Canadian Lawn Mowing Prices: A 2025 Breakdown for Home & Business

If you're a smart homeowner, a luxury property manager, or a commercial stakeholder who wants to understand why and how to get a price that’s fair, then read on. We are going to dissect the entire pricing structure of the Canadian lawn care industry.

Lawn Mowing Cost at a Glance: Average Canadian Prices

To start, let's establish a baseline. These numbers are the "cheat sheet" for average residential properties. They are based on a standard, well-maintained lawn.

Note: These prices are per visit and typically include mowing, string trimming (weed-eating) around obstacles, and blowing clippings off hard surfaces.

Average Cost by Frequency

How often do you want the crew to show up? This is the second-biggest lever on your per-visit price. It seems backward, but more frequent visits often cost less per visit.Look at that jump. A company has to charge more for a bi-weekly cut because the grass is twice as long, takes twice as long to cut, and puts twice the strain on their machines. This is a core part of any professional lawn care mowing service.

How Lawn Care Companies Price Your Service: 4 Common Models

_{When you ask for a quote, the number you get is built on one of these four pricing models. Understanding them helps you compare apples to apples.}

Per Visit / Per Cut

This is the most common model for residential homeowners. It's simple. You pay a flat fee (like $60) every time the crew completes the service. This is predictable for you and for the company. It's clean. It's based on the size and frequency tables we just covered.

Per Hour

You will often see an hourly rate, usually between $40 - $75 per crew member per hour. So, a two-person crew might bill at $100-$150 per hour.

How Lawn Care Companies Price Your Service: 4 Common Models

When you ask for a quote, the number you get is built on one of these four pricing models. Understanding them helps you compare apples to apples.

Per Visit / Per Cut

This is the most common model for residential homeowners. It's simple. You pay a flat fee (like $60) every time the crew completes the service. This is predictable for you and for the company. It's clean. It's based on the size and frequency tables we just covered.

Per Hour

You will often see an hourly rate, usually between $40 - $75 per crew member per hour. So, a two-person crew might bill at $100-$150 per hour.

This model is almost never used for standard, recurring mowing. Instead, it's reserved for:

• Overgrown Jungle Jobs: The lawn is 12 inches high and full of weeds.

• Yard Cleanups: You need leaves, branches, and debris hauled away.

• Complex Properties: The job involves a lot of delicate trimming, navigating slopes, or moving obstacles.

Be cautious if a company only wants to charge hourly for a standard mow. It removes all their incentive to be efficient.

Per Acre

Now we're moving into the big leagues. This is the language of luxury estates, commercial properties, and public parks. When you're dealing with 2, 5, or 20 acres, the "per visit" model breaks down.

The "per acre" price is a volume game. A 1-acre lot might cost $175 to cut. A 20-acre property won't be $3,500 (20 x $175); it will be significantly less per acre, perhaps $80-$100, because the crew is setting up once for a massive, efficient job, likely with giant zero-turn mowers.

Monthly or Seasonal Packages

This is the "subscription model" of lawn care. You don't pay per visit. You pay a flat monthly fee (e.g., $220/month) for the entire season.

• Pros: This model gives you predictable billing. You know exactly what you'll pay. It also guarantees you a spot on the crew's roster, which is valuable in peak season.

• Cons: You pay the same in May (when the grass grows like crazy) as you do in a dry August (when it might not be cut at all).

Companies love this model because it secures their cash flow. It's often bundled with a full suite of services, timed perfectly with BC's lawn mowing season, turning your lawn care into a simple, automated utility.

7 Key Factors That Determine Your Final Quote

Your quote is not just a number pulled from a hat. It's the result of a calculation. A professional company is running this math in their head (or in a software) when they look at your property.

1. Lawn Size & Complexity

We covered the size. But complexity is the hidden multiplier. A 5,000 sq. ft. perfect rectangle is a 10-minute job. A 5,000 sq. ft. kidney-bean shape full of trees, garden beds, a swing set, and a trampoline is a 30-minute job.

Every obstacle (a "tree ring") that requires the string trimmer is a "stop." Every narrow gate that the big mower can't fit through is a "stop." Every slope or hill is a "stop" (and a safety risk). These stops add time, and time is money.

2. Frequency of Service

We covered this in the table, but it's worth repeating. If you let your lawn go, you will pay a premium to get it back under control. Period. A crew that cuts your lawn weekly is performing maintenance. A crew that cuts it bi-weekly is performing labor.

3. Scope of Service: What's Included?

What are you actually buying? A "basic mow" is almost always:

1. Mow: Cutting the main turf areas.

2. Trim: Using a string trimmer (weed-eater) around all edges, trees, and fences.

3. Blow: Using a leaf blower to clear clippings from your driveway, walkway, and patio.

What's not always included?

• Edging: Creating that razor-sharp dirt edge along walkways. This is a separate, time-consuming task.

• Bagging: Most pros mulch-mow (it's healthier for the lawn). Bagging and hauling clippings costs them time and disposal fees, so it will cost you extra.

• Weed Pulling: They will trim weeds in the lawn, but they won't typically hand-pull weeds from your garden beds unless it's part of a larger package.

4. Grass Height & Condition

Show up to a new client and the grass is 10 inches high? That's not a maintenance cut. That's a "reclamation project."

The crew can't just run their mower over it. They'll have to cut it high, then cut it again at a normal height (double-cutting) to avoid choking their machines and leaving massive clumps of dead grass. This will incur an "overgrowth fee" or be switched to an hourly rate.

