Field guide

How Much Does Landscaping Cost? Prices by Job

Published Nov 2, 2026 · VettedLandscapers editorial

Short answer

There's no single number, because "landscaping" covers everything from a few shrubs to a new backyard. National cost guides put a typical project anywhere from about $1,000 to $2,500 (Thumbtack) to around $9,000 to $10,000 (Forbes, Fixr). Per square foot is steadier: about $4 to $12 for basic work, according to HomeGuide ($4.50 to $12 at HomeAdvisor), and more once patios and walls come in. Labor is most of the bill. HomeGuide puts it at "around 80% of the total cost."

Only one of the 390 landscaping company websites we've read lists a price. So the ranges below come from national cost guides, checked in October 2026, and they're a way to sanity-check quotes, not a substitute for them. The useful part is knowing how each piece of a job is priced, so you can compare two quotes line by line.

Websites read

390

List a price

of 390

Labor share

~80%

HomeGuide

Why the averages disagree

Each guide measures something different. Thumbtack's figure comes from its own platform data; Fixr's describes landscaping a quarter-acre lot.

Source	What it reports	Figure
Thumbtack	National average project (Jan 2026)	$1,047 to $2,465
LawnStarter	Average for professional landscaping services (Oct 2026)	$1,400 to $1,660
HomeAdvisor	Average, with its normal range	$3,519 ($1,248 to $6,071)
HomeGuide	New landscape installation	$3,000 to $16,000
Forbes Home	Average landscaping cost (Oct 2024)	About $9,000
Fixr	National average (Jan 2025)	$10,000 ($8,000 to $15,000)

If you're planting a few beds, the low numbers apply. If you're adding a patio, a wall and new sod, look at the high ones, and price each part using the table below.

How each part of a job is priced

Item	Priced by	Typical range
Design plan	Flat fee or by the hour	$700 to $3,000 for a typical plan; small gardens $300 to $600; large or complex up to $9,000 (HomeGuide)
Crew labor	By the hour	$50 to $100 an hour for a 2-person crew (HomeGuide); a national average of $50 to $65 an hour (Thumbtack)
Paver patio	Square foot, installed	$10 to $17 (HomeGuide); $8 to $25 (Angi)
Retaining wall	Linear foot, or square foot of wall face	$40 to $300 per linear foot (HomeGuide); $80 to $250 (Forbes)
French drain	Linear foot	$10 to $35 in a yard (HomeGuide); $10 to $100 (Fixr)
Sod	Square foot, installed	$1 to $2 (HomeGuide, Forbes); LawnStarter's average is $1.65
Shrubs	Each, by size	$25 for a 1-foot shrub to $85 for a 4-foot one, planted (HomeGuide)
Trees	Each, by size	$125 to $300 under 6 feet; $200 to $700 at 6 to 10 feet; $400 to $1,300 larger, planted (HomeGuide)
Mulch	Cubic yard, installed	$50 to $150 (HomeGuide); $30 to $120 (HomeAdvisor)
Lighting	Each fixture	$80 to $300 installed; low-voltage $100 to $150, plus $200 to $500 for a transformer (HomeGuide); low-voltage $90 to $150 (Fixr)
Sprinkler system	Zone	$500 to $1,000 per zone, and most homes need 3 to 5 (HomeGuide)
Grading	Square foot	$0.40 to $2.00 (HomeGuide)
Tree removal	Each, by height	$150 to $500 under 30 feet; $300 to $1,000 at 30 to 60 feet (HomeGuide)
Stump grinding	Each	$120 to $400 (HomeGuide); $275 to $600 (Fixr)
Yard cleanup	Job or hour	$125 to $400 (HomeGuide); overgrown yards $400 to $800

Ranges as published by each guide; we haven't averaged them. Several guides showed no date; the dated ones run from July 2024 to October 2026.

More detail on the big-ticket items: paver patios, retaining walls, French drains, sprinkler systems and sod.

Two worked examples

Using HomeGuide's ranges, here's how two common jobs add up. Your quotes will differ, but they shouldn't differ wildly without a reason you can name.

