What Yard Work Should Cost: A Realistic Price Guide
Prices below are typical US ranges as of 2026. Dense metro areas and resort towns run 20 to 50 percent higher; rural areas often run lower. Every job has legitimate reasons to fall outside a range, but a quote far outside one deserves an explanation you can understand.
Recurring lawn care
| Service | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Mowing, typical suburban lot | $35 to $75 per visit | Includes trim and edge; see the estimator for your lot size |
| Fertilization program | $300 to $700 per year | Usually 4 to 7 applications |
| Aeration | $75 to $200 | Core aeration, typical lot |
| Overseeding | $400 to $1,000 | Often bundled with aeration in fall |
| Spring or fall cleanup | $150 to $500 | Leaves, beds, cutbacks, haul-away drives the price |
Beds and materials
| Service | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Mulch, installed | $75 to $140 per cubic yard | Material is $30 to $60; the rest is labor and delivery |
| Topsoil, delivered | $30 to $60 per cubic yard | Spreading adds labor; screened costs more than fill |
| Sod, installed | $1.00 to $2.50 per sq ft | Material alone is $0.35 to $0.85 per sq ft |
| Planting beds, designed and planted | $1,500 to $6,000+ | Driven by plant sizes and bed prep |
Trees
| Service | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Trimming, mature tree | $250 to $800 | Height and access drive cost |
| Removal, small tree (under 30 ft) | $300 to $800 | |
| Removal, large tree (60 ft+) | $1,500 to $4,000+ | Near structures or power lines costs more |
| Stump grinding | $100 to $400 per stump | Often priced per inch of diameter |
Bigger projects
| Project | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Paver patio, installed | $15 to $30 per sq ft | Estimate materials with the paver calculator |
| Wood privacy fence, installed | $25 to $55 per linear ft | See the fence calculator for materials |
| Irrigation system, new | $2,500 to $6,500 | Per typical quarter-acre lot |
| Landscape design plan | $500 to $3,000 | Full plans by a designer or landscape architect |
How to use these numbers
Never open negotiations with "the internet says." Use ranges to decide which quotes deserve follow-up questions. A mulch quote at $200 per yard installed is not automatically a scam; it might include bed redefinition, weed barrier, and three flights of stairs. The point is that you now know to ask.
And before comparing quotes at all, make sure the quantities are right. Contractors round up. Our calculators give you the honest quantity for mulch, soil, gravel, sod, seed, and pavers in under a minute.
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