Original research · Pinnacle Technologies Group

What a home-service click really costs in 2026

By the Pinnacle Technologies research team · Published · Data: Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
For reporters

Press summary

Pinnacle Technologies Group pulled Google’s cost-per-click estimates for 13 home-service trades, and their “near me” versions, in the 48 Google ad markets that cover the 50 largest US metro areas. The median click runs from $1.40 for “pressure washing” to $86.59 for “emergency plumber”, and the same keyword can cost several times more in one city than another: “ac repair” is $24.75 in New York and $82.71 in Phoenix. Denver is the most expensive market overall and Pittsburgh the cheapest, while New York, Los Angeles and Chicago all price below the typical market.

Key numbers

  • $86.59 median click for “emergency plumber”, the highest of 13 trades. “Pressure washing” is the lowest at $1.40.
  • 3.3x: the same “ac repair” click costs $24.75 in New York and $82.71 in Phoenix.
  • 8.1x: “garage door repair” costs $13.57 in Miami and $110.10 in Columbus, Ohio.
  • Denver is the most expensive of 48 markets, 49% above typical. Pittsburgh is the cheapest, 32% below.
  • Below typical: New York (0.86), Los Angeles (0.92) and Chicago (0.86) on a price index where 1.00 is typical.
  • $30.38: Tampa has the most expensive “electrician” click of any market, against $8.93 in Pittsburgh.
  • 7.4x: adding “near me” takes a pressure-washing click from $1.40 to $10.34. For the other 12 trades it moves the price by less than 50%.
  • 823,000 US searches a month for “plumber near me”, the most-searched keyword in the study. Median click: $42.73.
Data windowSeptember 2025 to August 2026
Sample13 trades, 26 keywords, 48 Google ad markets covering the 50 largest US metros
SourceGoogle Ads Keyword Planner via DataForSEO
PublishedOctober 11, 2026

Quote-ready lines

Free to quote. Attribute to the Pinnacle Technologies research team.

“The trade sets most of the price. An emergency plumber click costs about 62 times what a pressure-washing click does.”

Pinnacle Technologies research team

“A national average doesn’t tell a local owner much. The same “ac repair” click costs 3.3 times as much in Phoenix as in New York.”

Pinnacle Technologies research team

“The biggest cities aren’t the most expensive. New York, Los Angeles and Chicago all come in below the typical market.”

Pinnacle Technologies research team

“For 12 of 13 trades, adding “near me” moves the click price by less than half. Pressure washing is the exception.”

Pinnacle Technologies research team

“These are click prices, not lead prices. What a lead costs depends on how many of those clicks turn into a call or a form.”

Pinnacle Technologies research team

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Median cost per click by trade

Median across 48 markets. The line shows the cheapest and most expensive market among those with at least 500 searches a month.

Median CPC├─┤ Lowest to highest market (500+ searches)
Median Google Ads cost per click by trade, with the cheapest and most expensive market among cells with 500+ searches a month$0$20$40$60$80$100$120$140emergency plumber$86.59garage door repair$54.62ac repair$45.95roof repair$41.52hvac repair$37.50plumber$35.97pest control$32.32roofer *$21.98electrician$18.35deck builder$14.98pool builder *$9.59landscaping$7.30pressure washing$1.40

* Fewer than half of markets reach 500 searches a month for this keyword, so its median is less stable. Roofer: 22 of 47 markets. Pool builder: 6 of 47.

