Paint Cost Calculator: What Painting Really Costs
Painting looks like the cheapest way to transform a room, right up until the quotes land. One painter charges by the room, another by the square foot, a third bundles the ceilings in and hopes you will not ask. This paint cost calculator cuts through that: tell it the floor area and the going rate, and it prices a professional job honestly — or switch to DIY and price the paint and supplies alone. How much paint you need is a different question, and it lives on the Paint Calculator; this page prices the job, not the gallons.
The defaults describe a typical job: 1,000 sq ft of floor area painted professionally at $2.50 per sq ft, a $2,500 total. In DIY mode the same space uses 6 gallons at $38 and $60 of supplies. Change any figure to match a quote, a paint price or your own floor plan — the rate and the supplies stay editable because local numbers beat national averages every time.
One warning before the numbers: painters price floor area, not wall area, because floor area is what you can measure in thirty seconds. Two rooms with the same floor can carry very different wall heights and window counts, which is why the ballpark range on this page matters more than the headline figure.
How this calculator works
Professional mode multiplies your floor area by the painter rate per square foot. The default $2.50 sits in the middle of the usual $2–6 range for interior repainting. The calculator then shows a ballpark range, from 20% below the total to 30% above it, because prep, access and finish move quotes that far, and it works out what one typical 150 sq ft room costs at the same rate so you can sanity-check per-room quotes. DIY mode multiplies your gallons by the price per gallon and adds supplies. The saving line compares that against a professional job at the default $2.50 rate on the same floor area.
A note on the per-room figure: painters who quote per room are doing the same maths in reverse — room size against their day rate. If a per-room quote lands far from the figure this page gives at your local rate, ask what is included before you assume it is wrong.
Paint Cost Calculator
Pick a professional painter or DIY, enter your floor area, and the price follows. Results update as you type.
Enter your details to see the cost.
The DIY saving compares your DIY total with a professional job at the typical default rate of $2.50 per sq ft on the same floor area.
What painters charge per room
Professional interior repaint ballparks for typical US rooms in 2026 — walls only, two coats, standard ceiling heights. Treat them as a sense-check against quotes, not as prices anyone owes you.
| Room | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Bedroom | $350–800 |
| Living room | $600–1,500 |
| Bathroom | $250–600 |
| Kitchen walls | $400–900 |
| Hallway | $300–700 |
Small rooms cost more per square foot than big ones, because the slow work — masking, cutting in, working around fittings — takes much the same time in a bathroom as in a bedroom half again as large. Living rooms top the table because they are usually the biggest space in the house.
One job is not in the table: painting kitchen cabinets. That is a separate, bigger job — doors off, degreased, sanded, then sprayed or brushed through several coats — and it typically runs $1,500–4,500 on its own.
What the rate includes
A professional per-foot rate usually bundles more than paint. It covers the paint itself, the labour, the prep — filling, sanding, caulking and masking — and minor repairs like nail holes and hairline cracks. That bundle is why two quotes for the same rooms can differ by half and both be honest: one includes the prep that makes paint last a decade; the other paints over whatever is there, and the difference shows within two winters.
Two things reliably push the rate up. Ceilings and trim: expect 20–30% on top when they are included, because both are slow, fiddly work. And dark-to-light colour changes: a deep red going pale can need a tinted primer plus an extra coat before it stops showing through. Stairwells, tall foyers and walls in poor condition do the same, which is why painters walk the rooms before they commit to a number.
What to calculate next
With a price in hand, pin down the quantities and the bigger decision before you book anyone.
- Paint Calculator — how many gallons the job actually needs
- Cost per Square Foot Calculator — test any quote against your floor area
- DIY vs Hire a Contractor guide — when painting is a DIY win and when it is not
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to paint a house interior?
At $2–6 per sq ft of floor area, a 1,500 sq ft home typically lands between $3,000 and $9,000 professionally. Where a quote falls in that range depends on prep, ceiling height, and how much trim and how many doors are included.
How much does a painter charge per room?
See the table above — most rooms land between $250 and $1,500. Bathrooms sit at the low end and living rooms at the top, and small rooms cost more per square foot than large ones because the cutting-in and masking take much the same time either way.
Is it cheaper to paint it yourself?
Yes, on cash. A few hundred dollars of paint and supplies can do work a painter charges thousands for. The real cost is your time — a room is a weekend, a house is several — and the finish: clean lines and smooth walls are a practiced skill.
Do painters charge more for ceilings?
Usually, yes. Expect around 20–30% on top when ceilings and trim are included, because ceilings are slower to cut in, harder on the painter, and often need an extra coat to hide marks.
Estimates only — get itemised quotes; the cheapest quote often excludes the prep that makes paint last.