Interior Painting Cost Calculator

What professional interior painting costs by area and scope — and the honest comparison against doing it yourself.

Your project

Finish level

Estimated total cost

$6,900 – $12,075

1,500 sq ft · Mid-range · National average

$5 – $8 per sq ft

Materials
$1,200 – $2,100
Labour
$4,680 – $8,190
Permits & fees
$120 – $210
Contingency (15%)
$900 – $1,575
Typical timeline
1–3 weeks of active work
  • National average pricing. Pick your region to adjust for local labour rates.
  • This is a planning range, not a quote. Get three itemised bids and compare the scope line by line — the cheapest bid is usually the one that left something out.

What the estimate includes

  • Two coats on walls
  • Standard patching and caulking
  • Masking, drop cloths and cleanup
  • Ceilings and trim at mid-range and above

What it does not include

  • Wallpaper removal
  • Significant drywall repair or skim coating
  • Lead-safe practices on pre-1978 homes
  • Cabinet refinishing, which is priced separately

What actually moves the price

  • Painting is labour, not paint — roughly 80% of the invoice. That is why DIY saves so much here and so little on, say, a roof.
  • Preparation. Patching, sanding, caulking and priming is most of the work and all of the difference between a good job and a cheap one.
  • Ceilings, trim and doors each roughly add to the wall price. A quote 'per square foot' means very different things depending on what is in it — make the scope explicit.

How these estimates are built

  • Base costs are typical 2025–2026 US pricing per square foot at each finish level, drawn from national remodelling cost surveys and contractor bid data.
  • Your region multiplies that base — coastal metros run 30–40% above the national average and rural markets 15–20% below, almost entirely on labour rates.
  • The contingency is added on top of the base range rather than taken out of it, because that is how the money actually behaves on a job site.
  • The materials, labour and permit split shows how the mid-point of the range typically divides. It is a way to read a bid, not a second estimate.
  • Resale recoup figures follow national cost-versus-value patterns. No renovation returns more than it costs — treat the figure as a partial rebate on something you are buying for yourself.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to paint a house interior?

$2–$4 per square foot of floor area for walls only, $4–$7 including ceilings and trim, and $7–$12 for high ceilings, heavy prep or premium finishes. A 1,500 sq ft house is therefore roughly $3,000–$10,500 professionally painted.

Is it cheaper to paint yourself?

Substantially — labour is about 80% of a painting invoice, so DIY on a 1,500 sq ft house saves several thousand dollars for materials of a few hundred. It is the highest-value DIY job in the house, and the one where careful prep matters most.

How much does it cost to paint one room?

$300–$800 for a standard 12 × 12 ft bedroom, walls only, professionally painted. Add $100–$250 for the ceiling and $150–$400 for trim and doors depending on how much there is.

Before you commit the budget, see it finished

Upload a photo and generate photorealistic versions of the finished space in any style. It is far cheaper to change your mind here than after the cabinets arrive.

Visualise the finished space

Material calculators for this project

Paint CalculatorEnter your room size and get the exact number of gallons to buy — walls, ceiling, and trim, adjusted for coats and openings.Wallpaper CalculatorWork out rolls from your wall dimensions and pattern repeat — the repeat is what most calculators ignore and what most people run short on.Baseboard & Trim CalculatorLinear footage and how many sticks of trim that actually means once you allow for mitre waste and doorways.

Related projects

Flooring InstallationInstalled flooring costs by area, material and region — LVP through hardwood, including subfloor prep and old-floor removal.Kitchen RemodelWhat a kitchen actually costs by size, finish level and region — with the cabinet, labour and permit split that the headline number hides.Whole-House RenovationGut renovation and whole-house remodel costs by square footage, finish level and region — the number to know before you buy the fixer-upper.