Figure 1. Median Google Ads cost per click by trade. Median across 48 US ad markets. Whiskers: cheapest to most expensive market with 500+ searches a month. Source: Google Ads Keyword Planner via DataForSEO, data September 2025 to August 2026, pulled October 11, 2026. Analysis: Pinnacle Technologies Group. License: CC BY 4.0. Download PNG

Summary table

TradeMedian CPCLowest market (500+ searches)Highest market (500+ searches)US CPCUS searches/mo“Near me” median“Near me” US searches/mo
emergency plumber$86.59Pittsburgh $49.96Seattle $130.82$76.3874,000$87.23110,000
garage door repair$54.62Miami $13.57Columbus OH $110.10$51.21246,000$50.48165,000
ac repair$45.95New York $24.75Phoenix $82.71$46.46368,000$50.77201,000
roof repair$41.52San Francisco $21.01Columbus OH $92.91$40.9574,000$41.2290,500
hvac repair$37.50Nashville $15.06Miami $80.31$34.7774,000$43.5649,500
plumber$35.97New York $19.33Virginia Beach $57.48$34.32673,000$42.73823,000
pest control$32.32Pittsburgh $19.65Phoenix $43.33$29.50201,000$36.59165,000
roofer$21.98Austin $6.11Miami $53.87$22.7949,500$24.15165,000
electrician$18.35Pittsburgh $8.93Tampa $30.38$18.00368,000$25.79368,000
deck builder$14.98Phoenix $0.92San Diego $52.73$15.3574,000$15.0360,500
pool builder$9.59Atlanta $2.83Houston $18.09$11.6114,800$10.8140,500
landscaping$7.30Oklahoma City $1.45Denver $15.99$7.12165,000$8.5890,500
pressure washing$1.40Providence $0.67Richmond $3.02$1.46301,000$10.34110,000

Which markets cost the most

The price index compares each market with the typical market across all 13 trades. For each trade we divide the market’s click price by the median for that trade, then take the median of those 13 ratios. 1.00 is typical. 21 markets sit above 1.00 and 24 below.

Above typicalBelow typical
Metro price index for home-service clicks, 48 markets, 1.00 = typical0.600.801.001.201.401.601. Denver1.492. Tampa1.403. Salt Lake City1.344. Phoenix1.335. Jacksonville1.286. Austin1.257. Minneapolis1.248. Dallas-Fort Worth1.179. Washington DC1.1410. Indianapolis1.1411. Louisville1.1412. Charlotte1.1313. Virginia Beach1.1114. Baltimore1.1015. Seattle1.0916. Atlanta1.0817. San Diego1.0818. San Antonio1.0819. Orlando1.0720. Columbus OH1.0721. Cincinnati1.0322. Houston1.0023. Philadelphia1.0024. Portland OR1.0025. Las Vegas0.9926. Milwaukee0.9927. Miami0.9828. St. Louis0.9829. Richmond0.9730. Sacramento0.9531. Nashville0.9432. San Francisco0.9333. Raleigh0.9334. Los Angeles0.9235. Oklahoma City0.9236. Kansas City0.8837. New York0.8638. Chicago0.8639. Detroit0.8540. Boston0.8441. Birmingham0.8242. Providence0.7743. Hartford0.7744. Grand Rapids0.7445. Fresno0.7346. Cleveland0.7247. Memphis0.7148. Pittsburgh0.68
Figure 2. Home-service click price index by market. 48 Google ad markets covering the 50 largest US metros. 1.00 = typical market across 13 trades. Source: Google Ads Keyword Planner via DataForSEO, data September 2025 to August 2026, pulled October 11, 2026. Analysis: Pinnacle Technologies Group. License: CC BY 4.0. Download PNG

What “near me” adds

Median click price for each base keyword and its “near me” version, sorted by the ratio between them. The “near me” click costs more in 11 of 13 trades. Pressure washing is the outlier.

Base keyword“near me”
Median cost per click, base keyword versus the “near me” version, by trade$0$20$40$60$80$100pressure washing7.39x$1.40$10.34electrician1.41x$18.35$25.79plumber1.19x$35.97$42.73landscaping1.18x$7.30$8.58hvac repair1.16x$37.50$43.56pest control1.13x$32.32$36.59pool builder1.13x$9.59$10.81ac repair1.10x$45.95$50.77roofer1.10x$21.98$24.15emergency plumber1.01x$86.59$87.23deck builder1.00x$14.98$15.03roof repair0.99x$41.52$41.22garage door repair0.92x$54.62$50.48
Figure 3. What “near me” adds to the click price. Median cost per click, base keyword vs. the “near me” version, across 48 markets. Sorted by the ratio. Source: Google Ads Keyword Planner via DataForSEO, data September 2025 to August 2026, pulled October 11, 2026. Analysis: Pinnacle Technologies Group. License: CC BY 4.0. Download PNG

Full data: every trade in every market

Click price with monthly searches beneath. Shaded cells have fewer than 500 searches a month. Markets are in order of Census metro population. Scroll inside the table.

