How Much Does Pest Control Cost? (2022)

Sometimes hiring a professional pest control service is necessary to get rid of a severe pest infestation, especially if you have a termite colony eating up your home’s structure or you’re waking up with painful bites from bed bugs in your room.

While those severe cases can sometimes be resolved by one-time treatments, you may also want a pest control service plan for continual maintenance of your home’s pest issues. The cost of pest control treatment plans can vary, but keep reading for some averages based on our research of the industry, in addition to some tips for choosing the best pest control for your home.

Average Cost of Pest Control Service

Pest control costs can vary depending on the type of service you need, the level of infestation, your home’s size, and more. Because of this, finding an average for your specific home can be difficult without comparing your own quotes.

However, we can give you an idea of what to expect from a general pest control plan that treats your property for common household pests. After secret shopping for quotes from top pest control companies, here are average prices we received on a 3,000-square-foot home with three bedrooms and three bathrooms:

These general pest control plans provide preventative services with regularly scheduled visits from local technicians either quarterly or bi-monthly to treat the interior and exterior of your home. They cover a wide range of common pests, such as cockroaches, ants, spiders, and beetles, but they don’t include specialty treatments against certain pests, such as termites and bed bugs.

Pest Control Cost by Pest Type

Although you can expect to pay between $400 and $950 per year for general, full-service pest control, based on the quotes we’ve received from various exterminators, your prices may look different if you’re looking for an exterminator to perform a targeted pest control treatment.

It’s difficult to predict how much you’ll pay per pest since most treatments will be included in a general pest control plan. However, according to data from HomeAdvisor, which collects cost information from its large network of partner contractors, below are some average exterminator costs for each specific type of infestation:

Factors That Affect Pest Control Costs

Many variables are involved in pricing these services, making it difficult to know exactly how much to expect to pay for your pest control needs. When creating a quote, pest control companies will consider the following factors to provide pricing estimates:

• Types of pests in the home. The types of pests you’re battling can dictate how much you’ll pay for pest control. While general pest control services can prevent pest problems for a regular monthly fee, targeted termite extermination, for example, can cost up to thousands of dollars.
• Your home’s size. During your initial call with a professional exterminator, they’ll likely ask the square footage of your home and how many bedrooms and bathrooms it has. These numbers can affect how much treatment will be required and how expensive it will be.
• The size of your yard. The pest control representative will likely ask the size of your yard, since that can determine how much treatment will be needed on the exterior of your property to build a protective barrier against pests. If you don’t have the exact acreage, you can provide an estimate, or the technician can give a more accurate estimate once they visit your home.
• Your zip code. Pest control prices can vary based on your location, since some areas are more prone to pest issues than others. Additionally, if your home is far away from your nearest local exterminator, you may be charged extra for travel costs.
• Frequency of visits. If you sign up for a pest control plan with regularly scheduled visits, your cost will reflect your plan’s number of visits per year. For example, Terminix’s general pest control plan comes with quarterly visits, making it cheaper than some competitors that service your home bi-monthly.
• Level of infestation. Your infestation’s severity may require additional treatments or heavier use of products, which could increase the overall cost of your service. For instance, fumigations with tenting may be recommended for severe infestations, which can cost $1 to $4 per square foot, according to HomeAdvisor.

DIY Pest Control vs. Hiring a Professional Exterminator

From setting up homemade traps to putting out a potted Venus flytrap, many homeowners have tried to get rid of pests themselves. If you’re not ready to spend the money on a professional pest control service to handle your infestation or help prevent future pest problems, you can try your hand at do-it-yourself (DIY) pest control.

Although DIY pest control could save you money on hiring a professional, there are a few things to keep in mind before deciding not to call an exterminator: 

• Some DIY methods can be less effective than what an exterminator can provide, since some pesticide products you may need aren’t available for regular consumers.
• Pesticides you buy from the store to treat your own home can be dangerous or harmful to you, your family members, or your pets if chemicals aren’t used properly.
• It can require you to spend hours doing your own research, whereas an exterminator has the knowledge and experience to know what to do immediately.
• You may need to try a few different methods before the treatment is effective, which means you’ll have to live with your infestation until you find something that works.

DIY Pest Control Cost

If you choose to go the DIY route to take care of your pest problems on your own, the amount you pay can vary depending on the products you need. If you’re willing to spend around $50 to $200, you could purchase a pest control kit with a range of products, including traps and chemicals.

Here are some general prices you can expect when shopping for pest control products based on our analysis of pest control retail prices on the market:

The above prices are per-item, so keep in mind that the total cost could be considerably higher if you have a larger home with lots of coverage areas. In some cases, hiring a pest control company may end up being the most affordable option, since the technicians have the right amount of unique products on hand that may be needed for your property.

How to Choose a Pest Control Company

If you’re leaning toward hiring an exterminator, you should take a few steps to help you pick the best pest control company for your home.

• Read third-party customer reviews. One of the first steps to choosing an exterminator is reading its reviews on third-party websites, such as Yelp, Google Reviews, or the Better Business Bureau. Avoid companies with lower overall ratings that have a higher percentage of complaints than positive reviews.
• Get quotes and speak with representatives. Many companies can provide quotes for general pest control services over the phone to give you an idea of how much you’ll pay based on your specific situation. We recommend calling a few providers and taking notes on what they offer, in addition to asking about their guarantees.
• Compare custom prices and plan options. Once you have a few quotes, you can compare those prices, treatment frequencies, guarantees, and overall plan coverage offered.
• Schedule an initial visit. Once you narrow down the best choice for you, schedule your appointment for a time that’s convenient for you. If you’re in a hurry to get an exterminator out to your property, many companies provide same-day service if they have technicians available.

Our Recommendation

Although professional pest control comes with a price tag, it can be a valuable addition to your regularly scheduled services to prevent creepy-crawlies from invading your home and yard. If you have a severe infestation from dangerous pests, such as termites and bed bugs, you may need to hire a professional to effectively eradicate them.

To identify the best pest control services, we’ve performed a deep analysis of pest control companies on the market, reading more than 1,000 reviews from third-party websites, listening to customer service call recordings, and comparing providers on dozens of factors, such as covered pests, reputation, and customer service.

Terminix is our overall top choice, as it combines a tremendous amount of experience in the industry with impressive guarantees, wide service availability, and more to provide quality service to homeowners. However, we recommend speaking with more than one company to ensure you get the best price and coverage for your home’s specific needs.