5. Your Location in Canada

This one is simple. A lawn mowing company in downtown Toronto or Vancouver has monstrous overhead. Their insurance, fuel, labor costs, and even parking are astronomically higher than a company's in rural Alberta or Saskatoon.

A $70 job in a major city might be a $45 job in a smaller town. This is the simple reality of the Canadian economy.

6. Type of Equipment Used

Is your provider a "fly-by-nighter" with a 21-inch push mower in the trunk of his Honda Civic? Or is it a professional crew with a $20,000 commercial zero-turn mower?

The professional crew costs more. But, that zero-turn mower can cut your lawn in one-third the time, deliver a cleaner-looking stripe, and be more reliable. You are paying for that efficiency, not for them to fix common riding mower problems on your time.

7. Insurance and Professionalism

This is the invisible-yet-critical factor.

The "cash" guy you found on Kijiji for $25 is cheap for a reason. He has no insurance. When he launches a rock through your window (it happens), it's your problem. When he hits a root and breaks his ankle, it's your problem. When he spills gas on your lawn, it's your problem.

A professional, legitimate business carries millions in commercial liability insurance. They pay for WSIB (or your province's equivalent) for their workers. This costs them thousands of dollars a year, and that cost is built into their price. It's the price of peace of mind.

Pricing for Enterprise, Commercial, & Luxury Estate Properties

If you manage a condo building, a retail plaza, or a sprawling multi-acre estate, you can ignore 90% of this article. Your world is different.

You are not buying "mowing." You are buying groundskeeping.

Commercial & Enterprise Contracts

For a condo board or a business, the price is almost always a 12-month contract. The company isn't quoting you a "per cut" price. They are giving you a fixed monthly fee that bundles all services:

• Spring Cleanup

• Weekly Mowing & Maintenance (Summer)

• Fertilization & Weed Control

• Fall Cleanup & Leaf Removal

• Snow & Ice Removal (Winter)

This is the key. In Canada, most large commercial contracts are full-service, 12-month agreements that pair green-season work with white-season work. The price is based on a formal Request for Proposal (RFP) and is a major business-to-business transaction.

Luxury & Estate Property Costs</h3>

For luxury homes on multi-acre lots, the service is closer to a full-time gardener. The pricing is often based on a "per-acre" model but is customized into a seasonal package.

This service includes mowing but is heavily focused on horticultural details:

• Manicuring garden beds.

• Pruning shrubs and ornamental trees.

• Monitoring irrigation systems.

• Seasonal flower planting.

The cost for this is bespoke and is almost always determined after a long consultation.

Cost of Additional Lawn Care Services (Beyond Mowing)

To build massive topical authority and become a true "hub" of information, you need to answer the related questions. Mowing is just one piece of the puzzle. Here are the other services and their typical Canadian cost.

• Lawn Aeration: This is the process of pulling small plugs of soil from your lawn to reduce compaction and let it "breathe."

• Average Cost: $75 - $250

• Fertilization & Weed Control: These are usually sold as a package with 4-5 applications per season.

• Average Cost: $50 - $200 per application

• Seeding / Overseeding: Spreading new seed to thicken the lawn.

• Average Cost: $0.10 - $0.20 per sq. ft. (often done with aeration)

• Dethatching: Power-raking the thick layer of dead grass (thatch) that can choke your lawn.

• Average Cost: $75 - $300

• Spring & Fall Cleanup / Leaf Removal: This is almost always an hourly job ($40-$75 per person, per hour).

• Average Cost: $100 - $300 per visit

• Yard Cleanup: A more intensive version of cleanup, often for properties that have been neglected.

• Average Cost: $125 - $400

How to Save Money on Lawn Mowing Services

Price is what you pay. Value is what you get. But that doesn't mean you can't be smart about the price.

• Bundle Services: The easiest win. If you're already paying for mowing, get your fertilization, aeration, and cleanup done by the same company. You will almost always get a package discount.

• Sign a Seasonal Contract: Don't pay "per visit." Commit to the season. The company gets guaranteed revenue and will give you a better rate for that loyalty.

• Do the Prep Work: Don't make the crew waste time. Clear your lawn of toys, hoses, and pet waste before they arrive.

• Maintain Your Property: Fix the ruts. Remove the low-hanging branches. The easier you make their job, the less they need to charge you.

How to Get an Accurate Lawn Mowing Quote

You are now armed with all the right information. When you call for a quote, here is your checklist.

1. Get 3 Quotes. Never take the first price.

2. Get them On-Site. A "satellite" quote is a guess. A real professional will want to walk the property to spot the "complexity" issues (slopes, gates, obstacles) we talked about.

3. Ask What's Included. Get it in writing. "Mow, trim, blow?" Is edging extra? Is bagging extra?

4. Confirm Insurance. Ask for a "Certificate of Insurance." A professional will have it ready. The cheap guy will make excuses. This is a massive red flag.

5. Ask for a Per-Visit vs. Seasonal Price. See which model saves you more. Before you commit, make sure you know how to choose the right lawn mowing service and what questions to ask.

Final Words

The price of lawn mowing in Canada isn't a secret code. It's a simple calculation of time, risk, and overhead. A cheap price often means someone is cutting corners—on insurance, on equipment, on paying their staff a living wage.

A fair price, on the other hand, is an investment in reliability. It's the cost of getting your weekend back.

At Harry's Lawn Care, we believe in transparent pricing. We build our quotes based on your specific property, not a wild guess. We're fully insured, our crews are professional.