Market (Census rank)emergency plumbergarage door repairac repairroof repairhvac repairplumberpest controlrooferelectriciandeck builderpool builderlandscapingpressure washing
New York #1$57.195,400/mo$44.739,900/mo$24.7518,100/mo$38.726,600/mo$28.024,400/mo$19.3349,500/mo$27.8412,100/mo$26.963,600/mo$11.3727,100/mo$17.414,400/mo$11.051,000/mo$7.039,900/mo$1.549,900/mo
Los Angeles #2$91.773,600/mo$56.2914,800/mo$36.3114,800/mo$34.413,600/mo$26.092,900/mo$44.3933,100/mo$32.638,100/mo$14.922,400/mo$14.3518,100/mo$31.813,600/mo$8.86880/mo$8.936,600/mo$1.1014,800/mo
Chicago #3$74.102,400/mo$32.988,100/mo$39.329,900/mo$34.051,900/mo$45.902,400/mo$33.3722,200/mo$29.575,400/mo$32.011,300/mo$16.349,900/mo$12.831,900/mo$8.07320/mo$6.845,400/mo$1.075,400/mo
Dallas-Fort Worth #4$101.552,900/mo$63.786,600/mo$52.6414,800/mo$48.802,400/mo$44.622,400/mo$38.3518,100/mo$31.086,600/mo$14.401,600/mo$27.4512,100/mo$11.361,600/mo$15.87590/mo$11.655,400/mo$0.908,100/mo
Houston #5$97.131,000/mo$34.115,400/mo$41.239,900/mo$35.121,600/mo$59.861,600/mo$35.8712,100/mo$33.844,400/mo$20.76880/mo$29.099,900/mo$10.531,000/mo$18.09590/mo$5.244,400/mo$1.529,900/mo
Atlanta #6$94.391,600/mo$90.428,100/mo$44.478,100/mo$70.041,600/mo$32.601,900/mo$36.5612,100/mo$31.134,400/mo$26.61880/mo$19.888,100/mo$17.791,900/mo$2.83590/mo$4.214,400/mo$2.8112,100/mo
Washington DC #7$91.304,400/mo$56.655,400/mo$57.558,100/mo$51.142,400/mo$47.282,400/mo$27.1727,100/mo$38.005,400/mo$23.901,600/mo$20.8312,100/mo$26.234,400/mo$16.50260/mo$7.234,400/mo$1.606,600/mo
Miami #8$71.611,300/mo$13.574,400/mo$46.178,100/mo$40.741,000/mo$80.31880/mo$35.2312,100/mo$35.552,900/mo$53.87880/mo$14.565,400/mo$12.211,000/mo$9.59480/mo$6.792,900/mo$2.175,400/mo
Philadelphia #9$91.981,600/mo$34.303,600/mo$64.956,600/mo$58.271,300/mo$37.731,900/mo$32.6214,800/mo$35.263,600/mo$21.751,300/mo$18.318,100/mo$20.811,600/mo$7.32260/mo$4.293,600/mo$1.104,400/mo
Phoenix #10$109.761,300/mo$83.945,400/mo$82.716,600/mo$55.14880/mo$49.991,300/mo$53.4814,800/mo$43.334,400/mo$39.741,000/mo$20.226,600/mo$0.921,000/mo$14.59390/mo$8.034,400/mo$1.105,400/mo
Boston #11$61.451,300/mo$22.614,400/mo$44.964,400/mo$34.92880/mo$24.81880/mo$26.5412,100/mo$28.672,900/mo$34.07720/mo$13.165,400/mo$14.721,300/mo$3.75140/mo$10.092,900/mo$1.613,600/mo
