Lawn care cost in Austin: per visit, per month, and what a year really adds up to
Lawn care is priced three ways, and comparing quotes means knowing which one you are looking at. Here is the per-visit mow, the monthly program, and the annual total for a typical Austin lot in 2026, plus the two things that cut the number without cutting the lawn.
Per visit: mowing only
A mow, edge, trim and blow on a set day. Up to a quarter acre, which is most Austin lots inside the loop: $45 to $65. A quarter to half an acre, typical in Cedar Park, Georgetown and Circle C: $65 to $95. Larger lots are priced per acre. Weekly in the growing season, biweekly in the heat of late summer and through winter, which comes to roughly 32 to 38 visits a year.
Per month: the program
A program bundles the mowing with the treatments the lawn needs on the Austin calendar. Basic, mowing plus edging and cleanup: $150 to $220 a month. Full, adding two pre-emergents, three or four feedings, spot weed control and a fall aeration: $200 to $300 a month. The monthly number is averaged across the year, so winter months with two visits subsidize May with five.
Each treatment on its own
| Treatment | Each | When |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-emergent | $60 – $120 | February and September |
| Fertilization | $55 – $110 | Spring green-up and early fall |
| Broadleaf weed control, spot | $50 – $100 | As needed, spring |
| Core aeration | $90 – $200 | Fall, on clay |
| Chinch bug or fungus treatment | $80 – $160 | Summer, St. Augustine |
| Spring or fall cleanup | $150 – $400 | March and November |
| Winter rye overseeding | $120 – $300 | October, optional |
A worked year
A 7,000-square-foot Bermuda lawn in 78745, on a full program: 35 mows at $55 is $1,925; two pre-emergents at $90 is $180; three feedings at $80 is $240; one aeration at $140; one spring cleanup at $220. About $2,700 for the year, or $225 a month averaged, which is where the monthly program lands. Add an irrigation audit at $200 the first year and a bed service if wanted. The same lot in St. Augustine under oaks adds a chinch bug treatment or two and subtracts a few mows.
The two things that save the most
Water right. An irrigation audit by a licensed irrigator, $150 to $300 once, typically trims a quarter to a third off the summer water bill and grows a thicker lawn that needs fewer treatments. Shrink what you do not use. A strip of lawn by the curb or a shaded corner that never thrives costs the same per square foot to mow and feed as the lawn you sit on. Convert it to a bed or decomposed granite and the mowing price drops with the area.
Questions on this
Weekly or biweekly: which is cheaper?
Biweekly costs a little more per visit and about a third less per year. It works in the heat of late summer and in winter; in April and May, Bermuda grows too fast for it.
Can I buy the treatments without the mowing?
Yes. Pre-emergent, feeding and aeration are sold on their own; most people pair them with a program because the timing is the hard part.
Do you charge for a rain day?
No. A visit that moves because the clay is saturated moves to the next dry day at the same price.
What about chemical applications and licensing?
Pre-emergent, weed, insect and fungus treatments are applied by a contractor holding a Texas Department of Agriculture applicator licence, which the state requires. Mowing and feeding need no licence.
Is a program a contract?
No. Month to month, stopped with a week's notice. Commercial properties can have a term if they want one.
How does the price change if I convert the front yard?
The mowing price falls with the lawn area, and the program's treatment prices fall with it. A front-yard xeriscape typically takes a third off the lawn bill and most of the summer water.
Related reading: Lawn care · Lawn mowing · Lawn calendar · Irrigation repair