Move-Out Cleaning Cost Calculator — 2026 Service Price Estimator
Get a realistic 2026 estimate for a professional move-out clean by home size, condition, and add-ons — then compare quotes from local cleaners before your deposit walk-through.
Bedrooms
Bathrooms
Property Type
Condition
Add-Ons
Location
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Get an instant estimate—add your ZIP for local pricing
Did You Know?
Move-out cleaning costs $200 to $600 for most US homes in 2026, or about $0.20 to $0.40 per square foot. A studio or 1-bedroom apartment starts near $130 to $250, while a 3-bedroom house runs $250 to $450, and heavy buildup or carpet shampoo can push a larger home past $800.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q
How much does move-out cleaning cost in 2026?
Most US move-out cleanings cost $200 to $600 in 2026, averaging around $360. Pricing tracks home size at roughly $0.20 to $0.40 per square foot, so a 1,000 sq ft apartment runs $200 to $450 and a 3,000 sq ft house runs $600 to $1,350. A small studio can start near $130, while a heavily lived-in or pet-occupied home with carpet shampoo can exceed $800. Condition, bathroom count, and add-on services move the final figure more than the listed bedroom count alone.
Typical total: $200-$600 for an average home
Per square foot: $0.20-$0.40 for a standard move-out clean
Studio / 1-bedroom apartment: $130-$300
3-bedroom house: $250-$450
Large or heavy homes with add-ons: $800 or more
Home Size
Typical Cost
Best For
Studio / 1-bed apartment
$130-$300
Renters, light volume
2-bed, 1-2 bath
$200-$400
Most apartments
3-bed house
$250-$450
Families, single-family
4-bed+ / heavy
$450-$900+
Large or neglected homes
Q
Is move-out cleaning more expensive than regular house cleaning?
Yes. A move-out clean costs 1.5 to 2 times more than a standard recurring clean because it is a top-to-bottom deep clean of an empty home. Cleaners scrub inside cabinets and drawers, behind and inside appliances, baseboards, window tracks, and grout that a routine visit skips. An empty home is faster to access but slower to detail, and most jobs take 4 to 8 hours. Expect to pay $40 to $75 per hour per cleaner, or a flat rate quoted from your square footage and room count.
Move-out clean: 1.5x-2x a standard recurring clean
Hourly rate: $40-$75 per cleaner, 4-8 hours typical
Includes inside cabinets, oven, fridge, baseboards, window tracks
Standard recurring clean: $120-$240, skips deep-detail work
Empty home speeds access but the detail work adds time
Q
What add-ons increase move-out cleaning cost the most?
Carpet shampoo is the single biggest add-on, costing $75 to $200 or about $0.18 per square foot, with single rooms at $25 to $70. Cleaning inside the oven, refrigerator, and cabinets adds $50 to $150 because of the grease and labor involved. Interior windows, wall washing, and garage cleaning each stack on top. Heavy condition is a multiplier, not a flat add-on — a greasy or pet-occupied home can raise the entire quote 30 to 60 percent.
Carpet shampoo: $75-$200, or $25-$70 per room
Inside oven, fridge, and cabinets: $50-$150
Interior windows and wall washing: $40-$120
Heavy / pet condition: 30-60% on the whole quote
Each added bathroom: $10-$40; each added bedroom: $25-$100
Q
Will a move-out clean help me get my security deposit back?
Often, yes. Cleaning is one of the top three reasons landlords withhold deposits, and in major cities up to 80% of tenants lose part of their deposit. A professional move-out clean of $200 to $400 frequently protects a deposit worth one to two months of rent. Check your lease first: some require professional cleaning with a receipt, while others only require the unit returned in the condition you received it minus normal wear. Keep the itemized invoice and dated photos as proof at the walk-through.
Cleaning is a top-3 reason deposits get withheld
Up to 80% of tenants in big cities lose part of a deposit
A $200-$400 clean can protect 1-2 months of rent
Read the lease: professional clean vs normal-wear standard
Keep the itemized receipt and dated photos as evidence
Q
Should I do the move-out clean myself or hire a pro?
