Most Calgary offices pay roughly $0.12 to $0.30 per square foot per month for nightly janitorial service five days a week, which works out to about
These are typical ranges for planning a budget, not a quote. The sections below show how contractors build a price, so you can compare bids line by line instead of by the total.
Typical price ranges by office size
The figures below assume standard office cleaning after hours: waste and recycling, restrooms, kitchen or break room, vacuuming and mopping, and dusting of reachable surfaces. GST at 5% is extra, and Alberta has no provincial sales tax.
| Office size | Visits per week | Typical monthly range |
|---|---|---|
| 1,500 to 3,000 sq ft | 2 to 3 | $500 to ,300 |
| 5,000 sq ft | 5 | $800 to ,600 |
| 10,000 sq ft | 5 | ,200 to $3,000 |
| 25,000 sq ft | 5 | $2,800 to $6,500 |
| 50,000 sq ft and up | 5 to 7 | Priced per square foot, often $0.10 to $0.20 |
Per-square-foot rates fall as the space grows because travel, setup and supervision are spread over more area. A 2,000 square foot office can cost more per foot than a full floor in a downtown tower.
Some contractors quote by the hour instead. Calgary janitorial contracts typically bill $30 to $55 per labour hour, depending on whether supplies, supervision and insurance are built in. If you get an hourly quote, ask how many hours per visit it covers and what gets done in those hours.
What makes one Calgary office cost more than another
Restroom and kitchen count. A restroom takes several times longer to clean than the same area of open office. Two offices of equal size can be priced very differently if one has six washrooms and a staff kitchen and the other has two washrooms and a coffee counter.
Flooring. Carpet is vacuumed nightly and extracted a few times a year. Vinyl composition tile needs mopping plus periodic scrubbing and refinishing. Polished concrete and sealed stone are quicker day to day. Mixed floors mean mixed equipment and more time.
Winter grit. Calgary roads and sidewalks get a salt and gravel mix, and that grit comes indoors on every boot from November to April. Entrance matting, extra lobby mopping and more frequent vacuuming near doors add time. Chinook thaws make it worse: the slush tracks in, dries, and turns to fine dust within a day. Ask each bidder how their scope changes in winter.
Building type and access. A suite in a Downtown or Beltline tower means loading dock rules, security sign-in, freight elevator bookings and sometimes union or building-specific requirements. A flex office in Foothills Industrial or Quarry Park is usually simpler to access but may include a warehouse or shop area that needs different methods.
Visit timing. Evening cleaning after 6 p.m. is the norm. Day porter service, weekend visits or a fixed early-morning window cost more because they constrain scheduling.
Supplies and consumables. Some quotes include toilet paper, hand towels, soap and liners, others pass them through at cost. Always confirm, because consumables for a busy office can be a meaningful monthly line.
Periodic work that is usually priced separately
Nightly service keeps an office presentable, but most offices also need deeper work on a schedule. These items are almost always quoted per job:
- Carpet extraction: commonly $0.20 to $0.45 per square foot, two to four times a year, more in high-traffic zones after winter.
- Floor stripping and refinishing (VCT): commonly $0.50 to .10 per square foot, once or twice a year, with scrub-and-recoat visits between.
- Interior window and partition glass: priced per pane or per visit.
- High dusting of vents, light fixtures and ductwork: often quarterly.
- Post-renovation cleanup after a fit-out or move: quoted once the work is visible.
You can see how these services are usually scheduled on our specialized cleaning page.
Alberta rules a cleaning contract should reflect
Workers' compensation coverage. In Alberta, a business that hires a contractor can be held responsible for that contractor's unpaid WCB premiums. Ask for a WCB-Alberta clearance letter before work starts and again periodically during the contract. The WCB issues these letters to confirm a contractor's account is in good standing.
Occupational health and safety. The Alberta OHS Act and OHS Code apply to cleaning crews like any other workers. A competent contractor will do a hazard assessment of your site, train staff on the chemicals they use under WHMIS, and keep safety data sheets on hand. Your building may also have its own contractor safety orientation.
Liability insurance. Commercial general liability coverage protects you if a crew member damages property or someone slips on a wet floor. Ask for a certificate of insurance naming your company or landlord as an additional insured where your lease requires it.
How to compare quotes fairly
Totals alone are misleading. Before you choose, line the bids up on the same points:
- A written scope per area (restrooms, kitchens, open office, private offices, entrances) with a frequency for each task.
- Whether consumables are included or billed separately.
- The winter plan for entrances and lobbies.
- How periodic work is priced and scheduled.
- Who supervises, how quality is checked, and how fast issues are fixed.
- Notice period and how price changes are handled at renewal.
For a quick feel of how size and frequency move a monthly figure, try our pricing calculator. Our overview of office cleaning services lists the tasks a complete nightly scope should include.
Frequently asked questions
How much does office cleaning cost per square foot in Calgary?
For nightly service five days a week, typical rates run from about $0.12 to $0.30 per square foot per month. Large spaces sit at the low end and small offices with several restrooms sit at the high end. Periodic jobs like carpet extraction or floor refinishing are priced separately.
Is it cheaper to clean an office three times a week instead of five?
The monthly bill drops, but usually not by 40%, because each visit has to catch up on more waste and dirt. Three visits a week can work for small offices with light traffic and few staff in the kitchen. Restrooms that get daily use generally need daily cleaning.
Do Calgary cleaning prices go up in winter?
Base contracts usually stay the same, but winter often brings added entrance mopping, extra matting service and an earlier carpet extraction. Ask bidders to price the winter scope up front so the cost is in the contract rather than added later.
Should an office cleaning quote include GST?
Quotes in Alberta normally list the 5% GST separately. There is no provincial sales tax in Alberta, so the GST is the only sales tax on the invoice.
Get matched with a Calgary cleaning team
Simple Service cleans offices and commercial buildings across Greater Montréal. For Calgary, tell us about your facility, its size, schedule and floor types, and we'll connect you with a commercial cleaning team that serves Calgary. See our Calgary commercial cleaning page or send your details through the contact form.