DIY vs Hire a House Cleaner Calculator: Which Costs Less?

Should you clean it yourself or hire a house cleaner?

On the defaults — 2.5 hours of your time at $30.00 an hour, $15.00 of supplies, a $120.00 cleaner and 2 cleanings a month — the DIY cost is $90.00 (2.5 × $30.00 + $15.00) and the hiring cost is $120.00, so DIY wins by $30.00 a visit and by $60.00 a month. This is a repeat visit, not a one-off job, so the monthly cost matters as much as the per-visit cost — and the monthly winner is always the same as the per-visit winner, because the gap scales with the count.

Five things about the model are worth stating plainly. First, the DIY cost is the hours times what your time is worth plus the supplies — 2.5 × $30.00 + $15.00 = $90.00. Second, the hiring cost is the cleaner’s quoted price per visit — $120.00. Third, the gap is the hiring cost minus the DIY cost — $120.00 − $90.00 = +$30.00, so DIY wins. Fourth, the monthly costs are the per-cleaning costs times the cleanings per month — $90.00 × 2 = $180.00 against $120.00 × 2 = $240.00. And fifth, your time is the lever: value it at $50.00 an hour and the DIY cost is $140.00 — hiring wins by $20.00; all listed in Accuracy & limitations.

The worked example, line by line

Setup: 2.5 DIY hours at $30.00 an hour, $15.00 of supplies, a $120.00 cleaner, 2 cleanings a month.

Line 1 — the DIY cost. The DIY cost is 2.5 × $30.00 + $15.00 = $90.00.

Line 2 — the hiring cost. The hiring cost is the cleaner’s quoted price per visit = $120.00.

Line 3 — the gap. The gap is $120.00 − $90.00 = +$30.00, so DIY wins by $30.00 a visit.

Line 4 — the monthly cost. The monthly DIY cost is $90.00 × 2 = $180.00 against $120.00 × 2 = $240.00, so DIY wins by $60.00 a month.

Line 5 — the flip. Value your time at $50.00 an hour and the DIY cost is 2.5 × $50.00 + $15.00 = $140.00, so the gap is $120.00 − $140.00 = −$20.00 and hiring wins by $20.00.

Every branch, checked

supplies $40.00: DIY $115.00 (2.5 hours × $30.00 + $40.00 supplies) vs hiring $120.00: DIY wins by $5.00 per cleaning; monthly DIY $230.00 vs hiring $240.00 — DIY wins by $10.00 a month — At $40.00 of supplies the DIY cost is $115.00 — DIY wins by only $5.00; supplies are the line that decides close jobs.

cleaner $80.00: DIY $90.00 (2.5 hours × $30.00 + $15.00 supplies) vs hiring $80.00: HIRING wins by $10.00 per cleaning; monthly DIY $180.00 vs hiring $160.00 — HIRING wins by $20.00 a month — At an $80.00 cleaner the DIY cost is $90.00 — hiring wins by $10.00.

4 DIY hours: DIY $135.00 (4 hours × $30.00 + $15.00 supplies) vs hiring $120.00: HIRING wins by $15.00 per cleaning; monthly DIY $270.00 vs hiring $240.00 — HIRING wins by $30.00 a month — At 4 DIY hours the DIY cost is $135.00 — hiring wins by $15.00; your time is the lever.

your value $50.00/hr: DIY $140.00 (2.5 hours × $50.00 + $15.00 supplies) vs hiring $120.00: HIRING wins by $20.00 per cleaning; monthly DIY $280.00 vs hiring $240.00 — HIRING wins by $40.00 a month — Value your time at $50.00 an hour and the DIY cost is $140.00 — hiring wins by $20.00.

4 cleanings a month: DIY $90.00 (2.5 hours × $30.00 + $15.00 supplies) vs hiring $120.00: DIY wins by $30.00 per cleaning; monthly DIY $360.00 vs hiring $480.00 — DIY wins by $120.00 a month — At 4 cleanings a month the monthly DIY cost is $360.00 against $480.00 to hire — DIY wins by $120.00 a month; the per-cleaning gap is unchanged at $30.00.

supplies $0.00: DIY $75.00 (2.5 hours × $30.00 + $0.00 supplies) vs hiring $120.00: DIY wins by $45.00 per cleaning; monthly DIY $150.00 vs hiring $240.00 — DIY wins by $90.00 a month — With $0.00 of supplies the DIY cost is $75.00 — DIY wins by $45.00.

cleaner $150.00: DIY $90.00 (2.5 hours × $30.00 + $15.00 supplies) vs hiring $150.00: DIY wins by $60.00 per cleaning; monthly DIY $180.00 vs hiring $300.00 — DIY wins by $120.00 a month — At a $150.00 cleaner the DIY cost is $90.00 — DIY wins by $60.00.

