Markup and margin measure the same profit from different angles. Markup is profit divided by cost. Margin is profit divided by price. A 50% markup equals a 33% margin. Confusing the two leads to underpricing: if you need a 40% margin and apply a 40% markup instead, you're actually running at 28.6% margin and leaving money on the table.
Markup & Margin Calculator for Cleaning Service
Pre-filled with real cleaning service industry benchmarks
Pricing cleaning services profitably requires understanding two very different models: residential pricing (flat rate or hourly) and commercial pricing (per square foot). Residential cleaning is typically priced as a flat rate per visit – $120–$250 for a standard home cleaning depending on size, condition, and market. The flat rate model rewards efficiency: if you can clean a house in 2.5 hours instead of 3, your effective hourly rate increases without the client paying more. Commercial cleaning pricing is usually per square foot ($0.05–$0.20/sqft) or per cleaning, with rates varying by facility type, frequency, and scope. A 5,000 sqft office building at $0.10/sqft generates $500 per cleaning – but the margins depend heavily on your labor efficiency. The markup on cleaning supplies is essentially built into your service price: supplies cost 5–10% of revenue, meaning for every $200 residential cleaning, you're spending $10–$20 on products and supplies. Your real margin driver is labor productivity – how many billable hours you get from each paid hour. Cleaning businesses targeting 25–50% margins need to master scheduling (minimize drive time between jobs), standardize cleaning processes (reduce time per job), and minimize callbacks (which are 100% cost with zero revenue). This calculator helps you set pricing that covers your actual costs plus a healthy margin, whether you're bidding residential cleaning jobs or commercial contracts.
Markup & Margin Calculator
Pre-filled with cleaning service industry defaults. Edit any field to use your real numbers.
Markup
400.0%
Margin
80.0%
Profit
$160
Cleaning Service industry average: 80.0% margin (20.0% COGS).