Resources
Security guard cost calculator: estimate the price of a guard post or patrol visits
Our security guard cost calculator turns a rough coverage plan into a monthly range. Pick an unarmed guard post or mobile patrol, enter your hours or visits, and see the estimate before you ask for a quote.
Estimate a month of guard coverage or patrol visits
Choose the kind of coverage you have in mind, fill in a few numbers about your schedule and the calculator returns a monthly range for an unarmed security guard or a mobile patrol route. It takes about a minute, and you can change any number to compare two plans side by side. The estimate uses the same hourly guard band and per-minute patrol pricing that our security guard rates guide sets out.
What the guard estimate needs from you
A guard estimate rests on three numbers. The first is how many guards you need on duty at the same time: one officer at a lobby desk, or two when a gatehouse and a loading dock both need someone. The second is the hours each day the post is staffed. The third is how many days a week the coverage runs.
The calculator multiplies those into guard-hours for the month, so a post that runs from six in the evening to six in the morning, five nights a week, is counted just like a daytime post with the same hours. Overnight and weekend hours carry the same weight in the estimate; your written quote reflects the actual shifts and can differ for late nights, weekends and holidays.
If you are unsure which hours to enter, our coverage hours planner walks through a normal week at your property and shows where a post usually earns its place. Enter that schedule here, then adjust it until the range fits your budget and your risk.
When the guard needs a vehicle
Some posts cannot be covered on foot. A campus with several buildings, a storage facility with long rows, a lot that stretches past the reach of a walking round or a fence line that needs to be driven all call for an officer with a vehicle. The same goes for a guard who has to check two separate parking areas or move between buildings during the shift.
Tick the vehicle box and the calculator adds the vehicle to each hour of the estimate. Leave it clear for a lobby, front desk, gatehouse or a compact site the officer can walk end to end.
Estimating mobile patrol by time on site
A patrol is priced by the minutes an officer spends on your property, so this part of the calculator asks for three things: visits each night, minutes per visit and nights each week. Every visit carries a five-minute minimum. A quick gate and lock check sits near that floor, while a route that walks a garage, a loading yard and a fence line needs more minutes for each stop.
Patrol suits a property whose risk is spread out or concentrated in the hours nobody is around: a closed office park, a self-storage site after the gate locks or a community with shared parking. A posted guard suits places where people need a person all shift, such as a busy entrance or a gate that stays open for late trucks. Our guide to mobile patrol or an on-site guard sets out the choice, and a daytime post can also share the work with night visits from our mobile patrol service. Each stop on a route is logged with a timestamp and photos in the patrol report.
What shapes your written quote
The calculator works from hours, visits and the vehicle box. A real quote also weighs the details of your property, and these are the ones that move it most:
- Post duties: visitor sign-in, vehicle checks, interior rounds or dock control, written into your post orders
- The size of the property and its history of break-ins, trespass or vandalism
- Your hours, including holidays and any coverage that runs around the clock
- The number of posts staffed at once
- How you want shift and incident reports delivered
- Special events and temporary needs, which are quoted on their own
One-off dates such as a tenant gathering call for event security, and a sprinkler or alarm outage brings in fire watch; neither belongs in a monthly estimate. For a closer look at how guard pricing is built, read our guide to security guard rates. Walking your own site with our security assessment checklist before you request a quote also helps you arrive at the right numbers.
Turning the estimate into a firm rate
Treat the range as a starting point for planning. The exact rate comes from a walkthrough of your property, and the on-site security review is free with a guard quote. During that visit we look at the entrances, lots and quiet hours behind your numbers and confirm the posts or patrol visits that cover them.
When the estimate looks right, use the button under the result to send it along with a quote request from this page, so your guards, hours, days and patrol visits arrive with the request. Coverage runs month to month, so the plan can grow or shrink once the reports show where officers are busy. You can also reach us through the contact page.
A few useful answers
Common questions
Do overnight and weekend hours cost more in the calculator?
No. The calculator counts every guard-hour the same way, day or night, weekday or weekend. The written quote follows your actual shifts, so late-night, weekend and holiday hours are priced there.
Why does the patrol estimate ask for minutes per visit?
Patrol is priced by the time an officer spends on site. A short gate check takes fewer minutes than a route through a garage, yard and fence line, and every visit counts as at least five minutes.
When should we tick the vehicle box?
Tick it when the guard has to cover a large property, several buildings or parking areas, or a perimeter that is too long to walk. Leave it clear for a lobby, desk or gatehouse post.
Is the calculator result the price we will pay?
The result is a planning range. Your rate is set after a walkthrough of the property, and the on-site security review is free with a guard quote.
Can we send our estimate with a quote request?
Yes. The button under the result sends your estimate and the numbers behind it with a quote request on this page.
How does the calculator work out a security guard’s cost per hour?
It applies the hourly band for an unarmed guard to every guard-hour you enter, adds the vehicle charge when the box is ticked and shows the month as a range. Our security guard rates guide lists the hourly figures for posts, patrols, events and fire watch.
What does mobile patrol cost in the calculator?
Patrol is priced by the minute an officer spends on your property, with a five-minute minimum on every visit. Enter visits a night, minutes a visit and nights a week to see the monthly range.