DIY makes sense for a small, well-kept apartment if you have a free day and the deposit risk is low. A full move-out clean of a larger or heavily used home is 4 to 8 hours of physical detail work, and missing one item — a greasy oven, dirty grout, or stained carpet — can cost more in withheld deposit than the clean would have. Hiring a pro at $200 to $600 buys a receipt for the landlord and removes the risk on moving day, which is already the busiest day of the move.
DIY fits small, well-kept units with low deposit risk
Pro clean: $200-$600 with an itemized receipt for the landlord
Full move-out clean is 4-8 hours of detail labor
One missed item can cost more than the whole clean in deposit
Hiring out frees the busiest day of the move
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12-bedroom apartment, average condition, no add-ons (Midwest)
Inputs
Bedrooms2
Bathrooms1
Property typeApartment
ConditionAverage
Add-onsNone
Result
Typical move-out clean$220 - $350
Approx. size~900 sq ft
Per square foot$0.24 - $0.39
A standard two-bedroom apartment in average shape sits near the middle of the market. One bathroom and no add-ons keep it close to the per-square-foot floor for a thorough deposit clean.
23-bedroom house, heavy condition, carpet shampoo (South)
Inputs
Bedrooms3
Bathrooms2
Property typeSingle-family house
ConditionHeavy
Add-onsCarpet shampoo
Result
Typical move-out clean$450 - $700
Base clean$300 - $450
Carpet shampoo add-on$120 - $200
A larger three-bedroom house in heavy condition runs 30-60% above an average clean, and full-home carpet shampoo stacks $120-$200 on top of the base move-out price.
3Studio apartment, light condition, no add-ons (West Coast)
Inputs
BedroomsStudio
Bathrooms1
Property typeApartment
ConditionLight
Add-onsNone
Result
Typical move-out clean$150 - $250
Approx. size~450 sq ft
Hours of work3 - 4 hours
A small, well-kept studio sits at the market floor. Light condition and a single bathroom keep the job to a few hours, though a premium West Coast labor market nudges it toward the top of the small-unit range.
Formulas Used
Move-out cleaning price build-up
Total = (Square footage x Rate per sq ft) x Condition multiplier + Bathroom adjustment + Add-ons
Move-out cleaning is priced from home size at a per-square-foot rate, then adjusted for how dirty the home is, the number of bathrooms, and any deep-clean add-ons. Start from size and layer the other drivers on top.
Where:
Rate per sq ft= $0.20-$0.40 for a standard move-out clean; deep or detailed work runs toward the top
Condition multiplier= Light ~0.85x, average 1.0x, heavy/pet 1.3-1.6x of the base size price
Bathroom adjustment= Each bathroom adds labor; extra baths add roughly $10-$40 apiece
Add-ons= Carpet shampoo $75-$200, inside oven/fridge/cabinets $50-$150, interior windows $40-$120
Hourly vs flat-rate estimate
Hourly total = Cleaners x Hours x Rate per cleaner; compare to size-based flat quote
Some companies quote by the hour and others by square footage. Cross-check the two: multiply expected hours by the crew size and hourly rate, then compare to the flat per-square-foot quote to spot an outlier.
Where:
Cleaners= Most move-out jobs use a 1-3 person crew depending on home size
Hours= Typical move-out clean takes 4-8 hours of total work
Rate per cleaner= $40-$75 per hour per cleaner in most US markets
Flat quote= Size x $0.20-$0.40 per sq ft; the two methods should land within range of each other
Move-Out Cleaning Costs in 2026: What You Actually Pay to Get Your Deposit Back
1
What Move-Out Cleaning Costs in 2026
A move-out clean is the last bill of a lease and the first defense of a security deposit, so the number matters more than its size suggests. In 2026, most US move-out cleanings cost $200 to $600, averaging around $360, with the figure tracking home size at roughly $0.20 to $0.40 per square foot. A small studio can start near $130, while a large or heavily lived-in home with carpet shampoo can climb past $800. That spread is wide because "move-out cleaning" means an empty home cleaned top to bottom, and the labor scales with every bedroom, bathroom, and year of buildup.
Size is the primary driver because cleaners price from square footage first. A 1,000 sq ft apartment runs $200 to $450, a 2,000 sq ft home $400 to $900, and a 3,000 sq ft house $600 to $1,350. Bedroom and bathroom counts are shorthand for that square footage and for the number of detail-heavy rooms — kitchens and bathrooms take the longest, so two homes of equal size but different bathroom counts get different quotes. Use the calculator above to land on a figure for your specific home, then read on to understand what each input is really pricing.
