Landscaping costs

The typical project, adjusted by each metro's measured labour index. The spread between the cheapest and the dearest metro is 56% on identical work.

Price landscaping work

The typical one runs $10,975 in Chicago against $7,015 in San Antonio. The calculator below does the same for all 22. The method sets out where the factor comes from.

Questions

Why do landscaping quotes for the same job differ so much?

Because the site sets the price more than the task. Land clearing runs $1,200 – $12,000: the bottom is a quarter-acre of brush at a contractor's minimum charge, the top a wooded acre with the stumps pulled and every load hauled away.

Which landscaping jobs cost the least to hire out?

Bed cover. Pine straw installation runs $150 – $2,200 and mulching $200 – $1,200, mostly material and a few crew hours. Built work sits an order of magnitude higher: a retaining wall runs $3,000 – $15,000.

Is a fallen tree cheaper to remove than a standing one?

Usually, because nobody has to climb or rig it. Fallen tree removal runs $100 – $3,600 against $400 – $3,000 for taking down a standing tree. A very large downed trunk can still pass the standing figure, and a tree lying on a house is priced on top of the range, not inside it.

Why does a putting green cost more than an artificial lawn?

Because most of the price is under the surface. A synthetic backyard putting green runs $2,000 – $24,000 for 100 to 800 sq ft, while artificial turf on a 500 sq ft lawn runs $2,500 – $10,000: the green needs a compacted, shaped base, cups and a denser, shorter turf that rolls true.