Move-Out Cleaning Cost Calculator: By Home Size, DIY vs Hiring a Pro
Studio to a 4-bedroom house: DIY from $90 in supplies, a cleaning company from $110.
- Pick the size; the pro price scales with bedrooms and baths, and the DIY supplies scale with it too. The house sizes add a carpet-cleaner rental on the DIY side.
- Set your hourly rate honestly — the break-even on this service is $11–$16 an hour, so your time is most of the answer.
- On the Hire a pro tab, tick carpet steam cleaning if the lease requires it, the heavy-soil surcharge if there were pets or smokers, and junk removal for whatever isn't leaving in the truck.
- Neither tab shows the deposit. A $2,000 deposit is the number the $260 is protecting.
Calculate cost
| Tools to buy or rent | $40 |
|---|---|
| Materials | $65 |
| Disposal | $26 |
| DIY cash cost | $131 |
| Your time (8 h × $25) | $200 |
| DIY all-in | $331 |
DIY saves $129 in cash, but once your time is counted a pro is cheaper by $71.
National estimates for planning. Doesn't include the risk-side costs described on the comparison page.
Typical results by job size
Defaults the calculator starts from: commonly owned tools excluded, typical pro price, no add-ons.
| Size | Verdict | DIY | Pro | Your hours | Typical savings | Break-even |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio or 1-bedroom apartment, about 600 sq ft | DIY | $90–$130 | $110–$250 | 4–7 hours | $60 (35%) | $11/hour |
| 2-bedroom, 2-bath apartment or small house | DIY | $105–$157 | $180–$350 | 6–10 hours | $129 (50%) | $16/hour |
| 3-bedroom, 2-bath house, about 1,800 sq ft | Hire | $238–$310 | $300–$550 | 10–16 hours | $146 (35%) | $11/hour |
| 4-bedroom house with garage, 2,500 sq ft and up | Hire | $304–$400 | $450–$800 | 14–22 hours | $248 (41%) | $14/hour |
Break-even is what an hour of your time would have to be worth for DIY and hiring to cost the same. Above it, hiring is cheaper all-in. See how these are calculated.
Reading the result
The size you pick applies to both tabs.
Do it yourself totals the cleaning products for that size — all-purpose, degreaser, glass, bathroom and oven cleaners, magic erasers, cloths and sponges — plus rubber gloves and brushes, a spackle kit for the nail holes, a carpet cleaner rental and solution on the two house sizes, disposal of whatever’s left over, and your hours at the rate you set: 4–7 for a studio, 6–10 for a 2-bedroom, 10–16 for a 3-bedroom house, 14–22 for a 4-bedroom. Vacuum, mop and step stool are assumed owned. There’s no permit.
Hire a pro starts from a low, typical or high move-out price for that size, then adds what a base quote leaves out: carpet steam cleaning, appliance interiors if the company quotes them separately, interior windows and blinds, wall washing, a garage or patio sweep-out, junk removal, a heavy-soil or pet surcharge, and a rush fee for a month-end or weekend slot. Tick what applies and compare.
What neither tab includes: the deposit. A landlord’s cleaning deduction runs $200–$500 at their rate, and a lease that requires a professional receipt makes the DIY column moot. The cost comparison walks through both, and the DIY checklist is the walkthrough in the order a landlord runs it.
Frequently asked questions
Which size should I pick?
By bedrooms and baths, not square feet: a studio or 1-bedroom with one bath is the first option; a 2-bedroom with two baths (apartment or small house) the second; a 3-bedroom house with two baths the third; four bedrooms, three baths and a garage the fourth. A 2-bedroom house with a garage and carpets is closer to the 3-bedroom option — the garage and the extractor are what add the time.
Why is the hourly break-even so low?
Because a move-out clean is almost pure labor: supplies for a 2-bedroom are about $50, and the rest of a company's $260 is two people for three hours. The DIY saving is what you'd pay yourself for the same hours — $16 an hour on a 2-bedroom. That's a fair wage for some people on some weekends and a bad one on moving day. It's also why the lease clause and the deposit, not the dollars, usually decide.
What do the quote levels mean for move-out cleaning?
Low is a small, empty, well-kept unit on a mid-week, mid-month date in a market with many cleaners. Typical is the national median for that size with a full move-out checklist including appliance interiors. High is a large metro, a month-end weekend, a unit in rough shape, or a company with a strong guarantee and a crew of three. Carpets, extras, surcharges and rush fees are add-ons on any level.
Sources
- Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners (SOC 37-2012), Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics , U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2026-04
- How Much Does Move-out Cleaning Cost? , HomeGuide, 2026-09
- How Much Does a Move-Out Clean Cost? , Angi, 2026-09
- How Much Does Move-Out Cleaning Cost? , HomeAdvisor, 2026-09
- Apartment Cleaning Cost , Thumbtack, 2026-09
- Tenant Rights , U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 2026-09
- Security Deposit Limits and Deadlines in Your State , Nolo, 2026-09
Figures last reviewed . See how we estimate.