It helps to know what a move-out clean includes that a routine visit does not. A standard move-out package covers inside cabinets and drawers, inside the oven and refrigerator, baseboards, door frames, light fixtures, window tracks, and detailed bathroom and kitchen scrubbing — the empty-home detail that landlords inspect. It usually excludes carpet shampoo, exterior windows, wall repair, and hauling away furniture or trash, which are billed as add-ons. When you compare two quotes, confirm exactly which deep-clean items are bundled, because the cheap quote often quietly drops the oven, fridge, or baseboards.
Move-out cleaning pricing by home size, US, 2026.
Home Size
Typical Cost
Per Sq Ft
Best For
Studio / 1-bed apartment
$130-$300
$0.20-$0.35
Renters, light volume
1,000 sq ft
$200-$450
$0.20-$0.45
Small apartment or condo
2,000 sq ft
$400-$900
$0.20-$0.45
Mid-size home
3,000 sq ft
$600-$1,350
$0.20-$0.45
Large single-family house
Most companies quote a flat rate from your square footage and room count rather than billing by the hour — it makes the price predictable and removes the risk of an open-ended bill on moving day, already the busiest day of the move.
2
Six Factors That Move Your Cleaning Bill
Two homes of identical size can receive quotes that differ by hundreds of dollars, and the variance is rarely random. Cleaning companies price from a base square-footage rate and then adjust for the workload your specific home creates. The dirtier, larger, and more detail-heavy the job, the more hours the crew has to staff against it — and labor is the overwhelming majority of what you are paying for.
Read every quote against the list below. If a cleaner cannot explain how your home's condition or bathroom count maps to their price, that is a sign the quote is a guess that will be revised upward once the crew sees the home in person.
Ask whether the oven, refrigerator interior, and inside cabinets are included before you compare prices. They are the most common items a low quote drops, and they are exactly the spots a landlord opens during the walk-through.
Home size: the primary driver, priced at $0.20-$0.40 per square foot before any adjustments
Condition: a greasy, neglected, or pet-occupied home adds 30-60% to the base quote
Bathrooms and kitchens: the most labor-intensive rooms, so each added bathroom adds $10-$40
Bedroom count: each added bedroom adds $25-$100 depending on whether it is a standard or deep clean
Add-ons: carpet shampoo $75-$200, inside oven/fridge/cabinets $50-$150, interior windows $40-$120
Region and labor rate: high-cost metros run well above the South and Midwest for the same square footage
3
Move-Out Cleaning vs Standard vs Deep Cleaning
The words "standard," "deep," and "move-out" get used loosely, but they buy very different things, and overpaying happens when a renter orders a tier they do not need. A standard recurring clean is surface maintenance: floors, counters, visible dust, and bathrooms, at $120 to $240 for an average home. It assumes the home is already kept up and is the wrong tool for an empty unit facing inspection. The house cleaning service cost calculator prices that lighter tier so you can see where the floor sits.
A deep clean adds the detail work — baseboards, inside appliances, grout, window tracks, and built-up grime — and is the same labor a move-out clean is built on. The difference is that a move-out clean is performed on an empty home against a landlord's checklist, while a deep clean is usually done with furniture in place. If you want to price that detail work for an occupied home, the deep cleaning service cost calculator covers it. The table below shows what each tier includes and who it fits, so you can match spend to the situation you are actually in.
There is a practical sequence renters follow. They keep a unit with standard cleans during the lease, book a one-time deep or move-out clean at the end, and add carpet shampoo only if the carpet shows wear or the lease requires it. Paying for a move-out package on a unit you barely lived in is overspending; skipping it on a pet-occupied home with stained carpet is how deposits disappear. The trigger for the move-out tier is almost always the deposit at stake and the landlord's written cleaning standard.
Service-tier comparison for residential cleaning, 2026.
Tier
What It Includes
Typical Cost
Right Situation
Standard clean
Floors, counters, baths, dusting
$120-$240
Kept-up occupied home
Deep clean
Standard + baseboards, appliances, grout
$200-$400
Built-up grime, occupied
Move-out clean
Full deep clean of an empty home
$200-$600
End of lease, inspection
Buy the tier your inspection requires, not the cheapest one. A move-out clean is a deep clean of an empty home against a checklist — ordering a standard surface clean to save money is the fastest way to fail the walk-through.
