How these estimates are calculated
Place, currency and tax. Prices are for the United States, in USD ($). They exclude sales tax. Whether a service is taxed, and at what rate, depends on the state. The range is a national average. When you pick your state, the calculator scales the labor share of the range by a local index from 0.65 to 1.35. The calculator does not quote below its minimum price, $100 at the national average.
Where the range comes from. The market range for this job comes from prices published for the United States by price guides. We name these sources by type, not by company. We check the hourly rates against Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data. A trade's rate should sit well above what its workers earn, because it also pays for overhead, travel and insurance.
When we checked. We last checked these rates against their sources on August 22, 2026.
Market price and your price. "What pros charge" is the market range for the job you describe. Your own cost figures do not change it. The table under it, "Your costs at this price", uses your figures: time on the job, labor cost, materials, equipment, travel, fees and overhead. Profit is the market price minus those costs.
Set your price too low and you clean houses for free after costs; too high and the quote loses to the next bid.
The calculator above starts from what cleaning businesses actually charge for a home like the one you describe,
then lets you check what you’d keep at that price.
How the calculator works
- Market band. The cleaning type and square footage pick a published per-square-foot rate band for US cleaning
businesses.
- Your job inside the band. Add-ons and a bathroom-heavy layout push the quote toward the higher end; an easy
layout keeps it low. Recurring visits get a realistic discount.
- Your state. Rates are adjusted by a state labor-cost index, so Kansas and California don’t see the same number.
- Your economics. Open “Your costs and margin” to see hours, costs, and what the market price leaves you — the
margin and overhead settings price custom jobs the band doesn’t cover.
Typical house cleaning prices in 2026
| Home | Standard clean | Deep clean | Move-out clean |
|---|
| 1-bed apartment (~800 sq ft) | $100–$115 | $110–$170 | $150–$205 |
| 2-bed home (~1,200 sq ft) | $115–$175 | $170–$255 | $225–$305 |
| 3-bed home (~1,800 sq ft) | $175–$265 | $255–$385 | $345–$465 |
| 4-bed home (~2,500 sq ft) | $245–$370 | $355–$535 | $480–$645 |
Ranges reflect typical US rates; high-cost metros run 20–40% above them. Use the calculator with your own labor
cost and overhead to see where in the range you should sit.
Worked example
A biweekly deep clean of a 4-bed, 3-bath, 2,400 sq ft home with inside-oven and interior-window add-ons: the deep-clean
band for this size, add-ons included, is $380–$690, the bathroom-heavy layout centres the quote high in it, and the
biweekly discount of 12% brings it to about $435 (quoted range $360–$510). Biweekly visits also take 12% less time
than a one-off, so the hours drop with the price. At $22/hour labor your costs run about $235 — the market price leaves
roughly $200 per visit (46% margin) on a deep clean with add-ons. The “Fill with sample data” button loads this exact job.
Tips for quoting cleanings
- Always ask about bathrooms. They take longer per room than anything else in the house — underestimating them
is the most common quoting mistake.
- Charge for the first visit properly. A first-time clean of a new client’s home is closer to a deep clean than
a standard one; price it that way and set the recurring price separately.
- Put the price range in writing. Quote the recommended price, note what would move it up (pet hair, clutter,
post-renovation dust), and confirm after a walkthrough.
The calculator gives you the number. For typical rates and how to build a quote, read our house cleaning pricing guide.
Frequently asked questions
How much should I charge for house cleaning?
Most US cleaning businesses charge $175–$265 for a standard clean of a 3-bedroom, 1,800 sq ft home, and $255–$385 for a deep clean. The right price for you depends on your labor cost, supplies, travel, overhead, and the profit margin you want — that is exactly what this calculator works out from your numbers.
Should I price per hour or per job?
Quote clients a flat per-visit price, but build it from your hourly labor cost. Clients prefer a predictable number, and flat pricing rewards you for working efficiently instead of penalizing you.
What is a good profit margin for a cleaning business?
Independent cleaners and small teams typically target a 25–40% net margin on residential work. The calculator defaults to 33% — adjust it to your market and demand.
How much should I charge per square foot?
Standard cleans usually land between $0.09 and $0.18 per square foot, deep cleans between $0.13 and $0.26, and move-out cleans between $0.18 and $0.30. Square footage alone misses bathrooms and add-ons though, so the calculator also weighs the layout and extras.
Should recurring cleanings be cheaper?
Yes — weekly or biweekly homes stay cleaner and take less time, and predictable revenue is worth a discount. A weekly visit runs about 20% below a one-time clean, a biweekly one about 12% and a monthly one about 9%, because the home takes that much less time. The calculator applies these automatically.
