Proper lawn care and mowing are vital to keeping your property in tip-top shape. It is a time-intensive job to keep your lawn well-groomed, and larger properties may even require weekly upkeep to ensure that your lawn remains lush and green throughout the year.

Lawn mowing costs $132 on average with the range being $52 and $244. The cost per square foot varies between $0.02 – $0.03 per square foot.

We’ve put together a guide on professional lawn mowing and lawn service cost to help you decide whether it is suitable for your property.

ServiceLowHigh
Typical price range$52$244
Per Square Foot$0.02$0.025
Hourly Rate$30$55
National Average

$132

ServiceQTYLowHigh
Lawn Mowing cost1 Sq ft.$0.02$0.03
Lawn Mowing Labour Cost1 hour$30$55
Small yard5,000 sq ft$100$150
Medium Yard10,000 sq ft.$190$285
Large Yard20,000 sq ft$285$485
1 Acre43,560$671$1,307
3 Acres130,680$2,114$3,920

For lawn mowing alone, the average cost to a property owner falls somewhere between $30 – $55. In most circumstances, this cost will usually be arrived at on the basis of an hourly rate. Your professional lawn care company may otherwise charge you a rate that is based on the size of your property, typically on a per-acre basis.

If you wish for your lawn care professionals to perform additional lawn care activities, such as weeding, aeration, leaf blowing, mulching, or fertilization, you can expect to pay more.

Taking into account these additional services, the average cost for more comprehensive lawn services rises to be between approximately $53 and $244 per visit. Whether or not you require these additional services will depend on a number of factors, including the size of your property, the state of health of your lawn, the season or time of year, and any additional features you may have in your garden.

Lawn service mowing lawn after aeration

Lawn mowing cost per hour

The average cost per hour for a lawn mowing service differs depending on which company you choose to use. On average, you could expect to pay anywhere between $25 – $60 per hour. Some lawn mowing companies may charge a slightly higher rate per hour if they anticipate that your lawn will take several hours to mow.

If you elect to pay by the hour for your lawn mowing service, ensure that you set clear expectations from the very beginning of the job. Obtain a detailed quote that sets out the exact nature of the services that your lawn care professional will be providing, and the anticipated number of hours it will take to perform these services.

Lawn mowing cost per square foot

Based on average estimates for mowing a larger property, it is possible to calculate the average cost per square foot for a smaller property. One square foot of lawn would cost approximately $0.02-$0.03 to mow.

Note that this estimate may be slightly lower than what you may actually be charged for a smaller lawn, as the costs for very large lawns usually receive a lower price per acre. This is because they are, on average, more labor-saving. Very large lawns do not require as much edging, and usually do not contain as many features as smaller lawns.

Lawn mowing service cost per acre

Average estimates place the cost for mowing one acre of lawn at around $871 but can cost as much as $1,307, or as little as $671.

In what might be considered a slightly unusual circumstance in the lawn care and maintenance world, this cost for mowing per acre decreases as the size of the lawn to be mowed increases. 

Although these larger lawns may represent a bigger space in terms of sheer acreage, their size also means that they are less labor-intensive and often easier to maintain than smaller lawns. Often these large lawns demand much less additional work and preparation and hence demand a lower cost per acre to mow.

Another factor that may impact the cost of cutting your lawn is the terrain of your property. Flat terrain is easier, and therefore often less expensive, to mow than steeper or hillier terrain.

Cost to mow ½ acre of lawn

Depending on the landscape and terrain of your property, you can expect to be charged approximately $315 for a professional lawn care company to mow half an acre of lawn for you.

Average monthly cost for lawn mowing service

If you wish to commit to an ongoing lawn mowing service, it is important that you speak with your lawn care professional about your expectations for your lawn. 

Spring and Summer: $264
Autumn and Winter: $68 – $132

The cost per month for lawn mowing services will differ depending on the time of year, as well as where you live. In summer, when lawns typically grow much faster, you may require more frequent mowing services than in winter.

Additionally, if you live in a tropical or subtropical climate, it is very likely that your lawn and grass will grow much faster in both winter and summer than in other climates.

Your lawn care professional will be the person best placed to inform you about the frequency with which you will need to utilize lawn care and mowing service in order to maximize the appeal and appearance of your lawn.