San Francisco #13$87.042,400/mo$59.365,400/mo$46.415,400/mo$21.011,600/mo$24.231,300/mo$30.9318,100/mo$34.886,600/mo$14.473,600/mo$10.3012,100/mo$13.961,600/mo$13.62390/mo$7.763,600/mo$1.275,400/mo
Detroit #14$50.98880/mo$55.693,600/mo$47.453,600/mo$51.121,300/mo$25.92590/mo$30.498,100/mo$36.971,900/mo$42.30480/mo$14.984,400/mo$17.92880/mo$2.66110/mo$4.882,400/mo$0.861,900/mo
Seattle #15$130.821,000/mo$56.555,400/mo$40.703,600/mo$37.791,300/mo$33.36720/mo$43.259,900/mo$30.382,900/mo$31.28720/mo$21.456,600/mo$30.401,600/mo$10.41210/mo$7.942,900/mo$1.595,400/mo
Minneapolis #16$107.36590/mo$43.873,600/mo$57.023,600/mo$64.56720/mo$37.71590/mo$46.158,100/mo$25.312,400/mo$6.08480/mo$25.775,400/mo$24.161,300/mo$13.49110/mo$9.763,600/mo$1.294,400/mo
Tampa #17$118.261,000/mo$91.374,400/mo$64.358,100/mo$56.771,300/mo$30.15880/mo$34.5412,100/mo$30.953,600/mo$32.121,000/mo$30.386,600/mo$18.141,000/mo$21.42480/mo$10.482,900/mo$2.038,100/mo
San Diego #18$92.00720/mo$49.281,900/mo$34.682,900/mo$40.53390/mo$24.79720/mo$38.675,400/mo$40.001,600/mo$47.98260/mo$22.672,900/mo$52.73720/mo$11.08140/mo$8.271,300/mo$1.012,400/mo
Denver #19$114.151,000/mo$82.864,400/mo$72.755,400/mo$50.271,600/mo$47.591,300/mo$56.9712,100/mo$32.202,900/mo$49.841,300/mo$27.258,100/mo$24.551,900/mo$2.14260/mo$15.992,900/mo$1.213,600/mo
Orlando #20$89.22880/mo$87.563,600/mo$51.518,100/mo$76.711,300/mo$27.221,000/mo$35.518,100/mo$34.692,900/mo$28.84880/mo$21.734,400/mo$3.20880/mo$7.86390/mo$4.972,400/mo$1.558,100/mo
Charlotte #21$100.04720/mo$50.463,600/mo$43.933,600/mo$66.13590/mo$22.481,000/mo$43.346,600/mo$36.421,900/mo$27.08590/mo$16.634,400/mo$16.02880/mo$3.67210/mo$9.141,900/mo$2.185,400/mo
Baltimore #22$84.19720/mo$60.271,600/mo$49.072,400/mo$74.12480/mo$66.36880/mo$38.164,400/mo$28.131,600/mo$82.90320/mo$15.522,900/mo$15.23590/mo$42.41110/mo$11.401,300/mo$1.831,900/mo
St. Louis #23$78.05480/mo$57.831,600/mo$74.862,900/mo$40.87590/mo$37.28590/mo$30.364,400/mo$34.671,300/mo$2.08390/mo$17.192,400/mo$14.10590/mo$2.1670/mo$8.991,000/mo$1.711,600/mo
San Antonio #24$65.10720/mo$73.761,600/mo$77.534,400/mo$54.41590/mo$75.85720/mo$38.866,600/mo$32.901,900/mo$21.87590/mo$23.094,400/mo$7.22880/mo$18.87390/mo$5.031,600/mo$1.182,900/mo
