Painting is the cheapest way to transform a home — but professional painting costs surprise a lot of homeowners. In 2026, interior painting costs $2 to $6 per square foot of home floor space, while exterior painting runs $1.80 to $3.80 per square foot for a single-story home. For a typical 1,500 sq ft home, that means $3,000 to $9,000 for a full interior repaint and $2,700 to $5,700 for the exterior.
Most of what you pay for is labor and prep, not paint. Paint itself is usually only 20–30% of the total. A quality job includes patching holes, sanding, caulking gaps, priming stains, and careful masking — skip the prep and the paint fails years early. Two coats is the industry standard for a lasting finish. As a rule of thumb, you’ll need about one gallon of paint per 350–400 sq ft of surface per coat, and the calculator below estimates your total gallons for two coats.
Exterior costs climb with height: a two-story home costs roughly 25% more than a one-story home of the same size, because scaffolding, ladders, and slower production all add labor hours. A three-story home adds about 45%. Paint quality matters too — premium paints cost 15–30% more but hold their color longer and resist mildew, which pays off on exteriors and high-traffic interiors.
Get at least three quotes, and make sure each one specifies the same prep scope, primer, and number of coats — otherwise you’re comparing apples to oranges. Be wary of bids far below the calculator’s range: they usually mean skipped prep, thinned paint, or uninsured labor.
House Painting Cost Calculator
Estimate 2026 interior and exterior painting costs for your home.
Average house painting costs in 2026
| Project (1,500 sq ft home) | Typical 2026 range |
|---|---|
| Interior, full repaint | $3,000 – $9,000 |
| Exterior, 1 story | $2,700 – $5,700 |
| Exterior, 2 stories | $3,400 – $7,150 |
| Interior + exterior | $5,700 – $14,700 |
How this calculator works
Choose your project type (interior, exterior, or both), enter your home’s square footage, then select stories and paint quality. The calculator applies 2026 per-square-foot rates — about $2 to $6 per sq ft for interiors and $1.80 to $3.80 per sq ft for exteriors — then adjusts for height (two stories adds about 25%, three stories about 45%) and paint quality (mid-grade adds about 15%, premium about 30%). Results are rounded to the nearest $50 and shown as a range, along with an estimate of how many gallons you’ll need for two coats.
What affects your cost
Prep work is the biggest variable: scraping, patching, and priming damaged surfaces adds real labor hours. Height comes next — multi-story exteriors cost more for scaffolding and slower production. Paint quality, the amount of trim, ceilings, and doors included, color changes (dramatic changes need extra coats), and regional labor rates all move the final number.
How much does it cost to paint a house interior in 2026?
Expect $2 to $6 per square foot of floor space, so a 1,500 sq ft home typically costs $3,000 to $9,000 for a full interior repaint with two coats.
How much paint will I need?
Plan on about one gallon per 350–400 sq ft of painted surface per coat. The calculator above estimates your total gallons for two coats based on your home size and project type.
Is premium paint worth the extra cost?
Usually yes for exteriors and high-traffic interiors. Premium paint costs 15–30% more but covers better, holds color longer, and resists mildew — which means fewer repaints over time.
How long does exterior paint last?
Five to ten years, depending on climate, sun exposure, surface prep, and paint quality. Homes in harsh sun or coastal climates sit at the shorter end of that range.
Detailed interior painting cost guides
For a closer look at how home size changes the total, see our guides to the cost to paint a 1500 sq ft house interior, the cost to paint a 2000 sq ft house interior, and the cost to paint a 3000 sq ft house interior — each one breaks down labor, materials, and prep work for that home size.
For a deeper breakdown, see our guides to interior house painting cost per square foot, the cost to paint the exterior of a 1,000 sq ft house, exterior house painting cost by home size and siding, and exterior paint cost per gallon.