Whole house
House painting cost
Painting a whole 2,000 square foot house inside and out costs roughly $2,150 to $3,200 for the interior plus $1,700 to $2,500 for the exterior at the national average painter wage. Done together, most contractors will price the combined job below the sum of the two.
Why doing both at once is cheaper
A contractor pricing two separate jobs carries two lots of mobilisation: quoting, scheduling, getting the crew and equipment to your address, and the administrative overhead of two contracts. Combined, that happens once.
The paint itself is bought in larger quantity, and a crew that is already on site for three weeks has no gap to price around. It is reasonable to ask for the combined job to come in below the two quoted separately, and most contractors will do it without being pushed hard.
Interior, by size
| Home size | Surface sq ft | Labour | Materials | Typical range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 sq ft | 2,750 | $846 | $495 | $1,050 to $1,600 |
| 1,500 sq ft | 4,125 | $1,268 | $743 | $1,600 to $2,400 |
| 2,000 sq ft | 5,500 | $1,691 | $990 | $2,150 to $3,200 |
| 2,500 sq ft | 6,875 | $2,114 | $1,238 | $2,700 to $4,000 |
| 3,000 sq ft | 8,250 | $2,537 | $1,485 | $3,200 to $4,850 |
| 4,000 sq ft | 11,000 | $3,382 | $1,980 | $4,300 to $6,450 |
At the national mean wage of $24.46/hr. Change job type or home size in the calculator.
Exterior, by size
| Home size | Surface sq ft | Labour | Materials | Typical range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 sq ft | 1,500 | $673 | $375 | $850 to $1,250 |
| 1,500 sq ft | 2,250 | $1,009 | $563 | $1,250 to $1,900 |
| 2,000 sq ft | 3,000 | $1,345 | $750 | $1,700 to $2,500 |
| 2,500 sq ft | 3,750 | $1,682 | $938 | $2,100 to $3,150 |
| 3,000 sq ft | 4,500 | $2,018 | $1,125 | $2,500 to $3,750 |
| 4,000 sq ft | 6,000 | $2,691 | $1,500 | $3,350 to $5,050 |
At the national mean wage of $24.46/hr. Change job type or home size in the calculator.
Sequencing
Exterior work is weather dependent and interior work is not, so the usual order is exterior first in the good season, interior afterwards. If you are moving in, get the interior done while the house is empty. Painting an empty house is faster, cheaper and produces a better finish than working around furniture.
By metro
| Metro | Mean wage | Labour | Typical range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | $29.71 | $2,054 | $2,450 to $3,650 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City | $33.62 | $2,325 | $2,650 to $4,000 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach | $24.33 | $1,682 | $2,150 to $3,200 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin | $34.00 | $2,351 | $2,650 to $4,000 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont | $33.91 | $2,345 | $2,650 to $4,000 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue | $30.00 | $2,074 | $2,450 to $3,700 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands | $22.63 | $1,565 | $2,050 to $3,050 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | $22.47 | $1,554 | $2,050 to $3,050 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria | $26.73 | $1,848 | $2,250 to $3,400 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | $28.76 | $1,989 | $2,400 to $3,550 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler | $25.98 | $1,796 | $2,250 to $3,350 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario | $27.35 | $1,891 | $2,300 to $3,450 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro | $27.08 | $1,872 | $2,300 to $3,450 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington | $27.79 | $1,921 | $2,350 to $3,500 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton | $31.21 | $2,158 | $2,500 to $3,800 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater | $23.16 | $1,601 | $2,050 to $3,100 |
| Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas | $29.38 | $2,031 | $2,400 to $3,650 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford | $22.11 | $1,529 | $2,000 to $3,000 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington | $29.01 | $2,006 | $2,400 to $3,600 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom | $30.24 | $2,091 | $2,450 to $3,700 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara | $33.30 | $2,302 | $2,650 to $3,950 |
| St. Louis | $30.15 | $2,085 | $2,450 to $3,700 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn | $28.48 | $1,969 | $2,350 to $3,550 |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos | $22.59 | $1,562 | $2,050 to $3,050 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial | $28.70 | $1,984 | $2,400 to $3,550 |
Ranked by how many painters work in each metro. Metros with their own page are linked.
Related: interior painting cost, exterior painting cost, painter hourly rates, and the calculator.
Common questions
How much does it cost to paint a whole house?
For a 2,000 square foot home at the national average painter wage, roughly $2,150 to $3,200 inside and $1,700 to $2,500 outside. Booked together the combined price is usually below the sum of the two.
Should I paint inside and outside at the same time?
It is generally cheaper, because mobilisation and admin happen once instead of twice. Exterior is weather dependent so it normally goes first.
Is it cheaper to paint a house before moving in?
Yes, noticeably. An empty house is faster to paint, needs less masking and protection, and produces a better finish.
What this page does not tell you
- Interior and exterior figures are modelled separately and simply added here.
- The combined discount is a negotiating observation, not a modelled number.
- Excludes repairs, wallpaper removal, lead-safe work and scaffolding.