House Painting Cost: Interior & Exterior Guide

Paint is the highest-impact, lowest-cost way to refresh a home, but “cheap” is relative when you’re covering a whole house. Professional painting typically runs $2 to $6 per square foot of surface area. Interior painting for a whole home commonly costs $3,000 to $8,000, and an exterior repaint $3,000 to $10,000+, depending on size, condition, and the number of stories.

Here’s how interior and exterior painting costs break down, what drives the price, and how to get a quality finish for less. These are typical national ranges that vary with prep work, paint grade, and local labor. For real numbers, see the ServiceGoat Cost Guides or get matched with local painters below.

Interior painting cost

Interior pricing is often quoted per room or per square foot of floor area. Ceilings, trim, and doors are usually priced separately.

Interior job	Typical cost
Single bedroom	$350 to $900
Living room	$600 to $1,500
Whole-home interior (avg home)	$3,000 to $8,000
Trim & baseboards (per room)	$150 to $400
Ceiling (per room)	$150 to $500

Exterior painting cost

Exterior job	Typical cost
Single-story home	$3,000 to $7,000
Two-story home	$5,000 to $12,000
Trim & accents only	$1,000 to $3,000
Deck or fence staining	$1 to $3 per sq ft

What drives the cost

• Square footage: More wall and ceiling area means more paint and labor.
• Prep work: Patching, sanding, caulking, and priming can be a third of the job on older surfaces.
• Surface condition: Peeling paint, water damage, or stucco repair adds time.
• Paint grade: Premium paints cost more per gallon but cover better and last longer.
• Height and access: Two-story exteriors, vaulted ceilings, and tricky access raise labor.
• Number of colors and detail: Accent walls, trim contrast, and fine detail add hours.

Cost breakdown

Painting is labor-heavy: expect 70 to 85% labor and 15 to 30% materials. The paint itself is a small slice; you’re paying for prep and skilled application, which is exactly where a good finish is won or lost. Cheap quotes often cut prep, fewer coats, skipped priming, which shows within a year or two.

Example projects

Repainting a 3-bedroom interior

Walls, ceilings, and trim throughout an average 1,800 sq ft home typically run $4,000 to $7,000, depending on color changes and trim detail.

Exterior repaint of a two-story home

With moderate prep and a quality paint, a two-story exterior commonly costs $6,000 to $11,000, more if there’s significant scraping or siding repair.

How to save on painting

• Do your own prep where you can, moving furniture, light patching, and cleaning walls saves labor hours.
• Paint fewer colors. One or two colors throughout is faster and cheaper than a custom palette per room.
• Schedule exterior work in the dry season for better results and availability.
• Get three quotes and confirm the number of coats and prep steps in writing.
• Invest in good paint. A higher-grade paint that lasts 10 years beats a cheap one you redo in three.

More cost guides: ServiceGoat Cost Guides · Roof Replacement Cost · Kitchen Remodel Cost

Get matched with a Hampton Roads pro

Numbers only take you so far. When you are ready for a real quote on your own house, ServiceGoat routes the project to one vetted local specialist instead of five. See Hampton Roads exterior pros, run the cost estimator, or browse all cost guides and Goat Vetted pros.