Pest control cost: $100 to $600 a visit (HomeGuide 2026)

National figures. Plan prices are per visit unless the row says annual.

Do this now: before you book a pest control visit

1. Identify the pest as best you can. Photograph it or bag a dead one; the price table above is by pest, and a bed bug job and an ant job are priced $1,000 apart.
2. Ask the inspection fee first. HomeGuide puts it at $50 to $200, and some companies credit it against treatment.
3. Ask for both prices. The one-time treatment and the plan, per visit and per year, in writing.
4. Tell the company about pets, infants, elderly residents and allergies. The EPA says to write these into the contract and to ask for the least toxic method that will do the job.
5. Get two or three bids for anything over a few hundred dollars (EPA).

Is it urgent, or can it wait for bids?

Most pest calls can wait a few days for a second bid; the ones the sources treat as urgent are a bat in a bedroom (CDC), a wasp or hornet nest at a door, rodents in the attic where UC IPM says gnawed wiring can start fires, and bed bugs before a move. After-hours rodent visits add $100 to $200 in HomeGuide's figures. The emergency exterminator guide goes through each.

How much does pest control cost? One-time visit

A one-time pest control visit costs $100 to $600 in HomeGuide's 2026 guide. Fixr's typical range is $158 to $288 with a national average of $223, and This Old House puts a typical one-time treatment at $50 to $500 with a $171 average appointment. This Old House's severity tiers explain the spread: mild $100 to $500, moderate $300 to $700, severe $1,000 to $8,000. Fixr's $3,500 high end is a termite fumigation or a whole-home bed bug heat job. We publish costs and what the sources say the signs mean; we do not inspect homes or say whether a home needs treatment. A pest control company licensed in your state does that on site.

Monthly, quarterly and annual pest control cost

Monthly pest control costs $40 to $75 per visit in HomeGuide's figures and $31 to $56 in Fixr's; quarterly is $100 to $300 (HomeGuide) or $98 to $178 (Fixr); an annual plan is $300 to $900 (HomeGuide) or $471 to $867 (Fixr), and Fixr prices an annual chemical spray program at $450 to $1,188. A quarterly plan at HomeGuide's rate is $400 to $1,200 a year, which is the number to set against a one-time visit. Fixr's framing is that contracted visits save money against repeated one-time calls; HomeGuide's is that a single visit may be enough for some pests and that ants, roaches and other insects may take ongoing treatment to keep them from returning. Both are published positions, and the right comparison is the per-year total for each option on your own quote.

Exterminator cost by pest

One-time treatment prices by pest from three publishers. Ranges are not merged; each column is its own source.

Termites and bed bugs are the expensive jobs in every column, and both get their own guides: termite treatment cost and bed bug treatment cost. Rodents sit in the middle; see mouse exterminator cost and rat exterminator cost. Roaches are priced in the cockroach exterminator cost guide.

Pest control cost by home size

This Old House, March 2026.

A 2,000 sq ft home runs $350 to $600 for a one-time treatment in This Old House's 2026 figures. HomeGuide gives no flat price by size but prices tenting and bed bug work per square foot: fumigation about $1 to $4 per sq ft, bed bug heat $1 to $3 and chemical $2 to $5.

Is pest control worth it? What the sources say

Whether a plan is worth it is a price question, and the figures above are the inputs: a one-time visit at $100 to $600 against a plan at $300 to $900 a year (HomeGuide). HomeGuide says a one-time visit may be enough for some pests, and that bed bugs and termites often take several visits whatever you choose. This Old House says monthly service is sold as prevention. The EPA's advice is to get the inspection and written plan first, then two or three bids, and to compare value rather than price alone.

Is pest control safe for pets and kids?

The EPA's Citizen's Guide says to put pets, infants, elderly residents and allergies in the contract, to ask for the least toxic method that will do the job, and to ask to see the product label. The label carries the re-entry and ventilation instructions for that product, so ask the company to walk you through it for the rooms treated. For rodents, UC IPM says all rodenticides are toxic to people, pets and wildlife and belong in tamper-proof stations out of reach.

Pest control for apartments: who pays

In New York City, the housing agency says the Housing Maintenance Code and Health Code both require property owners to address infestations promptly, and tenants who get no response can call 311. Other cities and states set their own rules, and a lease can say more, so the first call in a rental is to the landlord or manager, in writing. The bed bug treatment cost and cockroach exterminator cost guides cover the apartment questions for those two pests.

What a pest control quote should include

• Ask for the state license and check that it is current. The EPA's Citizen's Guide says to confirm it before anything is signed, and that firms offering termite services must be licensed by the state.
• Ask for the plan in writing. The EPA says the company should inspect first and outline the pests found, the extent, the active ingredients, health effects, application methods, nonchemical alternatives, precautions for your household and prevention steps.
• Ask for proof of insurance. The EPA notes most states do not require pest control companies to carry it, so ask.
• Ask what the guarantee covers and what voids it. The EPA's example: a termite guarantee can be voided by structural changes made without telling the company.
• Note allergies, infants, elderly residents and pets in the contract, and ask for the least toxic method that will do the job and to see the label (EPA).
• Get two or three bids and compare value, not just price (EPA). The EPA's warning signs: no guarantee, no proof of insurance, a bargain price, and a company that will not explain the treatment.

Pest control sits on the home repair costs table and a plan belongs on the home maintenance cost list. Start at the pest control hub, or see a city page: pest control in Houston, pest control in San Antonio, pest control in Dallas, pest control in Austin, pest control in New York, pest control in Atlanta, pest control in Charlotte, pest control in Denver. Calls go to an independent pest control company that serves your area and takes this kind of job; hours vary and the company quotes its own inspection or first-visit fee. How calls work.