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How much does interior painting cost?

Interior painting costs $2 to $6 per square foot in 2026. What changes your price is below.

Improovy's 2026 average is $3.75 per square foot for walls only and $6.75 with trim and ceilings. A bedroom runs about $300 to $700 and a living room $600 to $1,200.

Interior painting costs $2 to $6 per square foot in 2026

Estimate your interior house painting cost

Pick what you need and add your ZIP. The price updates as you go. Got a price already? Check it in the last step.

1Which one do you need?
2Ceilings
3What is your ZIP?
Local prices not added yet.
4Got a price?
Optional. We check it.

Is this price fair?

A fair price is $4,000 to $12,000.

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Low$8,000High
Your estimateUS average
$4,000to$12K

Middle of the range: $8,000

$0$8,110$16,220
Normal range Middle

What you are paying for

2,000 sq ft homeUS range for this job.$4,000 to $12,000
Standard ceilingsCeilings.Base price
US averageLocal prices not added yet.US price
Middle of rangeHalfway between low and high.$8,000
How we calculate this

    Prices are for the United States in 2026 from published cost guides, checked September 2026. This is an estimate, not a quote.

    Middle $8,000$4,000 to $12K

    Cost by home size (NerdWallet)

    1,000 sq ft$2,000 to $6,000.
    1,500 sq ft$3,000 to $9,000.
    2,000 sq ft$4,000 to $12,000.
    2,500 sq ft$5,000 to $15,000.
    3,000 sq ft$6,000 to $18,000.
    Walls only, average$3.75 per sq ft. With trim and ceilings, $6.75 (Improovy, 2026).

    What pushes a quote up

    What is paintedWalls only costs far less than walls, trim, ceilings and doors.
    Ceiling heightHigh or lofted ceilings add 20 to 40 percent.
    Wall repairPatching and sanding add labor before any paint goes on.
    Color changeDark to light takes extra coats and primer.
    SeasonPrices tend to be lowest in winter.

    Interior painting cost by region

    Lower cost states$3,200 to $9,600. Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee, West Virginia and most rural areas.
    Average cost states$4,000 to $12,000. Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and most mid size cities.
    Higher cost states$5,200 to $15,600. California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Washington, plus big metros such as Chicago, Denver and Washington DC.

    These rows are our estimate. We took the typical national range and adjusted it for local labor costs, which run about 20 percent lower in the cheapest states and about 30 percent higher in the dearest ones. Painting labor varies by city. Improovy found Denver painters about 10 percent higher than Chicago.

    Cost by room, and how to read a painter's quote

    One 2026 price guide lists typical rooms: a bathroom $200 to $500, a bedroom $300 to $700, a kitchen $400 to $800 and a living room $600 to $1,200. Kitchens and bathrooms have less wall but more cutting in around cabinets and fixtures.

    The biggest swing in quotes is scope. Improovy's 2026 average is $3.75 per square foot for walls only, rising to $6.75 when trim and ceilings are included. Before you compare two quotes, make sure both cover the same surfaces, the same number of coats and the same paint line.

    Where the money goes

    NerdWallet notes that labor is the largest part, and much of the painter's time goes to cleaning, patching, sanding and caulking before painting. Moving furniture yourself and fixing small holes before the crew arrives can trim the bill.

    Why this costs more in 2026

    Paint is a petroleum based product and painting is mostly labor, and both cost more this year.

    Every truck trip costs more now. Diesel passed $6 a gallon in September 2026 (CBS 8 reporting AAA), and material costs rose 4.8 percent in a year (Roofing Contractor). Quotes may only hold for a few weeks.

    How to judge the quote in your hand

    Ways to pay less