Lawn Care · Costs
Lawn care costs depend on what’s in the visit, not the visit.
A single lawn care visit averages $123 and typically runs $49 to $203 in HomeAdvisor’s June 2026 cost guide, but that blends a $50 mow with a $380 fertilizer round. Priced service by service, a quarter-acre lawn with weekly mowing, four treatments, aeration and a leaf cleanup comes to roughly $1,650 to $3,800 a year in the worked example below.
AVERAGE VISIT
$123 ($49–$203 typical)
MOWING, PER CUT
$44–$71 most lawns
FERTILIZATION, PER ROUND
$71–$380
CORE AERATION
$75–$200
What lawn care costs, service by service
“Lawn care” covers everything from a $45 mow to a full-season program, which is why single-number averages are so hard to use. The table breaks it into the services companies actually quote. Figures come from HomeAdvisor’s lawn care and mowing cost guide (updated June 17, 2026), Fixr’s lawn maintenance cost guide (updated January 31, 2025) and LawnStarter’s mowing price guide (updated October 6, 2026).
| Service | HomeAdvisor (Jun 2026) | Fixr (Jan 2025) | How it’s billed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mowing | $50–$205 per visit | $25–$60 per hour; $150–$200 per acre | Per cut, weekly or biweekly |
| Fertilization | $71–$380 per visit | $200–$500 per treatment | Per round, or a prepaid program |
| Weed control | $35–$400 | $65–$150 per treatment | Often bundled with fertilization |
| Core aeration | $75–$200 | $80–$250 per visit | Once a year, usually fall |
| Seeding | Not listed | $700–$2,000 per visit (listed as lawn seeding) | Per job, often paired with aeration |
| Leaf removal | $300–$600 | $150–$550 per visit | Per job |
| Spring or fall cleanup | $190–$1,000 | $200–$500 per visit (listed as yard cleanup) | Per job, sometimes in the contract |
| Lawn pest control | $110–$260 | $350–$1,000 per treatment | Per treatment, usually an add-on |
Where the two guides disagree, the gap usually reflects scope. Fixr’s fertilization and pest figures assume larger or more involved treatments; HomeAdvisor’s cover a single standard visit. Lawn size also moves treatment prices a lot: LawnStarter’s fertilization price guide (updated December 27, 2025) prices one application at $20 to $80 on 1,000 sq ft but $218 to $871 on a quarter acre.
Worked example: a year of care on a quarter-acre lawn
Assume a cool-season lawn on a lot of a quarter acre or less in the Northeast, a 24-week mowing season, four fertilizer and weed-control rounds, one fall aeration and one leaf cleanup. The four-round figure is an assumption for the example, not a recommendation; your soil test should decide how many your lawn needs.
| Line | Math | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly mowing | 24 × $41 to 24 × $61 (LawnStarter, up to 1/4 acre) | $984 | $1,464 |
| Fertilizer and weed rounds | 4 × $71 to 4 × $380 (HomeAdvisor) | $284 | $1,520 |
| Core aeration | 1 × $75 to $200 (HomeAdvisor) | $75 | $200 |
| Fall leaf removal | 1 × $300 to $600 (HomeAdvisor) | $300 | $600 |
| Year total | $984 + $284 + $75 + $300; $1,464 + $1,520 + $200 + $600 | $1,643 | $3,784 |
Two adjustments change this a lot. If the lawn fills the whole quarter acre and is priced on LawnStarter’s size-based fertilization rates, the four rounds become 4 × $218 = $872 to 4 × $871 = $3,484, and the year total rises to $2,231 to $5,748. In the Southeast, LawnStarter’s season is about 45 weeks, so mowing alone becomes 45 × $41 = $1,845 to 45 × $61 = $2,745 for the same size lawn.
Per visit, monthly or annual: how billing changes the number
The same work can be quoted three ways, and it’s easy to compare the wrong numbers.
- Per visit. The norm for mowing and one-off jobs. HomeAdvisor puts weekly visits at $50 to $200 each. Multiply by your season length before comparing it with a program.
- Monthly. HomeAdvisor lists $100 to $300 for monthly visits. A flat monthly bill for weekly mowing spreads the season evenly; check whether it runs twelve months or only the growing season.
- Annual program. Treatment companies usually sell a set number of fertilizer and weed rounds for the year. Ask how many rounds, what each contains, and whether aeration, overseeding, grub control and cleanups are in or extra.
The costly mistake: comparing two quotes with different scopes.
A mowing-and-feeding quote and a full-program quote are different products, and the cheaper one is often cheaper because aeration, overseeding, soil amendment and insect control sit outside it. Before you compare, ask every company to price the same list: mowing at a written cutting height, the number of treatment rounds, aeration, overseeding, grub control and cleanups. Line them up in a table like the worked example above. And if a program starts without a soil test, you’re paying for a route calendar; a soil test is the cheapest way to know what the lawn actually needs.
If you’d rather hand the whole lawn over, LawnPhix’s full lawn maintenance page connects you with a lawn care company serving your area.
Where doing it yourself saves the most
Look at the worked example by line. Mowing is the biggest dollar item but the one where a crew adds the least beyond time. Fertilizer and weed rounds are the line where the published range is widest, and where a homeowner using the same products at label rates gives up little; the lawn fertilizer calculator and slow release fertilizer guide cover the rates. Core aeration is the opposite: the machine is heavy, awkward to transport and needed for a couple of hours a year, so the $75 to $200 service price is often the better deal.
Lawn care cost FAQs
What is the average cost of lawn care?
HomeAdvisor (June 2026) puts the average visit at $123, typically $49 to $203. Fixr (January 2025) gives $75 to $200 per visit with a $130 average. Neither is a yearly figure; multiply by the visits you actually need.
How much should lawn care cost per month?
HomeAdvisor lists $100 to $300 for monthly service. In the worked example, spreading $1,643 to $3,784 over the roughly six months of a 24-week Northeast season gives about $274 to $631 a month ($1,643 ÷ 6 and $3,784 ÷ 6).
How much does lawn fertilization cost?
HomeAdvisor gives $71 to $380 per visit. LawnStarter prices it by size: $20 to $80 for 1,000 sq ft and $218 to $871 for a quarter acre per application.
Is professional lawn care worth it?
For aeration, steep slopes and timing you won’t otherwise keep, usually yes. For weed control and overseeding you’re mostly buying convenience, since the products and rates are available to anyone.
Related guides
Sources: HomeAdvisor: Lawn Care and Mowing Cost (updated Jun 17, 2026) · Fixr: Lawn Maintenance Cost (updated Jan 31, 2025) · LawnStarter: Lawn Mowing Cost (updated Oct 6, 2026) · LawnStarter: Lawn Fertilization Cost (updated Dec 27, 2025)
