Interior painting cost per square foot
| Scope | Installed price | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Walls only, two coats | $1.50–$3.50 | Two coats on the walls, ceilings and trim left as they are |
| Walls, ceilings and trim | $3–$6 | Walls, ceilings, baseboards and window and door trim |
All four guides we read quote whole-house painting per square foot of floor area, which is how the table above is built. Some painters quote per square foot of wall surface instead, which is a smaller number, so ask which one your quote uses. The calculator takes your floor area and the scope and applies your state's labor costs.
Cost to paint a room
| Room | Walls only | Walls, ceiling and trim |
|---|---|---|
| Small bedroom, 10 by 10 ft (100 sq ft) | $150–$350 | $300–$600 |
| Bedroom, 12 by 12 ft (144 sq ft) | $220–$500 | $430–$860 |
| Large bedroom, 14 by 14 ft (200 sq ft) | $300–$700 | $600–$1,200 |
| Living room, 15 by 20 ft (300 sq ft) | $450–$1,050 | $900–$1,800 |
| Open living area, 20 by 20 ft (400 sq ft) | $600–$1,400 | $1,200–$2,400 |
Cost to paint a whole house
| Home size | Walls only | Walls, ceilings and trim |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 sq ft | $1,500–$3,500 | $3,000–$6,000 |
| 1,500 sq ft | $2,250–$5,250 | $4,500–$9,000 |
| 2,000 sq ft | $3,000–$7,000 | $6,000–$12,000 |
| 2,500 sq ft | $3,750–$8,750 | $7,500–$15,000 |
| 3,000 sq ft | $4,500–$10,500 | $9,000–$18,000 |
The guides disagree more on interior painting than on most jobs. Their whole-house averages range from about $2,000 (Angi) to $4,750 (Forbes Home) to $7,500 (HomeGuide), because they count different scopes and home sizes. The ranges here follow the per-square-foot prices all of them publish, which is why they are wide.
What changes the price
- Scope. Ceilings, baseboards, window trim and doors each add labor. The second column above includes ceilings and trim.
- Prep and repairs. Patching holes, sanding, caulking and priming take time. Heavy repairs are billed separately by most painters.
- Surface and height. Textured walls take more paint and time, and high ceilings, stairwells and tall walls need scaffolding or ladders.
- Color change. Going from dark to light usually needs a primer and an extra coat.
- Paint quality. Paint is a small part of the bill. Labor is 70% to 95% of it, so premium paint adds relatively little.
- Where you live. The calculator adjusts the labor share for your state's painter wages.
Extras to expect
| Item | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Kitchen cabinets | $900–$3,800 |
Questions to ask before you hire
- Does the quote include ceilings, trim and doors, or only the walls?
- How many coats are included, and is primer included?
- Who buys the paint, and which brand and finish is in the price?
- Is wall repair, caulking and furniture moving included?
- How long will the job take, and can you stay in the house?
Methodology and sources
We price each scope per square foot from four published guides, take the middle of their lows, midpoints and highs, and adjust the labor share for your state's painter wages. Cabinet painting is priced separately. Read how we estimate costs.
- Angi: interior painting cost — per square foot, labor share, doors and trim
- HomeGuide: interior painting cost — whole-house table, rooms, cabinets, labor share
- Forbes Home: interior house painting cost — per square foot, doors, cabinets
- Fixr: cost to paint a room — walls only and full-room prices by room size
- This Old House: interior painting cost — used as an independent cross-check of the whole-house totals
- BLS OEWS May 2025, State (SOC 47-2141, Painters) — state labor index
What each source reports
Our estimate does not rely on any single page. This table lists each page we used and the figures it reports, so you can see where the ranges come from.
| Source | What it reports |
|---|---|
| Fixr |
|
| Angi |
|
| HomeGuide |
|
| Forbes Home |
|
Common questions about interior painting costs
How much does interior painting cost?
A typical job (1,500 sq ft, walls, ceilings and trim) comes to about $6,380 nationally, within a range of $4,500 to $9,000. Use the calculator above to adjust for your state, the options you choose and any extras.
How much does it cost to paint the inside of a house?
Painters price by square foot of floor area. Walls only costs about $1.50–$3.50 per square foot, and walls with ceilings and trim about $3–$6 per square foot. For a 1,500 sq ft home that is $2,250–$5,250 for walls only and $4,500–$9,000 with ceilings and trim.
How much does it cost to paint a room?
A 12 by 12 foot room is 144 sq ft of floor. Painting the walls only costs about $220–$500, and walls, ceiling and trim about $430–$860. A larger 15 by 20 foot room is $900–$1,800 with everything.
What is the interior painting cost per square foot?
About $1.50–$3.50 per square foot of floor area for walls only and $3–$6 for walls, ceilings and trim. Some quotes use square feet of wall surface instead, which gives a smaller number per square foot, so check which one your quote means.
How much does it cost to paint a 2,000 sq ft house interior?
About $6,000–$12,000 for walls, ceilings and trim, or $3,000–$7,000 for walls only. Two-story homes, high ceilings and lots of trim push it toward the top.
How much does it cost to paint a 1,000 sq ft apartment or small home?
About $3,000–$6,000 with ceilings and trim, or $1,500–$3,500 for walls only.
How much does it cost to paint interior doors, trim and ceilings?
The 'walls, ceilings and trim' price above already includes ceilings and trim, so you do not add them again. Doors are usually quoted separately, so ask for a price per door.
How much does it cost to paint kitchen cabinets?
Painting kitchen cabinets costs about $900–$3,800 for a typical kitchen.
How much of the cost is labor?
Most of it. Angi puts labor at 75% to 95% of the total and HomeGuide at 70% to 85%, which is why the price barely changes with the brand of paint and does change with your state's wages.
Where do these prices come from?
They come from 4 published cost pages from 4 publishers, last checked Oct 8, 2026. We report what those pages say and do not invent figures; the table above shows each source.
How does my state change the estimate?
The labor part of the price is scaled by the average wage for the relevant trade in your state, using Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Materials and equipment are not adjusted.
Why might a contractor's quote differ from this estimate?
A quote reflects your specific scope, access, local demand and what the contractor includes. Ask for line items rather than a single total so you can compare bids on the same basis.
All 4 sources behind these prices
Every figure in the calculator comes from one or more of these pages, with the number each one supports in the link text.
- Fixr: walls only $1.50-$3.50 per sq ft of floor area, e.g. a 144 sq ft room $215-$505 (updated Jan 2025)
- Angi: painting alone averages $2.75 per sq ft (updated Jul 2026)
- HomeGuide: whole-house table $3-$4 per sq ft, e.g. 2,000 sq ft $6,000-$8,000 (page undated, byline Aug 2023)
- Forbes Home: $3.25-$7.75 per sq ft for a whole interior (audited Oct 2024)