Mobile Barber Pricing Guide
Price mobile barbering above your shop rate, then add a travel fee on its own line to cover the time and fuel of coming to the client — flat within a zone, by distance beyond it. Price add-ons (beard, line-up) separately, quote group and event work per head, and set a standing rate for regulars. ShowTheReceipts saves your service and travel lines so every mobile invoice prices the same way twice.
Start above your shop rate
Mobile is a premium service. The client is paying for convenience — no drive, no wait, cut in their own kitchen. Your mobile base should sit above what the same cut costs in a shop, before travel is even added.
The travel fee is a line, not a secret
The mistake that kills mobile margins is folding travel into the haircut price. Keep them separate:
- Cut / service — your mobile base rate
- Travel fee — flat within a radius, by distance beyond
- Add-ons — beard trim, line-up, hot towel, each priced on its own
A visible travel line is normal. A quietly inflated haircut price is what makes clients shop around.
Price the drive, not just the cut
| Situation | How to price it |
|---|---|
| In-zone house call | Base rate + flat travel |
| Out-of-zone | Base rate + distance-based travel |
| Group / event | Per head + one travel fee for the trip |
| Regular | Standing rate + travel (the drive still costs) |
Regulars: predictable, still profitable
Set a standing rate for recurring clients and bill it on their interval so the price never becomes a negotiation. Just keep the travel fee — the fuel doesn’t get cheaper because you like them.
What not to do
- Don’t match your shop price for a service that costs you a drive
- Don’t hide the travel fee inside the cut
- Don’t charge travel per person on a group booking — charge it once
- Don’t waive travel for regulars; hold the rate instead
Frequently asked questions
How much should I charge for a mobile haircut?
More than a shop cut — you're bringing the shop to them. Start from your chair rate and add a travel fee that covers the round trip and the time you can't book anyone else. Undercharging because you 'have no overhead' ignores the fuel, the drive, and the slot you gave up.
How do I price the travel fee?
Flat within a set radius, by distance beyond it. Put it on the invoice as its own line so the client sees the cut price and the travel cost separately — a visible travel fee reads as normal; a padded haircut price reads as expensive.
Should regulars get a different price?
You can set a standing rate for recurring clients and bill it on their interval, but keep the travel fee — the drive costs the same whether it's their first cut or their fiftieth. Predictable pricing for regulars is what makes the standing appointment worth keeping.
How do I price group or event cuts?
Per head, with one travel fee for the trip rather than one per person. A wedding party or an office day is several cuts on a single visit — price each cut normally and charge travel once.