Austin #25$90.80720/mo$47.452,900/mo$61.054,400/mo$46.42720/mo$60.87720/mo$38.055,400/mo$40.501,900/mo$6.11590/mo$25.423,600/mo$20.56590/mo$26.45170/mo$12.401,600/mo$1.242,900/mo
Portland OR #26$85.97590/mo$52.091,900/mo$38.901,900/mo$82.72720/mo$41.53720/mo$39.289,900/mo$39.073,600/mo$21.98880/mo$15.068,100/mo$11.971,300/mo$3.32140/mo$10.634,400/mo$1.716,600/mo
Sacramento #27$66.06720/mo$52.033,600/mo$41.394,400/mo$22.49720/mo$34.41720/mo$40.606,600/mo$34.002,900/mo$12.97390/mo$18.403,600/mo$17.98720/mo$12.25170/mo$8.031,900/mo$1.154,400/mo
Pittsburgh #28$49.96590/mo$37.371,300/mo$35.322,900/mo$42.17480/mo$7.80320/mo$19.714,400/mo$19.651,000/mo$56.53320/mo$8.931,900/mo$6.98590/mo$14.74110/mo$8.551,000/mo$1.382,400/mo
Las Vegas #29$86.15480/mo$41.281,900/mo$68.092,900/mo$27.65260/mo$45.07480/mo$54.483,600/mo$41.061,000/mo$15.85210/mo$15.072,400/mo$8.23390/mo$19.28170/mo$7.381,000/mo$1.332,400/mo
Cincinnati #30$99.30480/mo$56.501,600/mo$45.732,900/mo$43.66880/mo$39.91590/mo$30.386,600/mo$34.821,000/mo$50.15480/mo$16.653,600/mo$7.27590/mo$14.8570/mo$6.841,000/mo$1.281,900/mo
Kansas City #31$73.71480/mo$71.321,900/mo$35.982,900/mo$32.01480/mo$33.18480/mo$34.483,600/mo$27.901,300/mo$4.47260/mo$19.482,400/mo$42.31720/mo$8.4170/mo$13.281,000/mo$1.111,600/mo
Columbus OH #32$59.39590/mo$110.101,900/mo$53.432,400/mo$92.91880/mo$18.73590/mo$35.894,400/mo$33.611,000/mo$70.07480/mo$17.682,400/mo$11.58480/mon/a$8.091,000/mo$1.811,600/mo
Indianapolis #33$98.42480/mo$62.432,400/mo$67.924,400/mo$40.141,000/mo$71.531,000/mo$46.495,400/mo$26.261,600/mo$11.29590/mo$21.952,900/mo$15.78720/mo$13.7670/mo$6.511,300/mo$1.442,400/mo
Nashville #34$45.61480/mo$46.871,900/mo$44.103,600/mo$33.41720/mo$15.061,000/mo$38.615,400/mo$40.711,900/mo$11.08480/mo$17.262,900/mo$24.09720/mo$8.98170/mo$4.581,900/mo$1.534,400/mo
Cleveland #35$52.821,300/mo$39.593,600/mo$32.003,600/mo$25.703,600/mo$20.57590/mo$36.0418,100/mo$24.382,400/mo$48.011,900/mo$20.7414,800/mo$6.921,300/mo$5.22590/mo$6.552,900/mo$1.464,400/mo
Virginia Beach #37$88.40480/mo$60.88880/mo$57.341,900/mo$69.49480/mo$64.21480/mo$57.482,900/mo$29.041,300/mo$18.12210/mo$15.691,900/mo$6.11390/mo$15.1670/mo$9.33720/mo$1.561,900/mo
