Over the past two years, our homes have become even more central in our lives. As a result, it’s more important than ever to embrace the idea of continuous care — not just fixing things when they break, but keeping homes running smoothly all year long.
According to Thumbtack’s Home Care Price Index, the average annual cost to take care of a single family home is $4,886 — up roughly $450 per household compared to 2020. This new report leverages data from over one million essential home maintenance projects to provide insight into the annual cost of homeownership across the country. Annual cost of home care and maintenance in the U.S.
Thumbtack found that the average cost to care for a single-family home has risen 9.3% over the past 12 months, driven in part by labor and material shortages. Service professionals are facing higher costs as supply chain disruptions have pushed up the price of materials. A tight labor market has also made it harder for business owners to find qualified professionals, which adds to consumer costs.
Thumbtack’s Home Care Price index includes the projects homeowners need to tackle each year — including HVAC maintenance, gutter cleaning, roof maintenance and more — to prevent costly repairs and avoid unnecessary emergencies. Among these projects, the biggest spikes are in sprinkler and irrigation system maintenance (+28.8 percent), appliance maintenance (+19.7 percent), and duct and vent cleaning (+19.5 percent).
Please note: All data in the following slides are based on year-over-year changes from Q4 2020 – Q4 2021.
1. Atlanta, GA
Annual home care cost: $4,930
Year-over-year change: 10.8%
2. Austin, TX
Annual home care cost: $4,491
Year-over-year change: 12.6%
Related: Here’s your seasonal home maintenance checklist.
3. Baltimore, MD
Annual home care cost: $4,425
Year-over-year change: -1.9%
4. Boston, MA
Annual home care cost: $5,499
Year-over-year change: 2.1%
Related: Are you making these home maintenance mistakes?
5. Charlotte, N.C.
Annual home care cost: $4,163
Year-over-year change: 18%
6. Chicago, IL
Annual home care cost: $5,008
Year-over-year change: 4.4%
Related: Here’s your spring home maintenance checklist.
7. Cincinnati, OH
Annual home care cost: $4,783
Year-over-year change: 14.3%
8. Cleveland-Akron, OH
Annual home care cost: $4,662
Year-over-year change: 10.9%
Related: The best HVAC maintenance tips and checklist.
9. Columbus, OH
Annual home care cost: $4,594
Year-over-year change: 0.9%
10. Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX
Annual home care cost: $4,706
Year-over-year change: 5.2%
Related: How to clean and maintain your floors.
11. Denver, CO
Annual home care cost: $4,848
Year-over-year change: 10.5%
12. Detroit, MI
Annual home care cost: $4,857
Year-over-year change: 12.1%
Related: Important plumbing maintenance tips.
13. Greenville-Asheville, S.C./N.C.
Annual home care cost: $4,694
Year-over-year change: 10.8%
14. Hartford-New Haven, CT
Annual home care cost: $5,223
Year-over-year change: 6.7%
Related: 13 best roof maintenance tips.
15. Houston, TX
Annual home care cost: $4,291
Year-over-year change: 15.8%
16. Indianapolis, IN
Annual home care cost: $4,697
Year-over-year change: 13.2%
Related: How to clean and maintain your tile surfaces.
17. Kansas City, MO
Annual home care cost: $4,427
Year-over-year change: 9.2%
18. Las Vegas, NV
Annual home care cost: $4,588
Year-over-year change: 17.6%
Related: Emergency home repairs you should never ignore.
19. Los Angeles, CA
Annual home care cost: $5,217
Year-over-year change: 8.5%
20. Miami-Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Annual home care cost: $4,318
Year-over-year change: 14.4%
Related: How to prevent costly home repairs.
21. Milwaukee, WI
Annual home care cost: $4,902
Year-over-year change: 4.3%
22. Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN
Annual home care cost: $4,510
Year-over-year change: 8.5%
Related: Hot water heater not working? Try these troubleshooting tips.
23. Nashville, TN
Annual home care cost: $4,572
Year-over-year change: 3.1%
24. New York, NY
Annual home care cost: $5,765
Year-over-year change: 12.1%
Related: 12 signs you need to hire a house cleaner.
25. Orlando-Daytona, FL
Annual home care cost: $4,505
Year-over-year change: 16.6%
26. Philadelphia, PA
Annual home care cost: $5,248
Year-over-year change: 2.4%
27. Phoenix-Prescott, AZ
Annual home care cost: $4,178
Year-over-year change: 9.2%
28. Pittsburgh, PA
Annual home care cost: $4,844
Year-over-year change: 5.4%
29. Portland, OR
Annual home care cost: $6,079
Year-over-year change: 33.9%
30. Raleigh-Durham, N.C.
Annual home care cost: $4,479
Year-over-year change: 9.7%
31. Sacramento, CA
Annual home care cost: $4,735
Year-over-year change: 6.1%
32. Salt Lake City, UT
Annual home care cost: $4,973
Year-over-year change: 12.8%
33. San Antonio, TX
Annual home care cost: $4,297
Year-over-year change: 13.8%
34. San Diego, CA
Annual home care cost: $4,629
Year-over-year change: 13.7%
35. San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, CA
Annual home care cost: $5,001
Year-over-year change: 3%
36. Seattle-Tacoma, WA
Annual home care cost: $5,425
Year-over-year change: 16.3%
37. St. Louis, MO
Annual home care cost: $4,493
Year-over-year change: 7.1%
38. Tampa-Sarasota, FL
Annual home care cost: $4,313
Year-over-year change: 6.3%
39. Washington, DC
Annual home care cost: $4,793
Year-over-year change: 2.5%
40. West Palm Beach-Ft. Pierce, FL
Annual home care cost: $4,522
Year-over-year change: 18.4%
Methodology: The Home Care Price Index incorporates Thumbtack categories that are deemed essential annual tasks for home maintenance — Appliance Maintenance, Carpet Cleaning, Central Air Conditioning Maintenance, Deck Staining and Sealing, Duct and Vent Cleaning, Fireplace and Chimney Cleaning, Full Service Lawn Care, Gutter Cleaning and Maintenance, Heating System Maintenance, House Cleaning, Leaf Clean Up, Pressure Washing, Roof Maintenance, Sprinkler and Irrigation System Maintenance, Tile and Grout Cleaning, Tree Trimming and Removal, Water Heater Maintenance, Window Cleaning, Caulking, and Deep Cleaning. Pricing data is based on projects requested on Thumbtack between January 1, 2020 — November 18, 2021, reported directly by the independent service professional or individual customer. The cost is an unweighted index of home maintenance projects on a quarterly basis using a moving average. Outliers were removed if the reported price was 3x the standard deviation from the mean within each individual category.