How Much Does Lawn Mowing Cost in Dallas, TX?

A hard day’s work is done and you want nothing more than to curl up on the couch, but there’s more work waiting for you, this time around the home – the lawn needs mowing. Grass is already up to your ankles and you know that leaving it to grow any longer will only make the back-breaking chore that awaits you even more challenging.

You’ve got two options – rolling up your sleeves and doing it yourself or hiring a professional service provider to do the job for you. However, hiring professionals also comes with a lawn mowing cost.

What Factors Affect the Cost of Lawn Mowing?

The lawn mowing cost isn’t one-size-fits-all. Several factors play a role in determining the price. Let’s explore these factors in more detail.

Factor 1 – Lawn Size and Shape

It almost goes without saying that a bigger lawn means a higher lawn mowing cost. Bigger lawns require more manual work on the part of your lawn mowing service. Extra time spent means you pay more, especially if your chosen company charges by the hour. A bigger lawn will also cost you more if the company charges by the acre, so you’re not escaping the higher cost whichever way your contractor slices its payment structure.

Let me give you an example. In my experience, a single-acre lawn takes about two-and-a-half hours to mow. The good news – at least for some Dallas residents – is that the average Texas yard is only 0.34 acres, or a little over 14,800 square feet. A yard that size will take about 30 minutes to mow. Great if you have an average yard. Not so great if you’re one of the lucky ones in Dallas who has a much larger (and costlier) lawn to mow.

Shape-wise, you’ll pay more if you have an uneven lawn. Flat lawns – especially if they’re perfectly square – are great for your bank balance because they’re easier to negotiate. Your service provider will spend less time on the lawn, meaning you’ll pay less assuming a per-hour rate.

Factor 2 – How Often You Mow

We both know not all lawns are created equal in Dallas. Plenty of factors affect how quickly your grass grows, some of which are more in your control than others. Location is a big factor. If your yard gets a lot of sun, the odds are your grass will grow faster and need more regular mowing.

Speaking of grass, the type you choose also impacts how often you need to mow. St. Augustine is a big favorite in Dallas – I love its carpet-like texture – but it’s also a warm-season grass. Combine that with a yard that gets plenty of sun and you get very fast-growing grass that needs a lot of mowing.

Of course, the opposite can be true. Having warm-season grass in a yard with a lot of shade slows down growth, which also cuts down on how often you have to mow.

Then, there’s your chosen mowing schedule – weekly or bi-weekly. My experience shows that most lawn mowing companies offer a choice between the two. Bi-weekly mowing seems like the best option at first because you’re getting your lawn mowed half the number of times per year. However, many companies factor that into their lawn mowing cost, sometimes choosing to have a bi-weekly mow cost more than double their weekly option.

My advice is simple – ask for both prices and weigh them up over the course of the year. You may just find that a weekly mow, though painful on your pocket in payment frequency terms, could work out cheaper over time.

Factor 3 – Additional Services

The cost of lawn mowing doesn’t just stop at the actual mowing of your lawn. Confused? What I’m saying is that many people like to combine their lawn mowing service with other forms of lawn care, which can easily increase the overall cost.

Take lawn edging as an example. Some lawn mowing services throw this in as part of the package, with others charging an additional fee. You might also simply want the edging down without the rest of the lawn. Expect to pay somewhere between $2.50 and $11 per linear foot of your lawn if choosing this as a standalone service.

You might also want to throw in a little landscaping, such as sod installation and cleanup services, into the mix to beautify your garden. That’s another cost – albeit usually a one-time payment – and it’ll set you back between $25 and $50 per hour per crew member. All of these additional services can add to your typical lawn mowing cost.

So, How Much Will You Pay for Lawn Mowing in Dallas?

It’s difficult to pin down a precise lawn mowing cost with so many factors at play, but I can give you a range – between $49 and $204. Using this range, the annual cost can vary significantly.

For bi-weekly mowing, you might spend between $1,274 and $5,304 per year. If you opt for weekly mowing, the annual cost could range from $2,548 to $10,608. Some lawn mowing companies also take on a bi-weekly “surcharge” to make a little money back due to not mowing your lawn weekly. Ask about that surcharge, assuming one exists, before choosing a mowing frequency because it can come back to bite you.

The only other difference comes from labor costing versus lawn size costing. I find that companies that charge by the hour usually have rates of between $25 and $60 per hour spent. Cost per quarter-acre seems to fall between the $15 and $50 mark. If you have an easy quarter-acre to mow – meaning no unusual shapes or slopes – you might find that you’ll spend less hourly for a job that takes between 15 and 30 minutes than you would when charged a flat fee based on lawn size.

Shop Around to Get the Best Price

Multiple quotes are your best friend when figuring out the cost of lawn mowing in Dallas. Having more quotes means you can eliminate the outliers who ask too much. From there, I’d recommend weighing up your prospective company’s pricing structures versus the challenges your lawn presents.

Complex lawns take more time to mow, so a price-per-acre rate may be a better choice for those. Simple lawns, on the other hand, can be mowed much faster, making price-per-hour a better option. Weigh up what you see and make your choice based on the configuration of your lawn as well as the company offering the lawn mowing service.

You could also save some money through special packages your service provider offers. For instance, some lawn mowing companies offer discounts on package deals or charge less if you pay for a season’s worth of mowing upfront.