Front-yard refresh	Range
Small design plan	$300 to $600
12 shrubs, 2 feet tall, planted	$420 to $540
6 cubic yards of mulch, installed	$300 to $900
1,500 sq ft of new sod	$1,500 to $3,000
Total, before any tear-out	$2,520 to $5,040

Backyard patio with lights	Range
Design plan (often credited if the same firm builds it)	$700 to $3,000
16 by 20 ft paver patio (320 sq ft)	$3,200 to $5,440
8 low-voltage path lights, installed	$800 to $1,200
Transformer, installed	$200 to $500
Total	$4,900 to $10,140

Our arithmetic from HomeGuide's published ranges. Excavation, haul-off, grading and long cable runs are extra.

What design costs, and when it's credited

HomeGuide puts a landscape design plan at $700 to $3,000 for most yards, with a national average of $1,850, and an initial consultation at $100 to $200, usually covering the first hour. Hourly rates run $50 to $150 for designers and $100 to $250 for landscape architects. Some designers charge 10% to 20% of the project instead.

If you hire a design-build company to install the plan, the design fee often comes off the build price: "Landscaping companies who build their designs typically deduct fees for making plans from the total installation price," HomeGuide says. Ask about that up front, and ask who owns the plan if you don't hire them to build it. Who does what covers when you need an architect rather than a designer.

Costs by the size of the area

HomeAdvisor and LawnStarter both scale cost with square footage:

Square feet	HomeAdvisor	LawnStarter
200 sq ft	$900 to $2,400	$900 to $2,900
500 sq ft	$2,250 to $6,000	$2,250 to $7,250
1,000 sq ft	$4,500 to $12,000	$4,500 to $14,500
2,000 sq ft	$9,000 to $24,000	$9,000 to $29,000

HomeAdvisor notes that "a full tear-out or an outdoor-kitchen build can push costs to $40 per square foot."

What pushes a quote up

Slope and access. HomeGuide: "Limited-access yards or sites outside the standard service area have higher installation costs," and the equipment "can require removing fencing or gates around the backyard." Thumbtack notes a steep yard "will be more difficult for landscapers to navigate."
What's already there. Tearing out old concrete and soil adds $0.30 to $0.50 per square foot on a paver job, and excavation runs $1 to $5 per square foot, per HomeGuide. Angi says trenching lighting cable around existing beds, patios and decks "can quickly double or triple in price."
Soil and drainage. Forbes lists "soil quality, existing vegetation, drainage issues and terrain slope" among the main factors. Rocky soil and roots slow trenching for irrigation, HomeGuide says.
Plant size. "Larger fully grown shrubs cost more to plant than smaller or newer shrubs," Fixr notes. A 4-foot shrub costs roughly two to three times what a 1-foot one does, using HomeGuide's ranges.
Materials. Natural stone, premium plants and specialty hardscape raise the price, per Forbes.
Permits. HomeGuide puts landscaping permits at a $45 to $200 minimum for projects over 2,500 square feet or next to a public right-of-way; Forbes puts retaining wall permits at $25 to $450.

Prices in the Southeast

Few guides break landscaping prices out for our states. LawnStarter's figures for Dothan, Alabama ($1,186 to $1,405), and Orlando, Florida ($1,251 to $1,481), run a little under its national average of $1,400 to $1,660. For mowing and maintenance, city-level numbers are easier to find; see what lawn care costs.

Keeping it up

Budget for upkeep before you build. HomeGuide puts landscaping maintenance at $100 to $200 a month on average, or up to $300 for large yards. New plants also need water their first year, which is a cost in time if not money; ask your installer what it expects you to do, and whether its plant warranty depends on it.

How to get quotes you can compare

Ask for line items: each plant with its size and count, square footage for patios and sod, linear footage for walls and drains.
Ask what's not included: haul-off, soil and amendments, permits, irrigation changes, cleanup.
Ask whether the design fee is credited toward the build.
Get the plant warranty in writing: how long, what it covers, and what you have to do to keep it.
Get at least three quotes for the same written scope. The FTC's advice: "Don't automatically choose the lowest bidder."

Then run the checks in how to hire a landscaper before you sign.

Sources

This guide is general information, not legal or professional advice. Rules and prices change; check with the agency or business before you rely on them. Spot something wrong? Tell us.