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How much to charge for lawn mowing per acre
HomeGuide’s February 2026 mowing guide puts a one-acre visit at $60–$150 and a quarter acre at $45–$85. Southbound in Memphis and DeSoto County publishes $100–$140 for roughly one acre, including trimming, edging and blowing. Measure the grass you will cut, then price the whole stop, including travel and detail work.
Calculate a price
Extras, travel and minimum
Price the mowable area rather than the entire property. The result is per visit; include gates, slopes and obstacles when choosing your rate.
Enter mowable area (acres).
Lawn care price list: published rates
| Job or unit | Published price | What the price covers | Source and date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/8 acre (US guide) | $30–$40 per visit | Mowing for a one-eighth-acre lawn. | HomeGuide: lawn care prices · Published · Checked |
| 1/4 acre (US guide) | $45–$85 per visit | Mowing for a quarter-acre lawn. | HomeGuide: lawn care prices · Published · Checked |
| 1/2 acre (US guide) | $50–$100 per visit | Mowing for a half-acre lawn. | HomeGuide: lawn care prices · Published · Checked |
| 1 acre (US guide) | $60–$150 per visit | Mowing for one acre of grass. | HomeGuide: lawn care prices · Published · Checked |
| 5,000–11,000 sq ft lawn (Memphis/DeSoto) | $45–$65 per cut | Mowing, trimming, edging and blowing off hard surfaces. | Southbound: North Mississippi and Memphis lawn prices · Checked |
| About 1 acre (Memphis/DeSoto) | $100–$140 per cut | Regular mowing, trimming, edging and blowing off hard surfaces. | Southbound: North Mississippi and Memphis lawn prices · Checked |
| 1/4-acre lot, weekly (Terre Haute, IN) | $49 per weekly visit | Weekly mowing example; actual grass area sets the final quote. | Royal Acres: Terre Haute lawn pricing · Published · Checked |
| 1/2-acre lot, weekly (Terre Haute, IN) | $54–$61 per weekly visit | Weekly mowing example for a half-acre lot. | Royal Acres: Terre Haute lawn pricing · Published · Checked |
Should you price lawn mowing by acre or by visit?
Use mowable area to estimate the work, then give the customer a price per completed visit. A lot’s recorded acreage includes the house, driveway and beds; it may overstate the grass. Measure the lawn sections and record fences, slopes, trees and narrow gates that slow the mower or add trimming.
An acre rate becomes useful when the work is comparable. A wide open lawn and a property split into small fenced sections can have the same area and very different time requirements. Keep setup, trimming, edging and blowing in the calculation instead of quoting from mower time alone.
How much should you charge for a small lawn?
Set a minimum that pays for the stop even when mowing is quick. HomeGuide lists $30–$40 for one-eighth acre. Royal Acres’ October 2026 Terre Haute examples start at $49 for a quarter-acre lot on weekly service. The difference reflects different offers and markets; neither is a universal minimum for your route.
Count unloading, access, detail work, cleanup and payment handling. Nearby repeat customers may save travel time, but a small isolated lawn still needs a full trip. Give a simple visit price and list what it includes instead of presenting a low mowing amount followed by several surprise charges.
Should weekly and every-other-week mowing cost the same?
Price the expected work on each visit. Longer grass, heavier clippings and a second pass can make an every-other-week stop take longer than weekly upkeep. State the normal condition covered by the recurring price, then agree an overgrown first cut separately when the property needs a reset.
Do not promise a fixed annual visit count from the calendar alone. Growth, weather and the customer’s service agreement decide when a cut is needed. For a monthly plan, explain whether the payment buys a specified number of visits or an agreed seasonal maintenance schedule.
What belongs inside the mowing price?
Name mowing, string trimming, edging and blowing off hard surfaces when all are included. Southbound bundles those tasks in its published cut prices. Bagging and hauling clippings, leaf cleanup, bed weeding, shrub trimming and fertilizer are different workloads; include them only when you have allowed for their time and materials.
Record where clippings will go and how gates or pets will be handled. If the customer wants stripes, a particular cut height or a different mowing pattern, put the agreed result in the service notes. Those details should travel with the property when another crew member makes the visit.
How do you set a mowing rate from costs and margin?
Add the crew’s paid time, travel, fuel, maintenance, equipment replacement and a share of overhead. Include your own labor. BLS reports May 2024 mean employee pay of $19.66 per hour for landscaping and groundskeeping workers; that wage is one input, before payroll costs, equipment and business profit.
Divide the total job cost by one minus the margin you want. Enter all crew-hours in the cost calculation: each person’s time counts. Compare the resulting visit price with the published size bands, then check actual time and fuel on the first visits before setting a long recurring commitment.
Three worked prices
Each example is one completed mowing visit. Rates come from the named size band or published operator card; recurring visit counts are billed only when the visits occur.
A quarter-acre weekly visit. One visit at Royal Acres’ published quarter-acre example of $49.
Quarter-acre weekly mowing: 1 visit × $49 = $49.
Example total: $49. Rate source: Royal Acres: Terre Haute lawn pricing, checked 2026-10-15.
Two separate one-acre properties. Each stop is priced at $120, within Southbound’s $100–$140 one-acre band. The two properties each receive the listed mowing, trimming, edging and cleanup.
One-acre mowing stop: 2 visits × $120 = $240.
Example total: $240. Rate source: Southbound: North Mississippi and Memphis lawn prices, checked 2026-10-15.
A small lawn on its own route stop. One-eighth acre at $35, the middle of HomeGuide’s $30–$40 band. Hold it against your own minimum stop price: the drive and unload cost the same for a small lawn as a big one.
One-eighth-acre mowing: 1 visit × $35 = $35.
Example total: $35. Rate source: HomeGuide: lawn care prices, checked 2026-10-15.
Frequently asked questions
Can I multiply a one-acre price for a five-acre job?
Use that multiplication as a first comparison, then measure mowing and detail time on the larger site. Wide uninterrupted grass can change production time, while slopes, trees and travel across the property can add work. Quote from the equipment and access the site allows.
How do I charge for an overgrown lawn?
Inspect height, density and hidden obstacles, then estimate the extra passes, trimming and clipping handling. Give the reset cut its own price and describe the condition required for the lower recurring visit price to begin.
Should bagging grass be included?
Include bagging when it is part of the sold service and price the collection and disposal time. Otherwise explain that the regular cut mulches or disperses clippings as agreed. A customer requesting collection should see its price before the visit.
What happens when rain delays the route?
Give a service window and a clear update when the route moves. Keep the invoice tied to completed work. If the delay changes the lawn condition enough to change the scope, discuss the adjustment before doing extra work.
Should I discount several nearby lawns?
Use the travel and setup time you actually save. Each property still needs its own mowing and detail work. Record the route arrangement so the price can be reviewed if one customer leaves or the stops stop fitting together.
How do I quote a lawn behind a narrow gate?
Measure the opening and identify the equipment that can reach the back lawn. Allow for walking, smaller equipment and additional trimming. Keep the front and back areas in the site notes so the quoted price reflects the working route.
How do I follow up on a mowing quote?
Refer to the property, visit price and scope: “The quote covers the front and fenced back lawn, trimming and cleanup each weekly visit. Would you like me to add the property to the next route?” Keep optional leaf or bed work separate from that acceptance.
Sources
- HomeGuide: lawn care prices · Published · Checked
- Southbound: North Mississippi and Memphis lawn prices · Checked
- Royal Acres: Terre Haute lawn pricing · Published · Checked
- BLS OEWS: May 2024 employee wages · Published · Checked