Cost to Paint Interior of House: 2026 Prices per Sq Ft and Room
The cost to paint interior of house is typically $2–6 per sq ft of floor area in the US in 2026, so a 1,500 sq ft home runs about $3,000–9,000 with a pro. Here are room prices, paint costs and how to read a quote.
Part of our guide: Interior House Paint Ideas: Color Schemes & Room Paint Design
Key takeaways
- Professional interior painting typically costs $2–6 per sq ft of floor area: the low end for walls only, the high end with ceilings, trim and doors
- Labor is 70–85 percent of a painting quote, so prep, room count and wall condition move the price far more than the paint brand
- Paint itself costs about $25–90 a gallon; one gallon covers 350–400 sq ft of wall per coat
- Get three itemized quotes that list coats, products, surfaces and prep, and compare them line by line
The cost to paint interior of house in the US typically runs $2–6 per square foot of floor area in 2026, including labor and paint. Walls only sit near $2–3.50; walls, ceilings, trim and doors push toward $4–6. A 1,500 sq ft (139 m²) home therefore costs about $3,000–9,000 with a professional crew, or $400–1,000 in materials if you do it yourself.
Those are typical national ranges, not a quote: big-city labor and older homes with repairs land higher, small towns and empty new-build rooms lower. If you are still choosing colors and finishes, start with our interior painting ideas; this guide is about what the work costs and how to price it before a painter walks through the door.
- Per square foot of floor: $2–6 typical, depending on what gets painted.
- Per square foot of wall: about $1–3 for labor and materials, two coats.
- Per room: $400–1,000 for a 12 × 12 ft (3.7 × 3.7 m) bedroom, walls only.
- Labor rate: roughly $40–80 per painter-hour in most US markets.
- Paint: $25–90 per gallon; most homes need 1 gallon per 350–400 sq ft of wall per coat.
How much does interior painting cost per square foot?
Interior painting cost per sq ft averages $2–6 of floor area, or $1–3 per sq ft of actual wall surface, and the gap between those two numbers is what confuses most homeowners. Painters quote both ways, so ask which one you are looking at.
Floor-area pricing is a shortcut. A 1,500 sq ft home with 8 ft (2.4 m) ceilings has roughly 3,500–4,500 sq ft of wall surface once you subtract windows and doors, so a painting rate per square feet of wall at $1.50 lands near $5,000–6,500. Wall-area pricing is more accurate, and it is how a good estimator actually builds the number. Our square footage guide shows how to measure both.
| Scope | Painting price per square foot of floor (typical) | What is included |
|---|---|---|
| Walls only, 2 coats | $2.00–3.50 | Light prep, patching small holes, cutting in, two coats |
| Walls and ceilings | $3.00–4.50 | Adds flat ceiling paint, more masking and drop cloths |
| Walls, ceilings, trim and doors | $4.00–6.00 | Adds enamel on baseboards, casings and door slabs |
| Full repaint with color change and repairs | $5.50–8.00+ | Primer coat, drywall repair, dark-to-light changes, high ceilings |
All figures are typical US ranges for 2026 from residential painting contractors. Treat the high end as normal in expensive metro areas and for homes built before 1978, where lead-safe practices add cost.
How much does it cost to paint the interior of a house by size?
The price to paint interior of house scales with floor area, but not perfectly: smaller homes cost more per square foot because setup, kitchens and bathrooms take the same time regardless. Use this table as a planning range for a walls-only job and a full job.
| Home size | Approx. wall area | Walls only (typical) | Walls, ceilings and trim (typical) | Paint needed, 2 coats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 sq ft (93 m²) | 2,500–3,000 sq ft | $2,000–3,500 | $4,000–6,000 | 14–17 gallons |
| 1,500 sq ft (139 m²) | 3,500–4,500 sq ft | $3,000–5,250 | $6,000–9,000 | 20–25 gallons |
| 2,000 sq ft (186 m²) | 4,500–5,500 sq ft | $4,000–7,000 | $8,000–12,000 | 25–30 gallons |
| 2,500 sq ft (232 m²) | 5,500–6,800 sq ft | $5,000–8,750 | $10,000–15,000 | 30–38 gallons |
| 3,000 sq ft (279 m²) | 6,500–8,000 sq ft | $6,000–10,500 | $12,000–18,000 | 36–45 gallons |
So the cost to paint 1500 sq ft house interior is roughly $3,000–5,250 for walls and $6,000–9,000 for a full job with ceilings and trim. Gallon counts include walls only at about 375 sq ft per gallon per coat; add ceiling and trim paint separately. Our how much paint do I need guide breaks the arithmetic down room by room.
