What a move-out clean costs in 2026
Move-out cleaning is a deep clean of an empty home: inside cabinets and appliances, baseboards, fixtures and floors, done to get a deposit back or hand over a sale. HomeGuide prices it by bedrooms, and Fixr prices deep cleaning by home size and by bedrooms and bathrooms:
| Size | HomeGuide, move-out | Fixr, deep clean |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | $80 to $200 | |
| 1 bedroom | $120 to $250 | $100 to $220 (1 bath) |
| 2 bedrooms | $150 to $380 | $110 to $230 (1 bath), $130 to $260 (2 baths) |
| 3 bedrooms | $230 to $630 | $150 to $270 (1 bath) |
| 4 bedrooms | $380 to $750 |
HomeGuide puts the average move-out clean at $150 to $500, or $0.15 to $0.25 per square foot; Fixr puts deep cleaning at $0.10 to $0.30 per square foot, $200 to $400 on average.
What moves the price
Bathrooms take the longest per square foot. Condition matters more than size: grease in the kitchen, pet hair and smoke film can double the hours. Cleaners charge $25 to $50 an hour per person (HomeGuide), so the hours are the price. Extras: HomeGuide puts carpet cleaning at $40 to $90 per room and tile and grout cleaning at $250 to $700.
Pricing a move-out as a cleaning business
Take an empty two-bedroom apartment in normal condition:
| Line | How it's figured | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Labor | 2 cleaners for 3 hours at $30 an hour, fully burdened | $180.00 |
| Supplies | Degreaser, oven cleaner, pads | $20.00 |
| Drive | Time and fuel | $15.00 |
| Cost | $215.00 | |
| Price at a 20% margin | $215 divided by 0.8 | $268.75, priced at $270 |
That is inside HomeGuide's $150 to $380 for two bedrooms. Put what is included, and what gets priced on site, on the cleaning estimate template: the oven, the fridge and the inside of cabinets are where move-out disagreements start.
Questions about move-out cleaning cost
How much does a move-out cleaning cost?+
HomeGuide puts it at $150 to $500 on average: about $80 to $200 for a studio, $150 to $380 for two bedrooms and $380 to $750 for four.
Is move-out cleaning the same as deep cleaning?+
Close. A move-out clean is a deep clean of an empty home, which is easier to reach but usually includes inside cabinets and appliances. Fixr puts deep cleaning at $200 to $400 on average.
Does carpet cleaning come with a move-out clean?+
Usually not. HomeGuide lists professional carpet cleaning separately, at $40 to $90 per room.
How this calculator works
The price range for the size of the job comes from the published guides below, from the lowest low to the highest high where they differ. Where your job lands inside that range is our method: each answer that makes the work harder or slower moves it toward the top, and each that makes it easier moves it down. Extras use each guide's published price for that item, and the likely price uses the middle of the extra's range.
Prices checked September 28, 2026.