How much does it cost to paint a house in 2026?
Cost breakdown
| Job type | Typical low | Typical high |
|---|---|---|
| Single bedroom, walls only | $400 | $850 |
| Kitchen (cutting-in around cabinets and tile) | $500 | $1,100 |
| Average room, national range | $300 | $1,000 |
| Whole-house interior repaint | $3,500 | $9,500 |
| Exterior, 2,000 sq ft home (most common) | $4,500 | $8,000 |
| Exterior, 2,000 sq ft home (full published range) | $3,000 | $10,000 |
| Interior, per square foot of floor area | $2 | $6 |
| Exterior, per square foot | $2 | $5 |
Interior: per room and per square foot
A single interior room runs $300 to $1,000 in 2026, with a national average around $624. Measured by area that is roughly $2 to $6 per square foot of floor space. Room type matters mostly through how much cutting-in there is: a plain bedroom lands at $400 to $850, while a kitchen with cabinets, tile and appliances to mask runs $500 to $1,100 for the same floor area. A whole-house interior repaint is $3,500 to $9,500 depending on size, ceiling height and how many colours are involved.
Exterior: what a whole house costs
Exterior painting on a typical 2,000 square foot home runs $3,000 to $10,000, most commonly landing between $4,500 and $8,000. Per square foot the range is $1.50 to $4.50, with one contractor-pricing source putting May 2026 at $2.20 to $4.37. The spread is driven by storeys, which add ladder and staging time, siding material, how much trim detail there is, and how much rotten wood or failed caulk has to be dealt with before any paint goes on.
Why published ranges disagree so much
You will find quotes as low as $1,800 and as high as $12,000 for what sounds like the same exterior job, and both can be honest. Some sources price only the paintable wall area; others price a complete project including pressure washing, scraping, priming, trim and standard materials. When comparing quotes the number that matters is not the headline price but what sits inside it: pressure washing, rotten-wood repair, caulking, priming bare spots, and how many coats. A cheap quote that excludes prep is not cheaper, it is a different job.
Labour is most of the bill
Labour accounts for 70% to 85% of a paint job. That is the single most useful thing to know when reading a quote, because it means upgrading from mid-range to premium paint changes the total far less than most homeowners expect, while a surface needing two days of scraping and priming changes it a great deal. Paint quality is worth paying for on exteriors and in wet rooms, where it buys years of service life; it is a smaller lever on a bedroom ceiling.
When DIY is realistic
One interior room with sound walls is a genuine weekend job: materials run $80 to $200 and the skill is mostly patience with tape and cutting-in. It stops being realistic when height, prep or scale enter. Stairwells and vaulted ceilings need staging most homeowners do not own. Exteriors involve ladders, weather timing and surface prep that decides whether the finish lasts three years or ten. Lead paint is a hard stop: homes built before 1978 can contain it, disturbing it is a health hazard, and testing before any sanding or scraping is the right first step.
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Find a handyman near you →Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to paint one room? ▾
$300 to $1,000, averaging about $624 nationally. A plain bedroom sits at the lower end; a kitchen or bathroom with a lot of cutting-in sits higher for the same floor area.
How much to paint the outside of a house? ▾
$3,000 to $10,000 for a typical 2,000 square foot home, most commonly $4,500 to $8,000. Storeys, siding type and prep condition move it more than floor area alone.
Why are painting quotes so different from each other? ▾
Because they are often not quoting the same work. Some price only paintable wall area; others include pressure washing, scraping, rotten-wood repair, caulking and priming. Ask each quote to itemise prep and number of coats, then compare those rather than the totals.
Does expensive paint actually save money? ▾
On exteriors and in bathrooms and kitchens, usually yes — it buys service life on surfaces that take weather or moisture. On a bedroom ceiling the difference is small. Since labour is 70–85% of the bill, repainting sooner costs far more than better paint would have.
Should I paint the ceiling at the same time? ▾
If the walls are being done and the ceiling has not been painted in years, doing both at once is much cheaper than a separate visit later — the setup, masking and travel are already paid for. Expect it to add roughly 20–40% to a room.
How long does painting a room take? ▾
About a day for a straightforward bedroom including prep and two coats. Add time for heavy patching, wallpaper removal, or high ceilings that need staging.
Do I need to be home while they paint? ▾
Not usually after the walkthrough, provided colours and finishes are agreed in writing first. Confirm sheen as well as colour — the same colour in matte and satin looks noticeably different once it is on the wall.
What about lead paint in an older home? ▾
Homes built before 1978 may contain lead paint, and sanding or scraping it is a genuine health hazard. Have it tested before any prep work begins. This is not a place to save money.
Sources
Figures on this page are billed rates paid by homeowners unless stated otherwise. Wage data measures what a worker earns and is not the same quantity as a billed rate.
- HomeGuide — Cost to paint the interior of a house: per room, per square foot, and whole-home ranges — accessed 2026-08-24
- HomeGuide — Cost to paint the exterior of a house — accessed 2026-08-24
- Angi — Cost to paint a room (2026 data) — accessed 2026-08-24
- Homewyse — Cost to paint a house exterior, May 2026 ($2.20–$4.37 per square foot) — accessed 2026-08-24