The reverses, worked backwards

Cleaner price for an exact tie: The cleaner price for an exact tie is $90.00 (exact). At $90.00 the DIY cost is $90.00, the hiring cost is $90.00, and the gap is $0.00 — a Tie. At $89.99 hiring wins by $0.01; at $90.01 DIY wins by $0.01.

DIY hours for an exact tie: The DIY hours for an exact tie are 3.5 hours (exact). At 3.5 hours the DIY cost is $120.00 and the hiring cost is $120.00 — a Tie. At 3.49 hours the DIY cost is $119.70 and DIY wins by $0.30; at 3.51 hours the DIY cost is $120.30 and hiring wins by $0.30.

Your hourly value for an exact tie: Your hourly value for an exact tie is $42.00 an hour (exact). At $42.00 an hour the DIY cost is $120.00 and the hiring cost is $120.00 — a Tie. At $41.99 an hour the DIY cost is $119.98 and DIY wins by $0.02; at $42.01 an hour the DIY cost is $120.03 and hiring wins by $0.03.

Supplies for hiring to win by $50.00: The supplies for hiring to win by $50.00 are $95.00 (exact). At $95.00 of supplies the DIY cost is $170.00 and the hiring cost is $120.00 — hiring wins by $50.00. At $94.99 hiring wins by $49.99; at $95.01 hiring wins by $50.01.

Smallest cleaner price for hiring to win by $10.00: The smallest cleaner price for hiring to win by $10.00 is $80.00 (exact). At $80.00 the DIY cost is $90.00 and the hiring cost is $80.00 — hiring wins by $10.00. At $80.01 hiring wins by only $9.99; at $79.99 hiring wins by $10.01.

Smallest whole cleanings a month for the monthly DIY saving to reach $100.00: The smallest whole number of cleanings a month for the monthly DIY saving to reach $100.00 is 4 cleanings a month (exact STEP). At 4 cleanings a month the monthly DIY cost is $360.00 against $480.00 to hire — DIY wins by $120.00 a month. At 3 cleanings a month the saving is only $90.00; at 5 it is $150.00.

