Pest control: $100 to $600 a visit, plans and signs (2026)

How much does pest control cost

National figures for a visit or a treatment. Pest, home size, how far it has spread and whether you take a plan move the total.

HomeGuide puts a one-time exterminator visit at $100 to $600 in 2026; Fixr's typical range is $158 to $288 with a $223 average, and This Old House's average single appointment is $171. The pest sets the bill more than anything else: HomeGuide lists ants at $200 to $300, roaches and mice under $600, and termites and bed bugs in the thousands when a whole home is treated. Plans are priced separately; the pest control cost guide puts one-time and plan prices side by side. 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.

Do this now: before you call about a pest

1. Note what you saw, where and when. A dark 3/8 inch insect with equal-length wings near a window in spring, pellets on a sill, droppings in a drawer, a musty odor in the kitchen. Texas A&M says to leave part of any mud tube in place for the inspector.
2. Photograph it before you clean, and bag a dead sample in a zip bag if you have one. The EPA says bed bug bites are a poor indicator and carpet beetles are easily mistaken for bed bugs, so the sample matters more than the bite.
3. Do not stir up rodent droppings. The CDC says not to sweep or vacuum them; ventilate 30 minutes, glove up and use disinfectant or a 1 to 9 bleach solution. The mouse exterminator cost guide has the full steps.
4. Do not move things out of a room where you suspect bed bugs (EPA), and do not seal a wasp nest entry behind siding: Kentucky's extension says the wasps may chew inward and come out indoors.
5. If someone was stung and has hives, trouble breathing or swallowing, or facial swelling, Kentucky's extension says not to wait to see if it passes: get emergency care.

Is it an emergency? What counts as urgent

Four situations are urgent in the sources' own terms: a bat in a bedroom, a wasp or hornet nest at a door people use, rodents in the attic or walls where UC IPM says gnawed wiring can cause sparks and fires, and bed bugs before a move. Rodent after-hours visits cost $100 to $200 extra in HomeGuide's figures.

• Bat in a room where someone slept: the CDC says you may have been exposed to rabies even without a felt bite; call your doctor or health department, and capture the bat safely if you can so it can be tested.
• Nest at an entrance: Kentucky's extension says a nest away from used areas can be left alone, and that hornet and yellowjacket nests are best handled by a professional firm when out of reach. Nests are treated at night.
• Scratching in the attic or walls: UC IPM lists noises from the attic as a rat sign and says rats gnaw electrical wires and natural gas lines.
• Termites are not an overnight emergency. UC IPM says a new colony may have only about 75 individuals after a year, which is time to get an inspection and two bids. See signs of termites.
• The emergency exterminator guide covers what a first visit involves. Companies that take urgent calls set their own hours.

Start with what you are seeing

Pest control cost: one-time visit vs a plan

A one-time visit runs $100 to $600 in HomeGuide's 2026 guide, while plans are billed per visit: $40 to $75 monthly, $100 to $300 quarterly, or $300 to $900 a year. Fixr's plan figures are $31 to $56 monthly, $98 to $178 quarterly and $471 to $867 a year. HomeGuide says a single visit may be enough for some pests, that keeping ants, roaches and other insects from coming back may take ongoing treatment, and that bed bugs and termites often take several visits. Companies sell plans; the price of each option is what to compare. The pest control cost guide has the plan math by pest.

Termites: treatment, inspection and tenting

Termite treatment costs $225 to $2,500 for a barrier or bait job and $2,000 to $8,000 for whole-home tenting in HomeGuide's figures, and NPMA puts termite damage in the US above $5 billion a year, typically not covered by homeowners insurance. The EPA says termites rarely leave their tubes and tunnels, so many people learn of them from a swarm or during construction. Three guides: termite treatment cost, termite inspection cost (WDO reports for a home sale and the VA rule) and termite tenting cost.

Bed bugs, rodents and roaches: the apartment questions

Bed bug treatment runs $300 to $500 a room in HomeGuide's figures, mice $150 to $550, rats $150 to $600 and roaches $100 to $600. In apartments the first question is who pays: NYC's housing agency says the Housing Maintenance Code and Health Code require owners to address infestations promptly, and other cities have their own codes. The bed bug treatment cost guide covers heat vs chemical pricing, NYC's annual bed bug report law and why renters insurance usually does not pay; the cockroach exterminator cost guide covers German cockroaches, which UC IPM calls the most persistent species.

What a pest control company does on a first visit

The EPA's guide says a company should inspect the property first, then outline a plan: the pests, how far they have spread, the active ingredients, possible health effects, application methods, nonchemical alternatives, precautions for your household and how to prevent a return. HomeGuide puts a pest inspection at $50 to $200 and a termite inspection at $0 to $250; Texas A&M says termite inspections are often free unless a formal real estate report is needed. Ask the fee before anyone is sent, and whether it is credited against treatment.

Pest control near me: what to ask before you book

• 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.

All pest control guides

• Pest control cost: one-time, monthly, quarterly and annual prices by pest, and the apartment and pet questions.
• Termite treatment cost: liquid barrier vs bait per linear foot, bonds, renewals and the Terminix Alabama settlement.
• Termite inspection cost: WDO inspections for a home sale, the VA map rule, inspection vs bond.
• Signs of termites: swarmers vs flying ants, mud tubes, drywood pellets and carpenter ant frass.
• Termite tenting cost: fumigation by home size, heat vs gas, prep and time out of the house.
• Bed bug treatment cost: per room, heat vs chemical, NYC's law, renters insurance.
• Mouse exterminator cost: signs, the CDC cleanup steps, exclusion vs baiting.
• Rat exterminator cost: roof rats vs Norway rats, attic noise, wiring risk.
• Cockroach exterminator cost: German cockroach facts, why sprays fail, apartment rules.
• Emergency exterminator: what counts as urgent and what a first visit involves.

Pest control by city

City pages carry the local rules and prices: 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.

Pest control is one line on the home repair costs table, and a yearly plan belongs on a home maintenance cost list. 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.