How much does it cost to paint a house?
The short answer is that it depends on size and how many rooms, more than almost anything else. A few rooms in a small condo and a full repaint of a large two-story home are both "house painting," but the work and the price are not in the same world. That is why a single flat number you find online is usually misleading.
We could print a national range for each of these. We have decided not to, and the reason is worth a sentence: almost every range you can find for painting traces back to two or three lead-generation sites that quote each other, so five results agreeing is one source repeated five times. A number we cannot stand behind is worse to you than no number.
So below is what a painter is actually deciding on, split into interior and exterior, plus the add-ons people forget to budget for. Local labor rates and paint quality still move things, but they move things less than the two lines almost nobody mentions when they call: ceiling height, and whether trim is in scope.
What real businesses are asking for this work
These are not a national average and we have not turned them into one. Each line is one price, from one named source, on a date, for the job described next to it. Every one is a link you can open and check.
And most of them are asking prices rather than invoices: 7 that a business advertises. That difference matters, so each one says which it is and they are grouped with the strongest evidence first.
They are here because it is the honest version of a price guide: a few real figures you can check beat a wide range nobody can defend. Read them as a handful of data points, not as what your job will cost.
Interior repainting
Prices businesses advertise
What a business asks for the work on its own public price list. A starting price rather than a final one, and the most common kind of figure you will find anywhere.
Standard ceiling height
- $280 to $47510 by 10 bedroom, 8 foot ceiling, walls only, two coats, Spring 2026A franchise price book lists in Fairfax-Prince William VA, March 2026. Source.
- $440 to $52512 by 15 living room, 8 foot ceiling, walls only, two coats, Spring 2026A franchise price book lists in Fairfax-Prince William VA, March 2026. Source.
- $600 to $700Bathroom 6×9×8 ftA contractor publishes in Central Illinois, August 2026. Source.
- $600 to $800Living roomA contractor publishes in North Bergen County, NJ, August 2026. Source.
- $774 to $1,375Bedroom, small 110, 216 sq ftA contractor publishes in Greenwich / Fairfield County, CT, August 2026. Source.
- $600 to $1,200Single bedroom, 120, 180 sq ft roomA contractor publishes in Bellingham / Whatcom County, WA, July 2026. Source.
- $760 to $36,000Interior painting projectA contractor publishes in Portland metro, OR, August 2026. Source.
7 observations, collected by hand and kept in the open. Prices move, sources get edited, and a figure from last winter may not hold today. If one of these is wrong or out of date, tell us and we will fix it: support@tonovoice.com.
Want this for your own job? Answer a few questions and work out what yours should cost. It is free, and there is nothing to sign up for.
House painting costs at a glance
Interior painting: by the room or the whole home
If you only need a space or two refreshed, it is priced per room and the ceiling height matters more than the floor area. A simple bedroom with smooth walls and a single, similar color is quick. A large living room with vaulted ceilings, an accent wall, and detailed trim takes far more time and material, which is why the same "one room" line covers such a wide range.
For a full interior, it tracks square footage and the number of rooms first, and how much prep the walls need after that. The two things that move that number most are square footage and the number of rooms, since each room means more cutting in, more masking, and more setup. After that, ceilings, drywall patching, and a switch from a dark color to a light one all add coats and labor. Painting over a deep red or navy with a soft white often needs an extra coat, and sometimes a primer, before the new color looks even.
Exterior painting: size, stories, and siding
A two-story exterior is a substantially larger job than a single story, and the reason is access rather than area: ladders, scaffolding, and the peaks and gables. The jump for the second story is mostly access. Painters spend more time on ladders and scaffolding, and reaching peaks, gables, and trim under the roofline is slower and more careful work.
Siding matters just as much. Smooth lap siding goes quickly. Stucco, brick, and rough or weathered wood drink up more paint and need more prep, like scraping, sanding, and sealing, before any color goes on. A home that has not been painted in fifteen years will need more of that prep than one repainted five years ago, and prep is where a lot of the real cost hides.