What the defaults assume

The defaults are 2.5 DIY hours at $30.00 an hour, $15.00 of supplies, a $120.00 cleaner and 2 cleanings a month — DIY $90.00 (2.5 hours × $30.00 + $15.00 supplies) vs hiring $120.00: DIY wins by $30.00 per cleaning; monthly DIY $180.00 vs hiring $240.00 — DIY wins by $60.00 a month. With supplies $40.00, DIY $115.00 (2.5 hours × $30.00 + $40.00 supplies) vs hiring $120.00: DIY wins by $5.00 per cleaning; monthly DIY $230.00 vs hiring $240.00 — DIY wins by $10.00 a month — At $40.00 of supplies the DIY cost is $115.00 — DIY wins by only $5.00; supplies are the line that decides close jobs. With cleaner $80.00, DIY $90.00 (2.5 hours × $30.00 + $15.00 supplies) vs hiring $80.00: HIRING wins by $10.00 per cleaning; monthly DIY $180.00 vs hiring $160.00 — HIRING wins by $20.00 a month — At an $80.00 cleaner the DIY cost is $90.00 — hiring wins by $10.00. With 4 DIY hours, DIY $135.00 (4 hours × $30.00 + $15.00 supplies) vs hiring $120.00: HIRING wins by $15.00 per cleaning; monthly DIY $270.00 vs hiring $240.00 — HIRING wins by $30.00 a month — At 4 DIY hours the DIY cost is $135.00 — hiring wins by $15.00; your time is the lever. With your value $50.00/hr, DIY $140.00 (2.5 hours × $50.00 + $15.00 supplies) vs hiring $120.00: HIRING wins by $20.00 per cleaning; monthly DIY $280.00 vs hiring $240.00 — HIRING wins by $40.00 a month — Value your time at $50.00 an hour and the DIY cost is $140.00 — hiring wins by $20.00. With 4 cleanings a month, DIY $90.00 (2.5 hours × $30.00 + $15.00 supplies) vs hiring $120.00: DIY wins by $30.00 per cleaning; monthly DIY $360.00 vs hiring $480.00 — DIY wins by $120.00 a month — At 4 cleanings a month the monthly DIY cost is $360.00 against $480.00 to hire — DIY wins by $120.00 a month; the per-cleaning gap is unchanged at $30.00. With supplies $0.00, DIY $75.00 (2.5 hours × $30.00 + $0.00 supplies) vs hiring $120.00: DIY wins by $45.00 per cleaning; monthly DIY $150.00 vs hiring $240.00 — DIY wins by $90.00 a month — With $0.00 of supplies the DIY cost is $75.00 — DIY wins by $45.00. With cleaner $150.00, DIY $90.00 (2.5 hours × $30.00 + $15.00 supplies) vs hiring $150.00: DIY wins by $60.00 per cleaning; monthly DIY $180.00 vs hiring $300.00 — DIY wins by $120.00 a month — At a $150.00 cleaner the DIY cost is $90.00 — DIY wins by $60.00. With cleaner price for an exact tie, $90.00 (exact 90.0000) — at $90.00 the figures are DIY $90.00 (2.5 hours × $30.00 + $15.00 supplies) vs hiring $90.00: Tie per cleaning; monthly DIY $180.00 vs hiring $180.00 — Tie; at the lower neighbor the figures are DIY $90.00 (2.5 hours × $30.00 + $15.00 supplies) vs hiring $89.99: HIRING wins by $0.01 per cleaning; monthly DIY $180.00 vs hiring $179.98 — HIRING wins by $0.02 a month With DIY hours for an exact tie, 3.5 hours (exact 3.5000) — at 3.5 hours the figures are DIY $120.00 (3.5 hours × $30.00 + $15.00 supplies) vs hiring $120.00: Tie per cleaning; monthly DIY $240.00 vs hiring $240.00 — Tie; at the lower neighbor the figures are DIY $119.70 (3.49 hours × $30.00 + $15.00 supplies) vs hiring $120.00: DIY wins by $0.30 per cleaning; monthly DIY $239.40 vs hiring $240.00 — DIY wins by $0.60 a month With your hourly value for an exact tie, $42.00/hr (exact 42.0000) — at $42.00/hr the figures are DIY $120.00 (2.5 hours × $42.00 + $15.00 supplies) vs hiring $120.00: Tie per cleaning; monthly DIY $240.00 vs hiring $240.00 — Tie; at the lower neighbor the figures are DIY $119.98 (2.5 hours × $41.99 + $15.00 supplies) vs hiring $120.00: DIY wins by $0.02 per cleaning; monthly DIY $239.96 vs hiring $240.00 — DIY wins by $0.04 a month With supplies for hiring to win by $50.00, $95.00 (exact 95.0000) — at $95.00 the figures are DIY $170.00 (2.5 hours × $30.00 + $95.00 supplies) vs hiring $120.00: HIRING wins by $50.00 per cleaning; monthly DIY $340.00 vs hiring $240.00 — HIRING wins by $100.00 a month; at the lower neighbor the figures are DIY $169.99 (2.5 hours × $30.00 + $94.99 supplies) vs hiring $120.00: HIRING wins by $49.99 per cleaning; monthly DIY $339.98 vs hiring $240.00 — HIRING wins by $99.98 a month With smallest cleaner price for hiring to win by $10.00, $80.00 (exact 80.0000) — at $80.00 the figures are DIY $90.00 (2.5 hours × $30.00 + $15.00 supplies) vs hiring $80.00: HIRING wins by $10.00 per cleaning; monthly DIY $180.00 vs hiring $160.00 — HIRING wins by $20.00 a month; at the lower neighbor the figures are DIY $90.00 (2.5 hours × $30.00 + $15.00 supplies) vs hiring $79.99: HIRING wins by $10.01 per cleaning; monthly DIY $180.00 vs hiring $159.98 — HIRING wins by $20.02 a month With smallest whole cleanings a month for the monthly DIY saving to reach $100.00, 4 cleanings a month (exact 4) — at 4 cleanings a month the figures are DIY $90.00 (2.5 hours × $30.00 + $15.00 supplies) vs hiring $120.00: DIY wins by $30.00 per cleaning; monthly DIY $360.00 vs hiring $480.00 — DIY wins by $120.00 a month; at the lower neighbor the figures are DIY $90.00 (2.5 hours × $30.00 + $15.00 supplies) vs hiring $120.00: DIY wins by $30.00 per cleaning; monthly DIY $270.00 vs hiring $360.00 — DIY wins by $90.00 a month With 0 DIY hours, DIY $15.00 (0 hours × $30.00 + $15.00 supplies) vs hiring $120.00: DIY wins by $105.00 per cleaning; monthly DIY $30.00 vs hiring $240.00 — DIY wins by $210.00 a month — With 0 DIY hours the DIY cost is just the $15.00 of supplies — DIY wins by $105.00. With $0.00/hr your value, DIY $15.00 (2.5 hours × $0.00 + $15.00 supplies) vs hiring $120.00: DIY wins by $105.00 per cleaning; monthly DIY $30.00 vs hiring $240.00 — DIY wins by $210.00 a month — Value your time at $0.00 an hour and the DIY cost is $15.00 — DIY wins by $105.00. With supplies $100.00, DIY $175.00 (2.5 hours × $30.00 + $100.00 supplies) vs hiring $120.00: HIRING wins by $55.00 per cleaning; monthly DIY $350.00 vs hiring $240.00 — HIRING wins by $110.00 a month — At $100.00 of supplies the DIY cost is $175.00 — hiring wins by $55.00. With cleaner $0.00, DIY $90.00 (2.5 hours × $30.00 + $15.00 supplies) vs hiring $0.00: HIRING wins by $90.00 per cleaning; monthly DIY $180.00 vs hiring $0.00 — HIRING wins by $180.00 a month — At a $0.00 cleaner the hiring cost is $0.00 — hiring wins by $90.00. With 10 DIY hours, DIY $315.00 (10 hours × $30.00 + $15.00 supplies) vs hiring $120.00: HIRING wins by $195.00 per cleaning; monthly DIY $630.00 vs hiring $240.00 — HIRING wins by $390.00 a month — At 10 DIY hours the DIY cost is $315.00 — hiring wins by $195.00. With your value $100.00/hr, DIY $265.00 (2.5 hours × $100.00 + $15.00 supplies) vs hiring $120.00: HIRING wins by $145.00 per cleaning; monthly DIY $530.00 vs hiring $240.00 — HIRING wins by $290.00 a month — Value your time at $100.00 an hour and the DIY cost is $265.00 — hiring wins by $145.00. With cleaner $500.00, DIY $90.00 (2.5 hours × $30.00 + $15.00 supplies) vs hiring $500.00: DIY wins by $410.00 per cleaning; monthly DIY $180.00 vs hiring $1,000.00 — DIY wins by $820.00 a month — At a $500.00 cleaner the DIY cost is $90.00 — DIY wins by $410.00.