4
How Condition and Add-Ons Change the Price
Beyond size, the two inputs that move a move-out quote the most are condition and add-ons. Condition is a multiplier on the whole job, not a flat line item. A light, well-kept home cleans at roughly 0.85 times the base size price, an average home at 1.0, and a heavy home — grease, neglect, smoke, or pets — at 1.3 to 1.6 times. That is why a crew insists on seeing photos or the unit before locking a price: a 1,500 sq ft home in heavy condition can cost more than a 2,500 sq ft home that was kept clean.
Add-ons stack on top of the condition-adjusted base. Carpet shampoo is the most common and the most impactful at $75 to $200 for a home, or $25 to $70 per room, and many leases specifically require professional carpet cleaning with a receipt. Cleaning inside the oven, refrigerator, and cabinets adds $50 to $150 because of the grease and labor. If the unit still has furniture or trash to clear, the junk removal service cost calculator prices that step, which usually comes right before the clean so the crew can reach every surface.
Stack the drivers in the right order to sanity-check a quote: start from square footage at the per-square-foot rate, multiply by the condition factor, then add the bathroom adjustment and the specific add-ons you chose. A 1,000 sq ft home in average shape with one bathroom and no add-ons should land near $250 to $350; the same home in heavy condition with carpet shampoo can reach $500 or more. If a quote is far outside that build-up, ask the cleaner which step is driving the difference.
Light condition: roughly 0.85x the base size price
Average condition: 1.0x base, the market midpoint
Heavy / pet / smoke: 1.3-1.6x, often verified by photos first
Carpet shampoo: $75-$200 per home, or $25-$70 per room
Inside oven, fridge, and cabinets: $50-$150 on top of the base
5
DIY vs Hiring a Pro and Protecting Your Deposit
Once you know your figure, the next question is whether to clean it yourself. DIY makes sense for a small, well-kept apartment when you have a free day and the deposit risk is low — a studio in light condition is a few hours of work. The hidden cost is your own time on the busiest day of the move and the risk that a missed item, a greasy oven or stained grout, costs more in withheld deposit than the clean would have. A full move-out clean of a larger or heavily used home is 4 to 8 hours of physical detail labor that most movers do not have to spare.
Hiring a pro at $200 to $600 buys two things beyond clean floors: a receipt and a removed risk. Cleaning is one of the top three reasons landlords withhold deposits, and in major cities up to 80% of tenants lose part of theirs. An itemized invoice and dated photos at the walk-through are the evidence that defends a deposit worth one to two months of rent. Read the lease first — some require professional cleaning with proof, others only require the unit returned in its original condition minus normal wear, which changes whether a pro clean is mandatory or merely smart insurance.
Finally, time the clean correctly in the move sequence. Clear furniture and trash first, then clean, then do the walk-through with photos — cleaning before the unit is empty wastes the crew's access to floors and closets. Book the cleaner one to two weeks ahead for end-of-month dates, which are the busiest, and confirm they will return for touch-ups if the landlord flags something. A move-out clean is the cheapest insurance on a deposit, but only if the receipt, the photos, and the timing all line up with the inspection.
Never choose a cleaner on price alone. A crew that skips the oven or stains the carpet costs far more in a withheld deposit than the $50 to $100 you saved picking the lowest bid.
1
Empty the unit first
Remove all furniture and trash before the clean so the crew can reach floors, closets, and behind appliances.
2
Read the lease cleaning clause
Confirm whether the landlord requires a professional clean with a receipt or only the original condition minus normal wear.
3
Collect two to three quotes
Insist each states the included add-ons, the assumed condition, and whether the oven and fridge interiors are covered.
4
Book one to two weeks ahead
End-of-month dates fill fast; schedule early and ask whether touch-ups are included if the landlord objects.
5
Document at the walk-through
Keep the itemized invoice and dated photos as proof the unit was professionally cleaned.
This calculator is provided for informational and educational purposes only. Results are estimates and should not be considered professional financial, medical, legal, or other advice. Always consult a qualified professional before making important decisions. UseCalcPro is not responsible for any actions taken based on calculator results.