Common add-ons people forget to budget
What moves a painting price up or down
Size and number of rooms
This is the single biggest driver. More square footage and more separate rooms mean more setup, more cutting in, and more coats, no matter how simple each color is.
Ceiling height and stories
High ceilings and second stories mean ladders, scaffolding, and slower, more careful work. Reaching peaks and stairwells is where a lot of exterior and interior time goes.
Prep and repairs
Scraping old paint, sanding, patching drywall, caulking, and priming all happen before the color does. An older or worn surface needs far more prep, and prep is real labor.
Colors and big changes
One color is faster than five. Going from a dark wall to a light one usually needs an extra coat or a primer, which adds material and time to every room it touches.
Siding and surface type
On the outside, stucco, brick, and rough wood take more paint and prep than smooth siding. On the inside, texture and old finishes change how many coats you need.
Occupied vs empty home
An empty home lets painters move fast with nothing to cover. An occupied home needs masking, furniture moved and protected, and more care, which adds time and cost.
Stop guessing. Get a real number for your home.
A guide can tell you what decides the price, but your rooms, ceilings and siding are specific. Tono is not open for painting businesses yet. When it is, a painting business using it will answer your price question in minutes, in their own words, instead of leaving you waiting for a callback.
Run a painting business? See how Tono quotes for you →
House painting cost FAQ
How much does it cost to paint a whole house interior in 2026?
We do not publish a national figure for this, because the ranges circulating online come from lead-generation sites that quote each other, and a number we cannot stand behind is worse to you than no number. It tracks square footage and the number of rooms first, then how much prep the walls need, then whether hallways, trim and ceilings are included.
What does it cost to paint the exterior of a house?
A two-story exterior is a substantially larger job than a single story, and the reason is access rather than area. The price depends on size, how many stories, and your siding. Stucco, brick, and rough wood take more material and labor than smooth siding.
How much does it cost to paint one room?
One interior room is priced by ceiling height and how much trim and ceiling work is in scope, rather than by floor area alone. A small bedroom with smooth walls is quick. A large living room with high ceilings, accent walls, and trim and ceiling work is a different job.
Is it cheaper to paint a house when it is empty?
Usually, yes. An empty home lets painters move fast with no furniture to cover or shift, so labor goes down. An occupied home takes more masking, protection, and care, which adds time and cost.
How much does it cost to paint kitchen cabinets?
Cabinet painting is priced by how many doors and drawers you have and whether the work is sprayed for a smooth factory-style finish. It is a separate, detailed job from wall painting.
Why won't painters give one flat price?
Because the price depends heavily on size and number of rooms, ceiling height, prep and repairs, and how many colors you use. Two homes that look similar from the curb can need very different amounts of work, so a real quote always beats a single flat number.
Run a painting business?
Customers ask what it costs all day, and the first clear answer usually wins the job. Tono will answer them in your voice, with a price built from your own rates, while the lead is still warm. Tono prices plumbing, HVAC, electrical and roofing today, and yours is not open yet. We would rather say that than take your details and let you find out at the signup button. Leave your email and we will tell you when your trade is next.
Founding rate for the first 20 businesses. No card, and nothing is ever sent to a customer without your approval.
Why this page has no price on it. It used to. The ranges were ours in the sense that we wrote them down, and they came from nowhere we could point at, which we only found when we went looking for the source. Almost every price range you can find for this work traces back to two or three lead-generation sites that quote each other, so five results agreeing is one source repeated five times. We are not willing to republish that and call it research, and we are not willing to print a number you would take to a tradesperson and be told it means nothing.
What we put here instead. For each job, the one thing that actually decides which end of the price you land on. That we do know, from building the questions a quoting engine has to ask, and it is the more useful half. A range you cannot use tells you nothing. Knowing which single question the price turns on lets you answer it before you are asked, and get a real number back in about a minute.
They are not what Tono prices with. When a business runs its quotes through Tono, every price comes from that business's own rate sheet. Nothing on this page feeds into it.
Written and maintained by the Tono team. Updated August 2026. If a number here looks wrong to you, tell us and we will fix it: support@tonovoice.com.