Output · formula · meaning

Who uses this

• The homeowner weighing a weekly clean: they learn cleaning themselves costs $90.00 a visit against a $120.00 cleaner — and they check the $50.00-an-hour branch to see when hiring wins.
• The renter on a tight budget: they learn DIY wins by $30.00 a visit and $60.00 a month at two cleanings a month — and they check the $80.00-cleaner reverse to see the cheapest quote that beats DIY.
• The busy professional valuing their time: they learn at $42.00 an hour the DIY cost ties the cleaner exactly — and they check the 4-cleanings-a-month reverse to see the monthly saving.
• The homeowner comparing quotes: they learn a $150.00 cleaner loses to DIY by $60.00 — and they check the $95.00-supplies reverse to see when supplies flip the winner.

Accuracy & limitations

The model is the two per-visit totals: DIY = hours × your hourly value + supplies; hiring = the cleaner’s quoted price per visit; monthly costs are the per-visit costs times the cleanings per month. Each total is rounded to cents first, and the gap is computed from the rounded totals. What the calculator cannot do is price your cleaner: a professional house cleaning in the US typically runs about $100–$200 per visit for a standard home, moving with the size of the home and the region, and deep cleans cost more than regular cleans. The DIY total counts your time at the hourly value you enter — use your after-tax hourly wage for the honest number — and it does not count the value of a cleaner’s equipment, or the cost of a clean you have to redo. Get two or three quotes before you decide, and check whether the quote includes supplies.

Frequently asked questions