Quick answer
- US: a standard clean usually runs $120-$280 per visit, a deep clean $200-$400+ and a move-in/move-out clean $250-$500+.4 By the hour, $25-$50 is typical,1 or $35-$60 per cleaner.5
- A 2,000 sq ft home: $120-$280 for a standard clean and $240-$500 for a deep clean.3
- Canada: Ontario cleaners charge about $25-$55 an hour or $120-$350 flat for a standard clean;8 in Calgary a standard clean runs $130-$250 before GST.10
Hourly or flat rate?
Most cleaners start hourly and move to flat rates once they know how long homes take. Both work - the difference is who carries the risk when a job runs long.
| Method | Typical published rate | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Per hour | $25-$50 an hour (US)1; $35-$60 per cleaner5 | First cleans, homes you haven't seen, clients who want "just a few hours". |
| Flat by bedrooms and bathrooms | $120-$280 standard, $200-$400+ deep (US)4 | Recurring clients and online booking - clients see the price before they book. |
| Flat by square footage | $120-$280 standard for about 2,000 sq ft (US)3 | Larger homes where room count doesn't reflect the work. |
Flat rates by bedrooms and bathrooms are the easiest for clients to understand, and they reward you for getting faster. The trade-off is that you need to ask the right questions first: home size, pets, and when it was last professionally cleaned.
Prices by home size and type of clean
| Home | US (USD) | Canada (CAD) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 bedroom | $55-$1306 | Toronto company list: $156 for a studio or 1-bed12 |
| 3 bedrooms | $140-$3006 | $120-$250 per visit in Ottawa11; $229 on a Toronto list12 |
| About 2,000 sq ft, standard | $120-$2803 | $120-$350 flat in Ontario8 |
| About 2,000 sq ft, deep | $240-$5003 | $250-$500+ for deep or move-out in Ottawa11 |
| Move-in / move-out | $250-$500+4 | $250-$500+11 |
For a one-time visit, Thumbtack reports most homeowners spend $174-$256.2 Whatever the table says, the first clean of a home that hasn't been cleaned in months is a different job. Many cleaners book it as a deep clean, then switch to standard pricing for the regular visits.
Is $50 an hour good for house cleaning? Is $20?
Both questions come up constantly, and the answer depends on whether you're quoting per cleaner or per visit.
- $50 an hour sits at the top of the typical US range of $25-$501 and inside the $35-$60 per-cleaner range some software companies publish.5 For a solo cleaner who brings supplies and drives to each job, it's a reasonable rate in most cities.
- $20 an hour is below the published ranges in both countries. Remember that as a business you're paying for your own supplies, travel, unpaid time between jobs and taxes - a wage-like rate leaves you earning less than an employee.
- For comparison in Canada, FreshBooks puts the average hourly rate for a house cleaner at $18.059 - a wage-level figure, and exactly why a self-employed cleaner needs to charge well above it.
How much to charge for two hours of cleaning
At $25-$50 an hour, two hours is $50-$100.1 The trouble is that a two-hour job still costs you the same drive and setup as a four-hour one. That's why many cleaners set a minimum visit - either a minimum price or a minimum number of hours - and quote small jobs at that minimum.
Quick test: if a two-hour job at your rate doesn't cover your travel plus the time you could have spent on a bigger job, raise the minimum.
Weekly, biweekly and monthly clients
Recurring homes stay cleaner, so each visit takes less time than a one-off. Many cleaners pass some of that on as a lower per-visit price for weekly or biweekly clients and charge one-time cleans at the full rate. Whatever you choose, write it down so every client is quoted the same way.
If someone searches "how much should I charge for house cleaning per month", it usually means they want a monthly figure for recurring visits: multiply your per-visit price by the number of visits, and decide how you'll handle months with an extra week.
Pricing house cleaning in Canada
- Ontario: about $25-$55 an hour, or $120-$350 flat for a standard clean.8
- Ottawa: $25-$50 an hour per cleaner, $120-$250 for an average 3-bedroom, $250-$500+ for deep or move-out cleans.11
- Calgary: a standard clean runs $130-$250 per visit, before 5% GST.10
- Teams: HomeStars reports $65-$125 an hour for the visit, or $35-$65 per individual cleaner when a team is sent.7
- Marketplace rates are lower: Taskrabbit reports around $35 an hour on average.13
Quote in CAD and before tax. Once your taxable revenue passes $30,000 over four consecutive calendar quarters, register for GST/HST and add it to your invoices.
Common house cleaning pricing mistakes
- Pricing the first clean at the regular rate when the home needs a deep clean.
- Not asking about pets - pet hair can add a lot of time.
- No minimum visit, so short jobs barely cover the drive.
- Charging hourly but never raising the rate as you get faster.
- Leaving out add-ons people happily pay for: inside the oven, inside the fridge, interior windows, laundry.
Common questions
Is $20 an hour good for house cleaning?
It's below the typical published ranges - $25-$50 an hour in the US, and similar or higher in Canadian cities. As a self-employed cleaner you also pay for supplies, travel and taxes, so a wage-like rate usually means earning less than an employee.
How much should I charge to clean a 2,000 sq ft house?
Published 2026 ranges are $120-$280 for a standard clean and $240-$500 for a deep clean in the US. In Ontario, standard flat rates run about $120-$350 CAD.
How much should I charge for 2 hours of cleaning?
At $25-$50 an hour that's $50-$100, but many cleaners set a minimum visit so short jobs still cover travel and setup.
How much more should a deep clean cost?
Published ranges put deep cleans at roughly 1.5 to 2 times a standard clean - for example $120-$280 standard and $240-$500 deep for a 2,000 sq ft home.
How do I price house cleaning in Canada?
Use Canadian rates in CAD: about $25-$55 an hour or $120-$350 flat for a standard clean in Ontario, and $130-$250 in Calgary before GST. Register for GST/HST once you pass $30,000 in taxable revenue.
Price by bedrooms and bathrooms, automatically
On 1MinuteBooking, clients choose bedrooms, bathrooms, home size and extras, see the total, and book - the address comes with the booking. Free plan, no time limit.
See the cleaning business booking pageSources
- HomeGuide, 2026 House Cleaning Services Prices | Cost Calculator &
- Thumbtack, 2026 House Cleaning Prices | Get Free Cost Estimates
- Housecall Pro, How Much to Charge for House Cleaning: 2026 Prices
- eMaids, How Much Does House Cleaning Cost?
- ZenMaid, How Much to Charge For House Cleaning in 2026
- eufy, House Cleaning Price List 2026: Costs by Home Size &
- HomeStars (Canada), Home Cleaning Cost in Canada: Prices and Rates 2026
- Castio Cleaning (Ontario), House Cleaning Prices Ontario 2026: Cost by Home Size (one Ontario company's price guide)
- FreshBooks Canada, How Much to Charge for House Cleaning: 2024 Pricing
- Neat Now (Calgary), How Much Does House Cleaning Cost in Calgary? (2026 (one Calgary company's price guide)
- Euroshine (Ottawa), The Cost of House Cleaning Services in Ottawa - Euroshine (one Ottawa company's price guide)
- Master Maid (Toronto), Cleaning Rates in Toronto - Residential and Commercial (one Toronto company's published rates)
- Taskrabbit Canada, How much do house cleaning services cost?
Prices are what these sources published as of September-October 2026. Rates vary by city, season and the job itself - use them as a starting point, not a rule.