Average monthly cost for lawn mowing service in winter

If you live in a cooler climate and have cool-season grasses planted in your lawn, you will only need to have them mown once every two weeks. As these grasses are not at their peak growing stage during this time, they require less regular maintenance.

In winter you can get away with mowing every 4 – 8 weeks, but it will depend on how neat you like your lawn.

Winter: $68 – 132

Average monthly cost for lawn mowing service in summer

If you live in a warmer climate, however, there is a very strong likelihood that you have warm-season grasses growing in your lawn. These grasses reach their growth or production peak between the months of June and September.

In peak season you might need to mow your lawn every 10 – 14 days, but again, it will depend on how neat you like it.

Summer: $132 – 264

Average yearly cost for complete lawn care

You can contract lawn mowing services to come at specific intervals for summer and winter so you don’t have to worry about calling them and arranging them each time you need a mow. 

This monthly cost will change with the seasons. During the peak growing period, They will come every 2 weeks and during the slower seasons, they will come every 4 weeks.

As such, the average yearly cost for lawn care services sits between $1,100 – $2,500.

Is it worth paying for lawn mowing?

The question of whether professional lawn mowing is suitable for your lawn will depend on a few factors, some of which may be easier to rationalize than others.

Beyond the more basic factors such as the cost of purchasing expensive lawn mowing equipment, factors of time and convenience also need to be taken into account.

Taking over the mowing of your lawn will necessitate a sacrifice of your own time. Depending on the size of your lawn, this sacrifice could be quite a substantial one – even occupying a whole day of your precious weekend!

By engaging a professional lawn care service to mow your lawn, not only do you gain this time back for yourself and your family, you can also agree upon a very reasonable fee with your local lawn care service professional.

The average costs for regular lawn mowing are often discounted or reduced when you agree to a monthly or yearly lawn mowing package. By taking this cost and dividing it by the number of hours it would have normally taken you to mow your own lawn, the sense of convenience of paying for lawn mowing quickly becomes apparent.

How often does grass need to be mowed?

How often does grass need to be mowed

The frequency with which your lawn needs to be mowed will change several times throughout the year, and will also depend on the type of grass growing in your lawn and where you live.

Cool-season grasses thrive when air and soil temperatures are lower, meaning that fall, early winter, and early spring are the times of their peak growth periods. These grasses can not usually be killed by frosts and will continue to grow right throughout winter if you live in a cooler region that does not experience snowfall.

On the other hand, warm season grasses need higher air and soil temperatures to grow and will grow most rapidly during summer, with their peak growth months usually falling between June and September.

During the peak growth months of each grass type, you will need to have your lawn mown weekly. It may also be necessary to begin mowing your lawn more frequently in the lead-up to the peak growing season in order to stimulate grass growth. Your lawn care service professional will be able to advise you on the best practice for your type of grass.

Once the peak growing season for your grass has finished, your lawn will not need to be mown as frequently. During this time, you may only need to have your lawn mown once every two weeks or twice a month.

As well as experiencing slower growth rates outside of their peak growth season, grasses also benefit from less frequent mowing during this time as it eases the stress that is placed on them.

Whatever type of grass you have grown, it is always best to seek the advice of a lawn care professional.

What else do lawn mowing services do?

Many lawn mowing service providers will also offer a more comprehensive lawn and garden service, usually referred to as lawn care.

Lawn care can cover a whole range of services, and these will often differ based on where you live. For example, the types of soils in your area may mean that lawn care service providers in your area tend to focus on soil aeration, or if you live in an area where the average lawn size is larger than average, you may find that lawn seeding and fertilization are heavily featured.

We’ve collected a list of some of the more common lawn care services, so you can know what to expect from your lawn care professional and help you decide whether any of these services are right for you and your lawn.

Weeding

Weeding, or weed abatement, involves the removal of unsightly and unwelcome weeds and grasses from your lawn. Weeds such as dandelions are commonly pulled during weed abatement, and lawn care professionals will also be able to identify and remove any weed-like grasses, such as crabgrass, that may be growing in your lawn.

Weed abatement is an important aspect of lawn care, and can be one of the best and easiest ways to keep your lawn looking smooth and manicured. Weeds and weed-like grasses can be tough to get rid of, often regrowing even after they have been removed.

By engaging a professional lawn care company to perform weed abatement, you are much more likely to get on top of any recurring weed problem, and improve the long term outlook of your lawn.

