crew costs to run. Competition explains what they are willing to charge. Across the country there are about 34 cleaning businesses for every 10,000 residents, but that runs from 16 in the District of Columbia to 74 in Florida, a 4.5x spread.
In the denser states more operators are bidding the same work, so quotes cluster lower and you can usually get someone out this week. In the thinner ones the same job carries a premium and a longer wait, because the few firms that exist already have a full schedule and no reason to discount. Nevada has added the most since 2019, up 31%, so competition there is still building.
| State | Per 10k | Businesses |
|---|---|---|
| Florida | 74 | 173,146 |
| Georgia | 50 | 55,609 |
| Mississippi | 45 | 13,091 |
| Louisiana | 43 | 19,809 |
| Texas | 42 | 131,984 |
| State | Per 10k | Businesses |
|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | 16 | 1,153 |
| Wisconsin | 19 | 11,502 |
| West Virginia | 20 | 3,494 |
| Minnesota | 21 | 12,174 |
| Washington | 21 | 16,677 |
Most cleaning businesses per 10,000 residents
Business counts are U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns employer establishments plus Nonemployer Statistics firms for NAICS 561720, so a one-person operation counts the same as a company with twelve vans. Population is the American Community Survey. CBP 2023, NES 2023, ACS 2024. See all 50 states.
Cite this data
The state figures above are free to reference with a link back. Cite the underlying study rather than the cost ranges on this page, because those ranges are editorial estimates and the state data is not.
Ihor Lavrenenko (2026). Cleaning Business Statistics by State. Smarfle. https://www.smarfle.com/small-business-statistics/cleaning-business-statistics
What affects the cost
Home size
More square footage, bedrooms, and bathrooms take more time, so price scales with the size of the home.
Type of clean
A standard maintenance clean costs less than a deep clean (baseboards, inside appliances, detailed scrubbing) or a move-out clean.
Frequency
Weekly and biweekly recurring visits are cheaper per clean than a one-time visit because the home stays in better shape.
Condition
A home that has not been cleaned in a while, or has pets, needs more time and may be priced as a deep clean first.
What you are actually paying for
The parts of a house cleaning quote that never appear as a line item, from the side of the business that has to cover them.
Cleaners sell crew hours, not square footage
A quote is built from estimated hours multiplied by how many people arrive, so two cleaners for two hours and one cleaner for four cost about the same. It also means a bigger team does not make the job cheaper, only faster, which is worth knowing before you ask for one.
A house inside the day's route costs less to reach
Cleaning teams work a geographic day. Slotting into a street or building they are already visiting adds travel measured in minutes, while an address that breaks the pattern can cost half an hour of paid driving for two people. That travel is in your price whether or not it appears on the invoice.
Recurring is cheaper because the schedule is worth more than the margin
A booked recurring slot lets an owner plan payroll and fill a route, and that predictability is worth more to the business than the fatter margin on a one-time deep clean. The lower per-visit price is not a loss leader, it is what a reliable calendar is worth.
Where the money goes
Most cleaners price by the visit (flat rate) based on home size and clean type, though some charge hourly ($25 to $50) or by square foot. The best value is a recurring plan: the per-visit price drops, and the home is easier to maintain than to deep-clean from scratch each time.
Should you DIY or hire a pro?
House cleaning is genuinely DIY-able: it is your time versus your money. Hiring a pro makes the most sense for deep cleans and move-outs, large homes, or a busy schedule. A recurring service is the best value if you want the time back, because maintaining a clean home costs less per visit than deep-cleaning it from scratch each time.
How to save on house cleaning
- Book a recurring slot. A predictable calendar is worth more to the business than the margin on a one-time clean, and the rate reflects that.
- Choose biweekly over weekly if the house stays tidy between visits.
- Declutter before they arrive so you are buying cleaning rather than tidying.
- Pay for one deep clean, then hold it with cheaper maintenance visits.
- Skip add-ons like the inside of the oven or the windows if you will realistically do them yourself.
What the federal data shows
Cleaning is the largest and most solo-dominated home-service trade. Census counts 1.16 million U.S. cleaning businesses, with an industry-average pay near $30,000, reflecting how competitive and entry-level much of the work is.
Read the Cleaning Business Statistics studyRun a house cleaning business? Here is what to charge
If you run a cleaning business, price recurring plans first and put clients on a card on file. Recurring revenue and route density, not one-off deep cleans, are what make cleaning profitable.
Frequently asked questions
How much does house cleaning cost?
How much does a deep clean cost?
Is recurring cleaning cheaper?
How much does move-out cleaning cost?
Should I tip my house cleaner?
More pricing guides
Where these numbers come from
The dollar ranges on this page are our own editorial estimates, not survey data. We build them from the federal wage figures cited below, which set the labor floor for the trade, plus the typical job scopes we see in the field. Materials, permits, access and local demand move every one of them. Treat the ranges as a starting point for a conversation with a contractor, not as a quote.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Janitors and Building Cleaners (May 2025)National median cleaning wage of $36,840. Cleaning is almost entirely labor, so this figure drives the ranges above directly.
- U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns and Nonemployer Statistics (2023)Counts of residential cleaning businesses and their payroll, including sole operators, which is what sets the competitive floor on price in a given market.
Last reviewed September 2026.
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