How much does it cost to paint a room?
A single room costs about $400–1,000 to paint walls only, and $700–1,800 with ceiling and trim, for a standard 12 × 12 ft bedroom with 8 ft ceilings. Painters often add a minimum charge of $300–600 for small jobs, so one room is the most expensive way to buy painting.
- Bedroom, 12 × 12 ft: $400–1,000 walls only; about 400 sq ft of wall.
- Living room, 16 × 20 ft (4.9 × 6.1 m): $800–2,000; more if there is a vaulted ceiling.
- Kitchen: $500–1,500 for walls, which are mostly cut-in around cabinets; cabinets are a separate $3,000–8,000 job.
- Bathroom: $300–800; small but slow because of fixtures and moisture-resistant paint.
- Hallway and stairwell: $500–1,800; tall stairwell walls need scaffolding or extension planks.
Cabinets are priced per door and box, not per square foot; our sibling guide to the best paint for cabinets covers that job, including DIY and pro costs.
How much does a gallon of paint cost?
A gallon of interior paint costs about $25–90 in the US in 2026: $25–40 for contractor grade, $40–60 for mid-range and $60–90 for premium lines. A quart runs $15–30, a sample pot $5–10 and a five-gallon pail $150–400.
| Paint grade | Gallon (typical) | 5-gallon pail (typical) | Coverage per gallon | Best use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contractor / builder grade | $25–40 | $110–180 | 300–350 sq ft | Rentals, closets, new drywall second coats |
| Mid-range acrylic | $40–60 | $180–275 | 350–400 sq ft | Most bedrooms and living areas |
| Premium acrylic | $60–90 | $275–400 | 350–400 sq ft, better one-coat hide | Kitchens, hallways, deep colors |
| Trim and cabinet enamel | $55–110 | $275–500 | 350–400 sq ft | Doors, baseboards, cabinets |
So how much is a can of paint really worth paying for? On a typical house, paint is only 15–30 percent of the bill. Upgrading 25 gallons from mid-range to premium adds roughly $500–750, which is small against a $6,000 job and often saves a coat on deep colors. House paint price matters more for DIY, where materials are almost the whole budget. For ceilings and woodwork, see our ceiling and trim paint guide.
What makes interior house painting rates go up?
Interior house painting rates rise with prep work, ceiling height, color changes and the amount of cutting-in, because each one adds labor hours, and labor is 70–85 percent of a typical quote. These are the factors that move a number the most.
- Wall condition: patching cracks, skim-coating or smoothing textured walls can add $1–3 per sq ft of wall.
- Ceiling height: above 10 ft (3 m) expect 15–40 percent more for ladders, planks and slower work.
- Dark-to-light or light-to-dark changes: add a primer coat or a third coat, about 20–35 percent more.
- Trim, doors and windows: $1–3 per linear foot of trim and $60–150 per door side, typical.
- Furnished rooms: moving and covering furniture adds hours; empty homes are cheapest.
- Pre-1978 homes: lead-safe certified work practices add containment and cleanup cost.
- Season and region: spring and pre-holiday months book up and price higher in many markets.
How do you estimate interior painting costs yourself?
Estimating interior painting costs comes down to measuring wall area, multiplying by coats and a realistic labor rate, then adding paint and supplies. This is the method we use to sanity-check a contractor's paint quote.
- Measure each room. Add the wall lengths, multiply by ceiling height, and subtract about 20 sq ft (1.9 m²) per door and 15 sq ft (1.4 m²) per window.
- Add ceilings and trim separately. Ceiling area equals floor area; trim is measured in linear feet.
