The short answer
Nationally, homeowners spend an average of $2,022 to paint a home’s interior (most pay $965–$3,089) and an average of $3,178 to paint the exterior (most pay $1,819–$4,551), according to HomeAdvisor’s cost data updated in June 2026. Per square foot, that works out to roughly:
Walls only sit at the low end (about $2.75/sq ft). Walls, trim and ceilings together average about $4.70/sq ft.
All-in pricing for prep, primer and paint. Siding material and the number of stories move it the most.
From a small bathroom to a large living room — size, ceilings and trim decide where you land.
Those are national numbers. In Charlotte and Concord the same things drive the price: the size of the job, the surface, how much prep it needs and how hard it is to reach. Below is how each one works — so you can read any quote you get, including ours.
Interior painting cost by room
A room is priced mostly by its wall area. These are HomeAdvisor’s national ranges for a professional paint job:
Accent walls cost more per wall. A deep or bold accent color usually needs extra coats and careful cut lines — HomeAdvisor puts the premium at about 20–30%. Molding patterns like the black geometric wall in our gallery add carpentry before the paint.
Interior cost by home size
Labor is most of the bill: HomeAdvisor estimates it at 75% to 95% of the total interior cost. Interior paint itself runs about $15–$40 a gallon, and one gallon covers roughly 350 sq ft per coat.
Exterior painting cost
Outside, the number of stories and the siding material matter most. HomeAdvisor’s national ranges:
What changes the price
- Prep and repairs. Patching holes, fixing water-damaged drywall, scraping peeling paint and caulking gaps are where a good job is made — and where cheap quotes cut corners.
- What’s included. Walls only, or walls plus ceilings, trim, doors and baseboards? That alone moves interior pricing from about $2.75 to about $4.70 per sq ft.
- Color changes. Going from a dark color to a light one usually needs a primer coat or an extra finish coat.
- Height and access. Two-story foyers, stairwells and second-story eaves need ladders or staging and more time.
- Paint quality. Interior paint runs about $15–$40 a gallon and exterior paint about $20–$80. Better paint usually covers and lasts better.
- Furniture and access. An empty house is faster to paint than a lived-in one where every room has to be covered and protected.
Compare quotes on the same scope. Two quotes for “painting the living room” can mean very different jobs. Ask each painter: are ceilings, trim and doors included? How many coats? Is drywall repair included or extra? Who supplies the paint, and which product? A lower number often just means less work.
How much do painters charge per hour?
HomeAdvisor puts professional painters at roughly $25–$100 per hour per painter nationally, depending on experience and the job. Most residential painting, though, is quoted per project, not by the hour — which is better for you, because the price doesn’t grow if the job takes longer.
Want the real number for your house?
Free in-home visit in Concord, Charlotte and the metro — then one itemized, fixed price in writing. Reply in under 6 hours.
How we price a painting job
We don’t quote painting over the phone, because the things that drive the price — the surfaces, the repairs, the height — only show up in person. Here’s how it works:
- Free visit. We walk the rooms or every side of the house with you and note every repair.
- Itemized, fixed price. Each room or surface, the prep and repairs, and the timeline — in writing, before you sign.
- No silent add-ons. If something unexpected shows up, you see photos and a written price before any extra work.
See our painting pages for Concord and Charlotte.
Sources: HomeAdvisor — interior painting cost · HomeAdvisor — exterior painting cost.
