Landscaping Job Estimator
Enter the quantities for each part of the job. Installed rates include materials and crew time; edit them under Advanced settings.
Local labor costs
Used only to look up regional wage data. Not saved or shared.
Estimated Job Price
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Estimates are for planning only. Actual pricing depends on site conditions.
What you’ll get from this calculator
- Landscapers price installs per unit in 2026: sod $1–$2 per sq ft installed, mulch $77–$94 per cubic yard, rock $2–$3 per sq ft and pavers $8–$24 per sq ft.
- Plants are priced each: $25–$230 per shrub and about $565–$680 per planted tree. Irrigation runs about $750–$900 per zone.
- Bill extra labor (cleanup, hauling, removal) at $50–$100 per person-hour; most landscapers charge about $60.
- Aim for a 15–25% profit margin on residential installs and set a minimum that covers loading, travel and dump fees.
How to Price a Landscaping Job (5 Steps)
Quote installs the way customers read them: one line per item, each with a quantity and an installed price.
- 1. Measure each area: square feet of sod, rock and pavers, linear feet of edging, and the bed area for mulch.
- 2. Convert mulch to cubic yards. One cubic yard covers about 108 sq ft at 3 inches deep, so a 500 sq ft bed takes about 5 yards.
- 3. Price each line at an installed rate that already includes materials, delivery and crew time. Your rate should cover your material cost plus a 15–20% markup (plants often carry more).
- 4. Add removal and site prep. Tearing out old turf, hauling debris and dump fees are real costs; price them per square foot or as labor hours.
- 5. Apply your minimum job charge, then check the margin: most residential installs should clear 15–25% after labor, materials and overhead.
The Landscaping Pricing Formula
Price = sod sq ft × sod rate (+ removal) + mulch yards × mulch rate + rock sq ft × rock rate + shrubs × shrub price + trees × tree price + paver sq ft × paver rate + edging ft × edging rate + zones × zone price + extra hours × labor rate, with your minimum job charge as the floor.
Installed rates hide the labor, so check them against your crew hours. A 1,000 sq ft sod job at $1.50 is $1,500. If sod costs you about $0.45 per sq ft and two people need five hours at a $65 billed rate ($650), the job covers materials, labor and a healthy margin. If it takes two days, the rate is too low.
Every rate is editable under Advanced settings, and the labor rate can be filled from local wage data for your ZIP code.
2026 Landscaping Install Prices (US)
| Item | Typical installed price | Default here |
|---|---|---|
| Sod | $1–$2 per sq ft | $1.50 per sq ft |
| Old turf removal | Priced per sq ft or by the hour | $0.75 per sq ft |
| Mulch | $77–$94 per cubic yard | $85 per yard |
| Decorative rock or gravel | $2–$3 per sq ft | $2.50 per sq ft |
| Paver patio or walkway | $8–$24 per sq ft | $16 per sq ft |
| Landscape edging | $3.50–$8.80 per linear ft | $6 per linear ft |
| Shrub, planted (3–5 gal) | $25–$230 each | $60 each |
| Tree, planted (15 gal) | $565–$680 each | $565 each |
| Irrigation zone | About $750–$900 each (first zone $585–$1,335) | $900 per zone |
| Extra labor | $50–$100 per person-hour | $65 per hour |
Ranges from LawnStarter's 2026 landscaping, sod, edging and sprinkler cost data, Jobber's 2026 landscaping pricing guide, Lawn Love's 2026 paver patio data and Aspire's 2026 labor pricing guide. The $0.75 removal rate and $250 minimum are starting points, not sourced averages: set your own.
Example: Backyard Refresh
| Line | Math | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Remove old grass | 1,200 sq ft × $0.75 | $900 |
| Sod | 1,200 sq ft × $1.50 | $1,800 |
| Mulch | 6 yards × $85 | $510 |
| Shrubs | 8 × $60 | $480 |
| Paver patio (12×16) | 192 sq ft × $16 | $3,072 |
| Edging | 40 ft × $6 | $240 |
| Total | $7,002 |
The patio is 44% of the job. Itemizing lets the customer drop or phase it instead of asking you to cut your sod or planting rate.
Landscaping Pricing FAQs
How much should I charge to install sod?▼
How much should I charge to put down mulch?▼
How much should I charge per hour for landscaping?▼
How much should I charge for a paver patio?▼
What markup should landscapers put on materials and plants?▼
What profit margin should a landscaping business make?▼
Turn the Price into a Landscaping Quote
Save your installed rates once and turn any estimate into an itemized landscaping quote your customer can approve. Creating quotes is free; downloading or sending one takes a $4.99 Invoice Pass.
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