Jacksonville #38$111.00390/mo$72.081,600/mo$55.182,900/mo$26.29390/mo$107.05390/mo$40.513,600/mo$36.731,300/mo$44.39320/mo$27.211,900/mo$2.67390/mo$3.67140/mo$13.84880/mo$2.473,600/mo
Providence #39$40.10320/mo$42.93590/mo$27.421,300/mo$68.20260/mo$16.79320/mo$28.872,400/mo$20.56720/mo$6.64140/mo$14.121,300/mo$16.93260/mo$9.7530/mo$5.59590/mo$0.67720/mo
Raleigh #40$74.96590/mo$53.553,600/mo$43.683,600/mo$38.75590/mo$37.931,000/mo$25.985,400/mo$29.281,900/mo$4.82390/mo$20.403,600/mo$15.68720/mo$7.74140/mo$4.361,600/mo$2.223,600/mo
Milwaukee #41$71.37480/mo$37.491,600/mo$40.172,900/mo$86.81480/mo$110.62260/mo$26.262,900/mo$25.18880/mo$62.41260/mo$22.921,900/mo$17.14390/mo$1.3040/mo$7.231,000/mo$1.431,600/mo
Oklahoma City #42$100.71390/mo$87.471,600/mo$50.552,400/mo$30.27320/mo$56.22390/mo$38.902,900/mo$39.74880/mo$17.33260/mo$16.801,600/mo$6.80480/mo$2.4770/mo$1.45590/mo$0.951,300/mo
Louisville #43$111.09210/mo$36.391,000/mo$65.462,400/mo$74.92590/mo$27.64390/mo$52.852,400/mo$32.44880/mon/a$18.141,300/mo$6.50480/mo$13.2950/mo$5.92590/mo$1.791,900/mo
Richmond #44$81.34260/mo$55.72590/mo$49.471,300/mo$34.68260/mo$72.66480/mo$35.021,900/mo$29.66720/mo$10.92140/mo$22.081,300/mo$22.24320/mo$3.7750/mo$3.21880/mo$3.021,000/mo
Memphis #45$44.97390/mo$41.441,600/mo$24.981,900/mo$34.07320/mo$14.44320/mo$50.754,400/mo$33.011,000/mo$13.64480/mo$18.582,400/mo$1.66590/mo$1.49170/mo$5.48590/mo$0.992,400/mo
Salt Lake City #46$100.37590/mo$74.082,400/mo$62.212,900/mo$76.32480/mo$67.35720/mo$48.215,400/mo$27.401,900/mo$73.32320/mo$19.432,900/mo$13.70720/mo$13.24110/mo$6.231,900/mo$1.412,400/mo
Fresno #47$91.69320/mo$38.011,600/mo$33.621,900/mo$20.29260/mo$36.91210/mo$30.012,900/mo$28.051,300/mo$6.22210/mo$12.112,400/mo$3.21320/mo$15.43110/mo$3.82880/mo$1.052,900/mo
Birmingham #48$60.36260/mo$58.651,000/mo$44.162,400/mo$8.77320/mo$46.35390/mo$29.732,400/mo$23.511,000/mo$13.21140/mo$26.981,300/mo$8.56320/mo$2.8350/mo$5.95590/mo$1.252,900/mo
Grand Rapids #49$59.20260/mo$40.441,300/mo$33.421,300/mo$68.76390/mo$0.20260/mo$25.062,900/mo$26.82720/mo$3.31140/mo$16.381,600/mo$16.78390/mo$5.9530/mo$8.33720/mo$1.051,000/mo
Hartford #50$52.44590/mo$50.561,300/mo$30.702,400/mo$29.18590/mo$26.64480/mo$24.444,400/mo$31.351,600/mo$28.86320/mo$14.162,400/mo$17.72590/mo$4.4270/mo$14.021,000/mo$1.351,300/mo