Depending on the size of your lawn and the extent of any weed growths, you can expect weed abatement services to cost anywhere between $35 and $120.

Leaf removal

Leaf Removal

If you live in an area that experiences heavy leaf litter during fall, then you will already know the importance of removing this leaf litter before winter hits, in order to preserve the longevity and appearance of your lawn.

Failure to remove leaf litter can result in large dead patches of grass in your lawn come spring and would require extensive remediation and reseeding to remove.

Lawn care professionals usually charge $190-$540 for leaf removal. It is a time and labor-intensive process, and also requires additional equipment and special methods of disposal.

Fertilizing

Fertilizing your lawn helps keep it lush and green right throughout the year by delivering additional nutrients to the soil and grass.

There are various types of fertilizer that can be used on your lawn, from very basic manure-based fertilizers to the more technical slow release formulations. Your lawn care service professional will be able to advise you on the type of fertilizer that is most appropriate for your property.

If you wish to include fertilizing as part of your lawn care service, you can expect to pay between $80 and $380. The final cost will depend upon the size of your property and the type of fertilizer you use.

Lawn Aeration

In the most basic terms, lawn aeration helps your soil to breathe more easily, which in turn promotes the growth of grass and keeps your lawn looking thick and lush.

There are several methods of aerating lawns, but the best and most effective is core aeration. This is typically only done by professional lawn care service providers, as it requires specialized equipment.

During core aeration, plugs of soil are removed from the earth and left to sit atop your lawn, ready to disintegrate and return valuable nutrients to your soil and lawn. The removal of these plugs allows for better airflow and increased penetration of water, sunlight, and other valuable nutrients that are vital for the health of your lawn.

The frequency with which you need to have your lawn aerated will differ depending on the type of soil in your lawn. Sandy soils naturally have better airflow and allow grasses to breathe more easily, so typically only require aeration once every two years.

Heavier, clay-based soils do not have this natural advantage and may need to be aerated once a year to ensure optimal growth for your lawn.

The cost of aeration will depend upon the size of your lawn. On average, lawn aeration costs between $70 and $190.

Lawn Dethatching

Although similar in principle to lawn aeration, dethatching is a different process entirely.

Lawn thatch is the part of your lawn that grows between your grass blades and your soil. When thatch is kept at the right thickness, it has a valuable role to play in the health of your lawn. It helps to moderate temperature, water flow, and nutrient absorption.

If this layer of thatch grows too thick, however, it can have precisely the opposite effect on the health and appearance of your lawn.

It is rare that you would need to have your entire lawn dethatched, and far more likely that your lawn care professional would only need to dethatch certain areas of your lawn. As such, dethatching is usually charged at an hourly rate, with the average hourly rate coming in at approximately $175 per hour.

Lawn Dethatching

Lawn Overseeding

Overseeding, also known as reseeding, is the process of casting grass seed onto your lawn to help it grow thicker.

The cost to overseed a lawn will depend upon the original state of your lawn and the size of the area to be overseeded. The average cost of overseeding is between $410 and $1,500.

FAQ’s

The size of your lawn is not the only factor worth considering when you are deciding whether or not to pay a professional to mow your lawn. The original condition of your lawn, whether you will need to purchase expensive mowing equipment, and the free time you have available to mow your own lawn all need to be carefully considered.

For many people, the ease and convenience of paying for lawn mowing far outweigh any potential small cost savings that might be incurred by mowing the lawn yourself.

The decision of whether to pay someone else to mow your own lawn is entirely your own, and will often depend on your individual circumstances.

For instance, if you enjoy lawn care and have ready access to lawn mowing equipment, it may be that you are better off mowing your own lawn.

However, if you do not have any lawn mowing equipment to hand, and simply cannot spare the time to mow your lawn once weekly during peak grass growth seasons, then you would certainly stand to benefit by paying someone to mow your lawn.

The frequency with which you will need to mow your lawn will depend upon the type of grass you have a growing and the time of year.

If you have cool-season grass planted in your lawn, you should mow your lawn once weekly during fall and winter, and once every two weeks during summer.

If you have grown warm-season grass, then you will need to mow it once weekly during spring and summer, and once every two weeks during winter.

Kate Bolster
Author: Kate Bolster - Kate Bolster is a writer, journalist and foreign correspondent with almost a decade of experience.