Pest control costs

General pest work is the cheap end. This Old House's 2026 by-pest figures: ants $100-$500, rodents $180-$600, wasps $300-$700, termites $250-$1,000, bed bugs $1,000-$4,000. Tented fumigation, used for severe termite and rat infestations, is the most expensive at $1,500-$8,000.

Bed bugs deserve their own budget. This Old House prices whole-home bed bug work at $1,500-$5,000 and breaks it down by method: insecticides $150-$400 per room, steam $250-$1,000 per room, freezing $300-$1,500, heat $400-$5,500, fumigation $2,000+. By severity: mild $225-$800, moderate $325-$2,500, severe $3,500-$5,000+. Follow-up confirmation visits run $100-$150 each. Plan for multiple treatments, not one.

Termites are the expensive tail risk. Orkin cites an estimated $5 billion spent annually in the US to control termites and repair the damage, with termites damaging roughly 600,000 US homes a year, and an average $3,000 to repair discovered damage. Treatment prices vary widely by method and region, so get local quotes rather than trusting a national figure.

The main cost drivers are pest type, severity, home size, treatment method and how accessible the infestation is. A quote that arrives without an inspection is guessing at all five.

How to choose

Get the pest identified before the quote

Price ranges differ by an order of magnitude between ants and bed bugs. A quote given over the phone is a placeholder.

Ask how many visits the price includes

For bed bugs especially, single-visit pricing is misleading. This Old House puts confirmation visits at $100-$150 each, and elimination often takes months.

Compare total annual cost, not per-visit price

A cheap monthly visit can cost more over a year than a well-scoped one-time treatment plus exclusion work.

Budget for repairs, not just treatment

Orkin puts average termite damage repair at $3,000, separate from any treatment cost.

Be wary of very low introductory pricing

Check the contract term, the cancellation terms, and what the price rises to after the first year.