Rates
Painting cost per square foot
Interior painting costs roughly $0.49 per square foot of paintable surface, meaning actual wall and ceiling area. Quoted against floor area instead, the same job is about three times that per square foot. Confusing the two is the most common mistake in reading a painting quote.
Two different square feet
When a contractor prices your job, they measure surface: the walls and ceilings that will actually get paint on them. When a cost guide or a real estate listing talks about a 2,000 square foot house, that is floor area.
A typical home with eight foot ceilings has about 2.75 square feet of paintable interior surface for every square foot of floor. So a 2,000 square foot house is roughly 5,500 square feet of paint.
This is why published “per square foot” figures look wildly inconsistent. A guide quoting $2 to $6 per square foot is almost certainly talking about floor area. A contractor quoting under a dollar is talking about surface. Both can be describing the same job.
The same job, both ways
| 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.
Read that table by the column you need. The surface column is what a painter measures. The home size column is what you would call your house.
Exterior is a different rate again
Exterior work covers less area per hour, because the prep is heavier, the access is worse and the cut-in around trim and windows is fiddly. Exterior paint also costs more per gallon.
| 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.
How to use this when you get a quote
Ask which measurement the price is based on. If a contractor gives you a per square foot number, ask whether that is surface or floor, and ask how many coats it assumes. Those two questions will explain most of the difference between two quotes on the same house.
Related: what painting a house costs, what painters charge per hour, and the cost calculator for your own metro.
Common questions
How much does it cost to paint per square foot?
About $0.49 per square foot of actual wall and ceiling surface for interior work at the national average wage. Measured against floor area instead, the figure is roughly three times higher because a home has about 2.75 square feet of paintable surface per square foot of floor.
Why do painting cost per square foot figures vary so wildly online?
Because some sources measure floor area and some measure paintable surface, and almost none of them say which. The two differ by a factor of about 2.75 for a typical interior.
Is exterior painting more per square foot?
Yes. The same crew covers less area per hour outside because of prep, ladders and cutting in, and exterior grade paint costs more per gallon.
What this page does not tell you
- The 2.75 surface multiplier assumes eight foot ceilings and an ordinary layout.
- High ceilings, open plan spaces and stairwells all break that assumption.
- Per square foot pricing hides prep, which is the single biggest variable in a repaint.