- Calculate paint. Divide wall area by 375, multiply by the number of coats and round up to whole gallons. Or use our paint calculator.
- Estimate labor hours. An experienced painter covers roughly 150–250 sq ft of wall per hour including cutting in, less with heavy prep.
- Multiply by the local rate. Use $40–80 per hour, then add 10–20 percent for setup, cleanup and travel.
- Add supplies. Tape, plastic, rollers, filler and caulk typically run $100–300 for a whole house.
- Compare with quotes. If a bid is 40 percent below your estimate, ask what is being skipped.
DIY vs professional: is it cheaper to paint the interior yourself?
DIY is far cheaper in cash, about $0.40–1.00 per sq ft of floor area for materials, but it costs time: a 1,500 sq ft home is roughly 60–100 hours of work for an amateur, versus 3–5 days for a crew of two or three.
How much to paint a house yourself depends on how much you already own. Budget $150–300 for good brushes, rollers, an extension pole, drop cloths and a ladder if you are starting from zero. We recommend DIY for bedrooms and simple walls, and a professional for stairwells, ceilings over 10 ft, cabinets and whole-house color changes, where speed and a clean cut line show. A hybrid works well: hire a crew for ceilings and trim, then paint bedrooms yourself.
How we'd do it: getting a fair paint quote
We always get three itemized quotes and compare them line by line, because the cheapest bid is often missing a coat, the primer or the trim. A fair paint quote should list each room, the surfaces included, the product and sheen by name of type, the number of coats, the prep included and the payment schedule.
What a good paint quote includes
- Scope by room: walls, ceilings, trim, doors and closets listed separately, so you can drop or add items.
- Products: the paint grade, base type and sheen for each surface, plus whether primer is included.
- Coats: the number of finish coats, usually two, and where a third or a primer coat is planned.
- Prep: filling, sanding, caulking, drywall repair and furniture moving, with any hourly extras stated.
- Terms: start date, duration, deposit (typically 10–30 percent), warranty period and cleanup.
A quote that lists only a single total and "two coats" leaves too much room for argument halfway through the job.
The cost to repaint interior of house surfaces you have already painted is usually lower than a first paint on new drywall, which needs primer. Ask whether the painter is insured, whether touch-ups after move-in are included and who supplies paint; a contractor discount of 15–30 percent on paint is common and should be passed on or shown. In our experience the right choice is rarely the cheapest or most expensive bid, but the one whose scope you can read and verify.
Before you call anyone, measure your rooms and run them through our free paint calculator: you will know your gallons and wall area, which is the fastest way to judge whether a quote is fair.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to paint a house interior?
Painting a house interior typically costs $2–6 per square foot of floor area in the US in 2026. That puts a 1,500 sq ft home at about $3,000–5,250 for walls only and $6,000–9,000 with ceilings, trim and doors. Prep, ceiling height, color changes and local labor rates explain most of the spread.
How much does a gallon of paint cost?
A gallon of interior paint costs about $25–90 in 2026. Contractor-grade paint runs $25–40, mid-range $40–60 and premium $60–90, while trim and cabinet enamels can reach $110. One gallon covers roughly 350–400 sq ft per coat, so a typical bedroom needs about two gallons for two coats on the walls.
How much does it cost to paint a 1,500 sq ft house interior?
Expect roughly $3,000–5,250 to paint the walls of a 1,500 sq ft house interior, and $6,000–9,000 if ceilings, trim and doors are included. You will need about 20–25 gallons of wall paint for two coats. DIY materials for the same home typically cost $600–1,500 depending on paint grade.
Is it cheaper to paint a house yourself?
Yes, painting yourself costs roughly a quarter or less of a professional job in cash, mainly paint and supplies at $0.40–1.00 per sq ft of floor area. The trade-off is time: a whole house can take an amateur 60–100 hours. Most people save money on bedrooms and hire out ceilings, stairwells and trim.
How do painters calculate interior painting quotes?
Most painters measure wall area, count coats, estimate the labor hours from their production rate and multiply by an hourly rate of about $40–80, then add paint, supplies and overhead. Some quote per room or per square foot of floor as a shortcut. Ask for an itemized quote showing surfaces, coats, products and prep.
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