Most people starting out in lawn care charge too little. They pick a number that sounds fair, forget about the drive, the fuel and the trimming, and end up working for less than a shop job would pay.
For $45–$65 you can mow, trim and blow a typical American suburban lawn and still be priced like the pros in your area. In the UK the same kind of visit runs £22–£30, in Canada C$45–C$65 and in Australia A$60–A$95. The rest of this guide shows how those numbers are built, so you can quote any lawn with confidence.
Calculator
Set the job details to get a price to quote, then check what that price leaves you per hour once driving, supplies and tax are counted.
Charge about
$55
per visit, for 8,000 sq ft
per visit, in your own currency
$31an hour in your pocket at the typical price
Adjust the numbers above to match your job.
The price is built as a base fee plus a rate for the size of the job, then adjusted for the options you pick. Time is an estimate for one person working alone; change it if you know your own pace.
Price list
| Job | United States (USD) | United Kingdom (GBP) | Canada (CAD) | Australia (AUD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small lawn | $40–$45about 3,000 sq ft | £20–£21about 40 m² | $40–$50about 3,000 sq ft | $50–$60about 80 m² |
| Average lawn | $45–$65about 8,000 sq ft | £22–£30about 100 m² | $45–$65about 6,000 sq ft | $60–$95about 200 m² |
| Large lawn | $60–$100about 15,000 sq ft | £35–£55about 250 m² | $60–$100about 12,000 sq ft | $80–$150about 400 m² |
| Very large lawn | $75–$130half an acre, about 22,000 sq ft | £50–£95about 500 m² | $85–$160half an acre, about 22,000 sq ft | $120–$260about 800 m² |
| Hourly rate | $32–$68what working pros bill | £25–£45what working pros bill | $35–$70what working pros bill | $40–$70what working pros bill |
| Minimum charge | $40smallest job worth the trip | £20smallest job worth the trip | $40smallest job worth the trip | $45smallest job worth the trip |
Prices are per visit in local currency, from a fair budget price to an established operator in a higher-cost area.
United States: Prices swing a lot by region. The same lawn that goes for $45 in much of Texas or the Midwest can fetch $80 or more in the Northeast and on the West Coast.
United Kingdom: Expect to add roughly a third in London and the South East. Most customers think in price per visit, and many gardeners bundle mowing into a regular garden-maintenance slot.
Canada: The season is short, roughly May to October, so many operators sell a monthly or seasonal package and switch to snow removal in winter.
Australia: Fast summer growth means fortnightly or even weekly cuts for half the year. Edging and blowing paths clean are expected as standard, not as extras.
Method
The standard for home lawns. You look at the lawn once, quote one price, and charge it every visit. Customers like the certainty, and you earn more as you get faster. Almost every solo operator should use this.
A base fee plus a rate for the area, which is how the calculator on this page works. It keeps your quotes consistent from one customer to the next, and lets you quote from a satellite map without driving out.
Useful for a first cut on a badly overgrown lawn where nobody can tell how long it will take. For regular mowing it punishes you for being quick, so switch the customer to a flat price after the first visit.
One fixed monthly amount covering every cut in the season. It smooths your income through slow-growth weeks and makes customers far less likely to cancel. Price it as your per-visit rate times the expected number of visits.
Price factors
A lawn twice the size does not take twice as long, because unloading, trimming the edges and blowing off the paths take about the same time on any lawn. That is why pricing works best as a base fee plus a rate for the area, and why your smallest lawns should never go below your minimum.
A weekly lawn is quick, clean work, so it earns a small discount. A one-off cut means longer grass, no repeat income and a separate trip, so charge about a quarter more.
Overgrown grass can double your time. You may need two passes, the mower clogs, and there are far more clippings to deal with. Quote the first cut separately at a higher price, then offer the regular rate once the lawn is under control.
Trees, flower beds, trampolines, steep banks and narrow side gates all slow you down. A lawn you can mow in long straight lines is worth less per visit than a fiddly one of the same size.
Driving is unpaid time. Ten lawns on two neighbouring streets earn far more per hour than ten lawns spread across town, so give a small discount to a customer's neighbours and quote higher for jobs that are out of your way.
Rates follow local wages and living costs. Before you settle on prices, get a feel for your area by checking what three or four local operators advertise, then place yourself in the middle of that range.
Worked examples
A flat, open 8,000 sq ft lawn that you will cut every week through the season. No extras.
Weekly customers pay a little less per visit, but they are the backbone of a route. Twenty of these is a full, predictable week.
A 150 m² back garden that has not been cut for two months. The customer wants a one-off tidy and the clippings taken away.
One-off rescue jobs should cost about double a regular visit. Offer the normal fortnightly price afterwards and many of these turn into regular customers.
A 300 m² lawn, front and back, with a steep bank and garden beds to work around. Cut every two weeks.
Slopes and obstacles add real time. If you price a fiddly lawn like an open one, it becomes the job you dread every fortnight.
Your costs
You can start with equipment you already own, but these are the usual costs once you treat it as a business. Prices are for decent homeowner-to-light-commercial gear bought new.
| Item | USA (USD) | UK (GBP) | Canada (CAD) | Australia (AUD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Self-propelled petrol or battery mowerA 21-inch (53 cm) mower handles almost every home lawn. | $350–$700 | £300–£600 | $450–$900 | $500–$1,100 |
| String trimmer | $150–$350 | £120–£300 | $200–$450 | $200–$500 |
| Leaf blower | $150–$300 | £100–£250 | $180–$400 | $200–$450 |
| Fuel, trimmer line and blades, per month in season | $40–$100 | £30–£80 | $50–$120 | $50–$130 |
| Liability insurance, per yearCovers you if a stone goes through a window or someone is hurt. | $400–$1,200 | £60–£200 | $500–$1,300 | $400–$900 |
Avoid these
Your price has to cover the drive, loading and unloading, equipment wear, insurance and tax, not just the minutes the mower is running. Use the earnings check in the calculator before you agree a price.
A tiny front lawn still costs you a trip. Set a minimum, such as $40 in the US or £20 in the UK, and stick to it.
The first visit to a neglected lawn is a different job. Price it as a one-off at a higher rate and say so clearly, so the customer understands why later visits cost less.
Someone will always mow for less, often without insurance and not for long. Customers who choose only on price leave for the next cheap offer. Aim for the middle of the local range and win on turning up when you said you would.
Questions
For an average suburban lawn on a regular schedule, charge $45–$65 in the US, £22–£30 in the UK, C$45–C$65 in Canada and A$60–A$95 in Australia. Go higher for large, overgrown or awkward lawns and for one-off cuts.
Working pros bill about $32–$68 an hour in the US, £25–£45 in the UK, C$35–C$70 in Canada and A$40–A$70 in Australia. It is still better to quote a flat price per visit and use the hourly figure only to check that the job pays.
A teenager using the family mower with no insurance or travel costs usually charges about half to two-thirds of the going professional rate. In the US that is roughly $20 to $40 for an average lawn.
Measure the grass area on a satellite map, put it in the calculator, and give the customer a price range. Confirm the exact price after the first visit, once you have seen the slopes, obstacles and grass condition.
Yes. Bagging slows the cut and leaves you with waste to dispose of. Most operators add $10 to $30 per visit for it in the US, and mulch the clippings by default.
A solo operator with a push mower and a tight route can do 8 to 12 average lawns in a day. Spread-out jobs or large lawns bring that down to 5 or 6, which is why route density matters as much as price.
The rates on this page were set in November 2026 from the published price guides below, then checked so that the calculator, the price list and the examples all agree. How we work out prices.