Download the data

home-service-cpc-2026.csv (1,326 rows: 26 keywords × 51 markets, including the three markets kept out of the medians). Columns: trade, keyword, near_me, metro, google_dma, dma_location_code, census_2025_msa_rank, census_msa, in_report_medians, cpc_usd, monthly_searches, thin_volume, top_of_page_bid_low_usd, top_of_page_bid_high_usd, competition.

License: CC BY 4.0. Free to use, share and adapt, including commercially, with credit to Pinnacle Technologies Group and a link to this page.

Methodology

  • Source. Google Ads Keyword Planner estimates via the DataForSEO API, pulled October 11, 2026. Google Search only, English, no search partners.
  • Period. Monthly data from September 2025 to August 2026, the latest 12 months Google reported on the pull date.
  • Keywords. 13 trade keywords (ac repair, deck builder, electrician, emergency plumber, garage door repair, hvac repair, landscaping, pest control, plumber, pool builder, pressure washing, roof repair, roofer) and the same 13 with “near me” added. 26 in total.
  • Markets. The 50 largest metropolitan statistical areas in the US Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025 estimates. Google sells local ads by DMA region, so we used the DMA that contains each metro. Riverside-San Bernardino falls inside the Los Angeles DMA and San Jose inside the San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose DMA, so the 50 metros map to 48 markets.
  • Cost per click. Google’s estimate of the average amount advertisers paid for one click on an ad for that exact keyword in that market.
  • Medians. Each trade’s figure is the median across the 48 markets. National figures are Google’s own US-wide numbers.
  • Exclusions. 2 of 1,248 market-keyword cells had no CPC estimate and are left out. Buffalo, Tucson and Tulsa were in the first pull but rank 51st to 53rd in the Census list, so they are in the CSV but not in the medians or the index.
  • Low-volume cells. 249 of 1,246 cells have fewer than 500 searches a month. They stay in the medians but are shaded in the tables, left out of the chart ranges and never used as headline examples.
  • Price index. For each market, the median across 13 trades of (market CPC ÷ trade median). Recomputing it with only 500+ search cells leaves Denver first and Pittsburgh last.

Limitations

  • These are Google’s estimates, not invoices. What one advertiser pays depends on its bids, ad quality, match types, schedule and competition on the day.
  • Each figure is for the exact keyword. Advertisers usually buy many close variants, which can price differently.
  • A DMA is usually larger than the metro it is named after, so a market’s figure covers its surrounding towns too.
  • Figures are 12-month averages. They do not show seasonal swings within the year.
  • Google Search ads only. Local Services Ads, Maps ads and social ads are not included.
  • A click is a visit, not a lead or a booked job. This report does not measure cost per lead.

How to cite

Pinnacle Technologies Group, “What a home-service click really costs in 2026,” October 11, 2026, https://pinnacletechnologies.ai/research/home-service-click-costs-2026/

Data and charts: CC BY 4.0. Please credit Pinnacle Technologies Group and link to this page.

Media contact

Press: Pinnacle Technologies Group Email: info@pinnacletechnologies.aiPhone: (904) 822-4733 Available for interviews and custom cuts of the data for a specific trade or city.

FAQ

How much does a Google Ads click cost for a home-service business in 2026?

It depends on the trade. Across the 48 ad markets that cover the 50 largest US metros, the median click ranges from $1.40 for “pressure washing” to $86.59 for “emergency plumber”. “Plumber” is $35.97, “ac repair” is $45.95 and “electrician” is $18.35.

Which city has the most expensive home-service ad clicks?

Denver, with an index of 1.49, meaning its clicks run 49% above the typical market across 13 trades. Tampa (1.40), Salt Lake City (1.34) and Phoenix (1.33) follow.

Which city has the cheapest home-service ad clicks?

Pittsburgh, with an index of 0.68. Memphis (0.71), Cleveland (0.72) and Fresno (0.73) are next.

Do “near me” searches cost more?

Usually, but not by much. The “near me” click has a higher median in 11 of 13 trades. Pressure washing is the big exception: $1.40 for the base keyword and $10.34 with “near me”.

Is cost per click the same as cost per lead?

No. A click is one visit to your site. Only some clicks call or fill in a form, so a lead costs the click price divided by the share of clicks that become leads.

Where does this data come from?

Google Ads Keyword Planner estimates, pulled through the DataForSEO API on October 11, 2026, for 26 keywords in 48 Google ad markets (DMAs) plus the US as a whole. The figures cover September 2025 to August 2026.

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