Method

How we work out prices

Every number on HustleRates comes from the same three-step process. This page explains it so you can judge how much weight to give our figures.

1. We collect published prices

For each job we look up current prices separately for the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia. We use sources that publish dated, specific figures: trade and booking platforms that report what their customers pay, industry cost guides, and the pricing advice that field-service software companies publish for their own users.

We look for per-job prices by size, hourly rates, minimum charges and the price of common extras. Where sources disagree, we favour the ones with detailed, recent tables over ones that give a single vague average. The sources used are listed at the bottom of every guide.

2. We build one pricing model per job

Real quotes are not a simple rate times size. Small jobs cost more per unit because the trip and setup take the same time. So each guide uses this formula:

price = (base fee + rate × size of job) × adjustments + extras, never below the minimum charge

We set a budget, typical and premium rate for each country and tune them until the model's prices match what the sources report across small, average and large jobs. "Budget" is a fair low price, not the cheapest anyone has ever charged. "Premium" is an established operator in a higher-cost area, not the most expensive.

The price list, the worked examples, the figures in the text and the calculator on a guide all run on that one model. That is why they always agree with each other.

3. We show what the price pays you

A going rate is only useful if it leaves you enough to live on. Each calculator estimates how long the job takes one person, then takes off supplies and fuel, counts driving time (we assume 15 minutes there and back unless you change it) and sets aside 25% for tax and overheads such as insurance and equipment. What is left, divided by the hours, is what you keep per hour.

The time estimates are for a solo operator working at a steady pace. You can replace every one of these figures with your own.

What our prices cannot tell you

• Your local market. Rates in a big, expensive city can be half as much again as in a small town in the same country. Check what a few local operators advertise.
• Your exact costs. Insurance, vehicle costs and tax vary by person and place. The 25% set-aside is a planning figure, not tax advice.
• The unusual job. The model covers typical work. A job with difficult access, risk or special equipment needs its own quote.

Updates and corrections

Each guide shows the month its prices were last set. We review guides regularly and update them when the underlying sources change. If a figure looks wrong for your area, let us know and we will check it.