Homeownership comes with many regular costs, including property taxes, utilities, insurance, and, of course, home maintenance. The National Home Builders Association (NAHB) reports that home maintenance accounts for 10% of a homeowner’s annual property operating cost.

Surprised by that figure? You’re not alone — 45% of homeowners underestimate the cost of home maintenance, according to a recent Cinch survey.

We’ll help you get up to speed on average home maintenance costs so you can budget effectively. HomeLight did days of research and compared three top studies on average home maintenance costs to bring you this comprehensive guide.

Average annual home maintenance costs range from $950 to $9,820

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) analyzed home repair data from the 2019 American Housing Survey (AHS), a study conducted as part of the U.S. Census. NAHB analyzed the cost of small, regular maintenance tasks (as opposed to significant repairs like roof replacement) to get an accurate picture of average annual home maintenance costs.

Key takeaways

• Costs vary significantly depending on the size, value, and location of your home.
• Maintenance costs are nearly double for older houses than newly constructed homes.
• Major projects significantly impact the overall cost of maintenance.

Porch: $9,820 a year on average

Porch is a home services platform that connects homeowners with contractors and other providers. In their 2021 study, Porch generated a list of all home maintenance transactions completed through their platform and excluded any jobs that included the keywords “repair,” “build,” or “install. They analyzed the remaining list of 170 maintenance items, including larger tasks like pool filter replacements and roof repairs, as well as smaller jobs like lawn care and faucet replacements.

Porch then interviewed 200 homeowners, asking them how frequently they complete these tasks. Porch calculated average home maintenance costs by multiplying the average cost per maintenance task with the average project frequency.

Key takeaways

• Significant, infrequent repairs significantly raise overall maintenance costs.
• Pool cleaning is the most expensive regular maintenance cost for homeowners.
• Average maintenance costs can vary by 85%, depending on the state.

Angi Homeservices: $3,192 a year on average

In 2020, Angi, parent company of home service websites Angie’s List and HomeAdvisor, surveyed 5,000 U.S. homeowners and renters on home maintenance costs.

Key takeaways

• Average annual maintenance costs increased by 188% from 2019 to 2020.
• The number of average home maintenance projects completed per year increased by 23% over the same period.
• Home emergency spending averaged an additional $1,640 per year.

Common home maintenance projects cost

Major home repairs cost much more

Beyond regular home maintenance, homeowners must tackle major repairs from time to time. A recent Porch survey found that 88% of homeowners complete at least one major repair a year.

These major home repairs bump up the average yearly cost of home maintenance. Here’s what the most common major repairs cost:

Sources: Forbes, EnergyStar, Angi, RoofAdvisor, HomeAdvisor, Crosstown Engineering, Mr. Rooter, Thumbtack, Expert Trades, Fixr, C.D.C, E.P.A., 

Now that you know the costs, plan a budget for home maintenance

As a rule-of-thumb, homeowners should budget 1% to 3% of their home’s value a year for home maintenance. Alternatively, you can use the “square footage rule,” which advises homeowners to budget $1 per square foot of their property per year for home maintenance.

On a final note, if you live in an area with natural disasters, your average annual home maintenance may increase due to related repairs. It’s critical to have natural disaster insurance to cover these costs. Homeowner’s insurance policies typically don’t cover damage caused by uncontrollable events like earthquakes, floods, or tornados.