The Short Answer
Move-in cleaning costs 88–105% more than a standard house cleaning — for a typical 1,500–2,000 sq ft home, that works out to roughly $300–$405 compared to $158–$198 for a standard visit. The exact price depends on your home's size and how clean the previous occupants left it.
Move-In vs. Move-Out Cleaning: What's the Difference?
They're priced the same way — both fall under the "move-in/move-out" tier — but the actual work differs slightly:
- Move-out cleaning happens after you've packed up and left, focused on returning the space to a neutral, rentable/sellable condition
- Move-in cleaning happens before you unpack, focused on sanitizing a space you don't yet know the cleaning history of — previous tenants, pets, smoking, or months of vacancy can all affect what's needed
Most cleaners quote them identically, but if the home has been vacant a while or the previous occupant left it in rough shape, expect the higher end of the range or an added "heavily soiled" surcharge.
Move-In Cleaning Cost by Home Size
| Home Size | Standard Clean | Move-In Clean (+88–105%) |
|---|
| Under 1,000 sq ft | $90–$115 | $169–$236 |
| 1,000–1,500 sq ft | $122–$152 | $229–$312 |
| 1,500–2,000 sq ft | $158–$198 | $297–$406 |
| 2,000–2,500 sq ft | $195–$245 | $367–$502 |
| 2,500–3,000 sq ft | $228–$282 | $429–$578 |
| Over 3,000 sq ft | $272–$338 | $511–$693 |
What's Included in a Move-In Clean
A move-in clean is thorough, top-to-bottom, and assumes nothing has been cleaned recently:
- Inside all cabinets, drawers, and closets (empty, so full access)
- Inside the oven, fridge, and other appliances left behind
- Baseboards, window sills, and light fixtures
- Full bathroom sanitization — grout, fixtures, inside cabinets
- Interior windows and window tracks
- All floors, including underneath where furniture will go
Should You Clean Before or After You Move Your Stuff In?
Before. Every cleaner will tell you the same thing: it's dramatically easier (and cheaper) to clean an empty space than to clean around furniture and boxes. If your timeline allows even a few hours between key handoff and moving your belongings in, book the clean for that window.
How to Save on Move-In Cleaning
- Get the previous occupant's cleaning records if it's a rental — some landlords require an exit clean, which may mean you need less
- Time it for an empty unit — cleaners work faster (and may charge less) with no furniture to move around
- Skip what you don't need — if the unit was recently professionally cleaned, ask about a lighter "touch-up" rate instead of the full move-in tier
- Bundle with move-out if you're leaving one place and entering another on the same day — some companies discount doing both
Bottom Line
Use our free calculator and select "Move-In / Move-Out" to get a size-specific estimate for your new place before you start unpacking.