How much to charge for an Airbnb cleaning fee in 2026
A cleaning fee should pay for the clean. That sounds obvious, but two things changed this year that quietly broke a lot of fees. Airbnb now takes 15.5% of the cleaning fee from the host. And from November 20, guests can’t be asked to strip beds, start laundry or wash dishes, so your cleaner picks up that work. Here’s what other hosts charge, how to work out your own number, and a calculator.
By Halivs · Updated October 23, 2026
What hosts charge in 2026
Two recent data sets, both US. AirROI looked at US entire homes on Airbnb in September 2026. Clean Casa looked at a panel of about 40,000 US short-term rentals in Q1 2026.
| Bedrooms | AirROI median (Sep 2026) | Clean Casa median (Q1 2026) | To keep the AirROI median after 15.5%* |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $93 | $105 | $107 |
| 2 | $149 | $150 | $171 |
| 3 | $200 | $200 | $230 |
| 4 | $265 | $250 | $304 |
| 5 | $344 | $300 | $395 |
| 6+ | $465 | $350 (6BR) | $534 |
*AirROI’s figure for the fee that gives a host on the old 3% host fee the same take as before. Medians hide a wide spread. In AirROI’s table a three-bedroom median runs from $150 in San Antonio to $402 in Honolulu. Beach and mountain towns charge far more than cities with similar wages.
Work out your own number
Start from what a turnover actually costs. Here is a worked example for a two-bedroom, with made-up but typical inputs. Use your own.
| Line | How to price it | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Cleaner time | Hours per turnover × hourly rate (or your cleaner’s flat rate) | 3 h × $25 = $75 |
| Laundry | Per set of sheets and towels, at home or a service | $20 |
| Supplies | Soap, paper, bags, coffee, cleaning products per stay | $10 |
| Travel | Your cleaner’s trip, if you pay for it | $8 |
| Buffer | Deep cleans, a missed spot, the odd extra hour (10%) | $11 |
| Cost per turnover | $124 | |
| Airbnb fee to set | Cost ÷ 0.845 (15.5% host fee) | $147 |
| Vrbo fee to set | Cost ÷ 0.88 (12% from Oct 29) | $141 |
For a sense of pay, the Bureau of Labor Statistics put the median wage for maids and housekeeping cleaners at $17.07 an hour in May 2025. That includes hotel and household work, so short-term rental cleaners and companies usually charge more because their price covers laundry, supplies, travel and margin. Ask two local cleaners for a turnover quote. That tells you more than any national number.
Calculator
The November 20 effect
From November 20, 2026, Airbnb’s house rules policy says hosts generally can’t ask guests to strip beds, start laundry, wash and put away dishes or take trash off-site. You can still ask for used dishes in the sink, towels gathered and trash sorted into indoor bins. The details and copy-paste wording are in our guide to Airbnb’s new house rules.
For the cleaning fee, that means three things:
- Time your next two or three turnovers. If stripping beds and running the dishwasher now land on your cleaner, the job takes longer. Don’t guess. Time it, then update the fee.
- Ask your cleaner to re-quote if they charge a flat rate. Their old price may have assumed guests did those jobs.
- Stop counting on checkout chores. The cleaning fee is meant to cover standard cleaning. You can’t charge guests for tasks they skip, and fines aren’t allowed. Unusual mess or damage goes through Airbnb’s damage process.
Separate fee or built into the rate?
Airbnb takes the same percentage either way, and guests see the total price either way (the US FTC’s fee rule has required total-price display for short-term rentals since May 2025). The difference is short stays. With no separate fee, a one-night booking costs you a full clean. Airbnb lets you set a lower cleaning fee for one- and two-night stays, which is a useful middle ground. AirROI found listings with a fee near the local median booked about as well as typical homes, while those above 1.5× the median booked about 5 percentage points fewer nights and those with no fee about 7 points fewer. That’s a correlation, not proof, but it argues for a fee close to your local norm.
Give the cleaner a clear list
A fee that covers the job only works if the job is clear. A room-by-room turnover checklist with restock counts stops the “I didn’t know you wanted that” problem and makes timing a turnover easy. Our free turnover cleaning checklist is a one-page version. If you want to log each turnover, its cost and the supplies used, the Halivs Rental Host OS has a turnovers board and a finances page that track cost per stay.
Questions hosts ask
What is a normal Airbnb cleaning fee in 2026?
AirROI’s September 2026 data for US entire homes puts the median at about $93 for one bedroom, $149 for two, $200 for three and $265 for four. Clean Casa’s Q1 2026 panel is a little higher ($105, $150, $200, $250). Local markets vary a lot, so compare similar homes near you.
How much should I charge for a cleaning fee on a 3-bedroom house?
The US median for three bedrooms was about $200 in September 2026. Start from your real cost instead: cleaner time, laundry, supplies and travel. Then divide by 0.845 on Airbnb so the 15.5% host fee does not come out of your cleaner’s pay.
Does Airbnb take a cut of the cleaning fee?
Yes. The single host fee applies to the nightly price and any fees you add, including cleaning. On a $200 cleaning fee, about $31 goes to Airbnb. Vrbo’s 12% commission from October 29, 2026 also applies to cleaning fees.
Can I charge guests extra if they leave a mess or skip checkout tasks?
Not for skipped checkout tasks. Airbnb’s position is that the cleaning fee covers standard cleaning, and from November 20, 2026 hosts cannot require cleaner tasks or impose fines. Damage and unusual cleaning go through Airbnb’s damage and reimbursement process.
Should I include cleaning in the nightly rate instead?
Airbnb takes the same percentage either way, and guests see the total price either way. A separate fee protects you on one- and two-night stays, and Airbnb lets you set a lower fee for short stays. AirROI found listings with no fee and listings far above the local median both booked fewer nights than those near the median.
Will the new checkout rules make cleaning take longer?
Possibly. Guests will no longer be asked to strip beds, start laundry or wash dishes, so those minutes move to your cleaner. Time your next few turnovers, and if the job grew, update the fee instead of absorbing it.