Lawn mowing price calculator
To price a mowing visit, multiply your time on the job (mowing plus driving) by your crew size and the hourly rate you need, then add any extra costs. This calculator does that for a single visit, or per acre for bigger lawns. The result shows right away. No signup or contact form.
The numbers in the boxes are only starting points, not market prices. Put in your own. The calculator runs in your browser and sends nothing to us.
The formula
Per visit:
crew hours = (minutes on site + drive minutes) ÷ 60 × crew size
price = crew hours × target rate per person-hour + extra costs
then round up, and never go below your minimum charge Per acre, first work out how long the mowing takes:
acres per hour = deck width (inches) × speed (mph) × efficiency ÷ 99
mowing minutes = acres ÷ acres per hour × 60
minutes on site = mowing minutes + trim, edge and blow minutes
then use the per-visit formula
price per acre = price ÷ acres The 99 comes from unit conversion: a mile is 5,280 feet, an acre is 43,560 square feet, and a foot is 12 inches. 43,560 × 12 ÷ 5,280 = 99. Efficiency covers turns, overlap and obstacles. With no losses it would be 100%. Time your own mower on a lawn you know to find your real number.
What goes into your target hourly rate
The target rate is what each person-hour has to bring in for the business to work. It should cover:
- Pay for the person doing the work, including you
- Payroll taxes and insurance
- Fuel, blades, trimmer line and repairs
- Truck, trailer and mower payments or replacement savings
- Time you cannot bill: quotes, paperwork, rain days
- Profit
A simple way to find it: add up what the business must bring in for a year, then divide by the hours you will really be on jobs or driving between them.
Worked examples
These examples use made-up inputs to show the arithmetic. They are not suggested prices.
| Example | Inputs | Working | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solo, small yard | 30 min on site, 10 min drive, 1 person, $60 an hour, no extras, round to $1 | (30 + 10) ÷ 60 × 1 = 0.67 hours. 0.67 × $60 = $40.00 | $40 |
| Two-person crew | 20 min on site, 10 min drive, 2 people, $50 an hour each, $3 extras, round to $5 | (20 + 10) ÷ 60 × 2 = 1.00 crew hour. 1.00 × $50 + $3 = $53. Rounded up to $55 | $55 |
| 2 acres, per acre | 2 acres, 60-inch deck, 6 mph, 80% efficiency, 20 min trim, 15 min drive, 1 person, $60 an hour, round to $5 | 60 × 6 × 0.80 ÷ 99 = 2.91 acres per hour. 2 ÷ 2.91 × 60 = 41 min mowing. 41.25 + 20 + 15 = 76.25 min = 1.27 hours. 1.27 × $60 = $76.25. Rounded up to $80 | $80, or $40 per acre |
Things the formula does not know
- Route density. Three lawns on one street share one drive. Put in the drive time each stop really adds.
- First cuts. An overgrown lawn takes longer. Price the first visit on its own.
- Hills, gates and obstacles. Lower the efficiency or add minutes.
- Local prices. The formula tells you what you need to charge. It does not tell you what others near you charge.
Questions
How do I price lawn mowing per acre?
Work out your mowing pace in acres per hour (deck width in inches × speed in mph × efficiency ÷ 99), turn the acres into hours, add trimming and driving time, and multiply by your hourly rate. Divide the price by the acres to get a per-acre figure.
Should I charge by the hour or by the visit?
Either works. A flat price per visit is simpler for the customer. Use your hourly rate to work out that flat price, as this calculator does.
Do I have to give my email to see the result?
No. There is no form and no signup. The result is on this page.
Next steps
- Make a mowing invoice with the price you worked out
- How to take Venmo, Zelle, cash and checks
- All free tools, Mowday pricing, and Mowday vs Jobber
Keep those prices on a schedule
Mowday is free today: $0, unlimited customers, no card required, no time limit. It runs in your browser. Sign in with a code sent to your email. See pricing and the fact sheet for what it does and does not do.
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