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How Much Does Pest Control Cost? Understanding Your Options and Budget

Vic Culley • October 8, 2024

Pest control services aren’t what most people want to need, but once you need them, they’re a necessity. If the problem persists, you risk damage to your property, health issues, and even immediate danger depending on the type of pest.

However, many homeowners don’t understand why pest control isn’t cheap, and they often want to find ways that limit their pest control costs.

Today, we’re going to go over how much pest control costs and a few of the options at your disposal.

Let’s get started.

How Much Does Pest Control Cost?

There is no flat-rate, all-around, number for how much pest control costs. It depends on a wide variety of factors, and the price range is pretty broad.

On average, pest control costs about $350 to $800 . That sounds steep, and you likely want a way to reduce it, but first, let’s go over why it costs that much.

1: Location

Just like any other service, or even any product you try to buy, where you pay for it matters . If you’re in an area with an extremely high cost of living, the cost is going to be a bit higher than if you lived in a very low-cost-of-living area.

This is unavoidable, and as we said, it applies to everything. Not just pest control services.

2: Property Size

The size of your property can dramatically impact the price .

Many pest control treatments and services require property-wide treatment. If your property is larger, that requires more time for the specialist to do their job, and it requires more of the products used in the treatment process. This raises the price.

3: Experience

This isn’t a huge factor, but you are going to pay for highly experienced professionals . Services that are much cheaper than everybody else are likely very new, and they need to use lower prices to get their first customers.

An Experienced Pest Control Technician Treats Windows

That can be an opportunity for you to save money, but it can also result in the problem not being fixed. It’s a toss-up, and with something like an infestation, it’s simply not worth the risk.

However, the companies that have years of experience also shouldn’t be much higher than the standard price. If they were, they’d struggle to get customers because of it.

So, you can get high-quality service without any huge markups based solely on this factor.

4: The Type of Pest

“Pest” is a very general term. It can mean anything from termites wreaking havoc on your property’s structural integrity to a few mice running around.

This will greatly impact the cost of the service because different treatments are used to stop different types of infestations.

Termite treatment , in particular, can be more expensive due to the specialized techniques and chemicals required to fully eliminate these destructive pests and prevent further damage.

5: The Number of Treatments Required

Most pest treatments can’t be completed with good results in one visit. They tend to require several visits. Especially full infestations like roaches and termites.

The more a pest control specialist has to come out and work on your property, the more it’s going to cost .

6: Treatment Used

You don’t always get to choose what treatment is used. Some pest problems are only solved one way, and sometimes, the company you hired only has one option available. However, if there are multiple options, the price can be dramatically affected.

You can lower your costs by choosing a lower-priced option , but keep in mind that cheaper options often provide lesser results. You need to gauge the extent of your problem and your expected results against the benefits of any treatment options available.

7: The Extent of the Problem

Of course, the extent of the problem matters, too . If your pest issue is minor, it is going to cost far less than a serious infestation that takes a lot of work to get rid of.

There’s not much you can do about this beyond preventative measures. Once a pest problem becomes an infestation, you’re more or less stuck paying a premium because it’s far more work to fix it.

8: Ease of Treatment

If your specialist has to work extra hard to access sources of an infestation, you will need to pay more . Sometimes, it’s simply a matter of the time spent fixing the problem, and sometimes, it’s a hazard issue.

Pest Control Technician Treats a Mattress

For example, if a beehive is built on the side of your deck and the specialist can walk up to it, you’ll pay less. If that same beehive is located on the top of a radio antenna you have 100 feet above your home, there is going to be a premium for accepting the added risk.

That’s an extreme example, but if a job is harder to handle due to the situation, it’s going to cost more.

How to Stay Within Budget

Good pest control services aren’t cheap, but you can still do some things to reduce how much you pay.

For most situations, pest prevention , such as cleaning your home, removing hiding areas for pests, and removing their food sources, will be enough to dramatically reduce your expenses . You’ll naturally reduce the extent of the problem, and it can be resolved more easily.

You can also search around for different pest services . You are given a quote by a professional service. The price isn’t thrust upon you after everything is solved. So, if you can contact services and compare quotes, you can cut some corners. Just make sure you’re being reasonable.

If a company is a lot cheaper, you need to look at the quality of the service being offered before you commit, or you might end up calling the more expensive guy later.

Another option is to see if there are cheaper treatment options available . Again, this isn’t always possible, but if you ask, the specialist might be able to use a different treatment method and save you money. Just be willing to accept that the results might take longer or not be as dramatic.