Pest control cost: how a quote is put together

Reviewed September 24, 2026. Facts on this page are linked to their public sources at the bottom.

How much does pest control cost for a house

A general pest plan is priced in two parts: an initial service, which is the larger number, and a recurring charge per visit or per month. The initial service pays for the inspection and the first full treatment inside and out. The recurring charge pays for shorter visits that keep the outside barrier and the interior baits working. When you compare, compare the first year: the initial fee plus a year of recurring visits, with or without callbacks between them.

UC IPM adds a point that is easy to miss: monitoring and follow-up visits cost more than a calendar spray because they take technician time, and an integrated program may cost more at first but often gives better long-term control. A quote that includes monitoring is not padded; it is describing different work.

Exterminator cost by kind of job

Each kind of pest work is measured in a different unit, which is why a termite quote and an ant quote cannot be compared by their totals.

Units describe common practice; any company may price differently. The written quote names its own unit.
Job	Usually priced by	What drives it
General pest plan	Initial service plus a charge per visit or per month	House size, the pests covered, visit frequency
Liquid termite treatment	Linear feet of foundation	Perimeter length, slab drilling, crawl space or basement access
Termite bait system	Installation, then a yearly monitoring and renewal fee	Number of stations around the house; they are typically 10 to 15 feet apart
Drywood termite fumigation	Square feet of the house, in published cost guides	House size, roof shape, preparation and the nights spent elsewhere
Rodent exclusion	Openings sealed and materials, plus trapping visits	How many gaps, how high they are, repeat trips
Wildlife removal	Trapping or one-way door service, then sealing, cleanup and repairs	The animal, the season, roof height, cleanup

What published cost guides report

No regulator publishes prices. The figures below come from two consumer cost guides, This Old House (2026) and Fixr (2025), and the two do not always agree with each other; read them as a sense of scale, not a price list for your house.

Ranges are quoted as each guide states them, with its year. Your quote depends on the inspection.
Job	Range one guide reports	Source
One-time general pest service	$300 to $550	This Old House, 2026
Quarterly general pest visit	$100 to $300 per treatment ($98 to $178 in Fixr)	This Old House, 2026; Fixr, 2025
Monthly general pest visit	$40 to $70 ($31 to $56 in Fixr)	This Old House, 2026; Fixr, 2025
Liquid termite treatment	$5 to $20 per linear foot ($7 to $14 in Fixr)	This Old House, 2026; Fixr, 2025
Termite inspection	$75 to $325, about $100 on average	This Old House, 2026
Tenting for drywood termites	$1 to $4 per square foot; most pay $2,000 to $8,000	This Old House, 2026
Termite protection plan (bond)	Adds $500 to $2,000 to the total	This Old House, 2026
Mice	$150 to $550, most around $350	This Old House, 2026
Rats	$395 to $1,500 or more; exclusion alone $200 to $600	This Old House, 2026
Squirrels	$275 to $600, about $350 on average	Fixr, 2025
Bat exclusion	$250 to $650; large colonies $5,000 to $8,500	This Old House, 2026

Pest control near me prices: what moves the number

Size and shape of the house. Square footage sets the interior work and fumigation; the length of the foundation sets the perimeter and any termite trenching.
Construction. Pavers, patios and slabs against the house have to be drilled for termite work, which adds labor. Texas rules, for example, require slab treatment to include the perimeter and known slab penetrations and expansion joints.
How established the problem is. A few ants in spring and a German cockroach population in a kitchen are different jobs. One guide gives mild infestations $100 to $500 and severe ones $1,000 or more.
Frequency. Monthly service costs more per year than quarterly and is not always better.
Height, access and distance. Wildlife openings at a second-story roofline mean ladders and time, and rural addresses can add travel.
Season. Bat exclusion waits until young bats can fly, and some wildlife work waits for young animals to leave, which can add trips.

Pest control prices in the contract

The yearly cost of a plan is more than the visit price. Four lines in the agreement change it.

Callbacks. Return visits between scheduled services are worth real money if the problem is active, and no regulator requires them, so they need to be in writing.
Minimum term. Some plans require a year of service and charge for early cancellation.
Automatic renewal. Many plans renew unless you cancel in writing within a set window. California's automatic renewal law requires clear disclosure, consent and an easy way to cancel.
Termite renewals. Termite warranties are kept alive by a yearly renewal fee. University of Kentucky entomologists point out that dropping the renewal is riskier with baits than with liquid treatment, because a bait system leaves no residual pesticide in the soil once the colony is gone. Florida requires termite contracts to list the exact annual renewal fee.

Reading a low quote

A lower number is fine when it describes the same work. It is a problem when it leaves out the parts that fix the cause: sealing, follow-up visits, the interior. For termites, a low quote sometimes covers only part of the foundation, and a spot treatment is a different product: in Texas a spot treatment legally means an area of less than ten linear or square feet, and many firms will not warrant one at all. For mice, a low quote may set traps without sealing the openings, which means the mice keep coming. Ask each company to describe the work, then compare. The guide to comparing pest control companies lists the questions that bring the differences out.

Pest control cost questions

Why do two companies quote such different prices for the same house?

Because they are usually quoting different work. One may include interior treatment on every visit and callbacks between visits; another may treat only the outside and charge for return trips. The EPA's consumer guide puts it simply: get bids from two or three companies and look at value more than price.

Is the first visit more expensive than the rest?

Usually, yes. The initial service includes the inspection and the heaviest treatment, and it may include a follow-up to check baits. One published cost guide puts the initial assessment at $150 to $300 before quarterly visits of $100 to $300 each (This Old House, 2026).

Do I pay for the inspection?

It depends on the job and the company, so ask on the call whether there is an inspection fee and whether it counts toward treatment. Paperwork for a home sale is its own line: a real-estate termite letter usually runs $100 to $200, according to This Old House (2026).

Can a price be given over the phone?

A range, sometimes; a firm price, rarely. Square footage, the pest, how established it is and how the house is built all change the work. Texas makes this explicit for termites: a verbal estimate may give a general range, but a written estimate is required before treatment begins.

Why do wildlife jobs cost more than insect work?

Trips and repairs. Removing an animal can take several visits to set and check traps or one-way doors, and the job is not finished until every opening is sealed. Cleanup of droppings and damaged insulation is often a separate line, and it is usually the largest one.

Sources