How much does it cost to paint a house exterior?
Painting the exterior of a house costs $1.50 to $5.00 per square foot in the United States, which works out at $3,000 to $10,000 on a 2,000 square foot home, according to HomeGuide, updated in July 2025. The figure that matters is paintable area rather than floor area, and windows and doors take a chunk out of it. This Old House, updated 6 March 2026, puts exterior painting at $2.20 to $4.40 per square foot, or $4,400 to $8,800 for a one-storey 2,000 square foot home.
$1.50 – $5.00
per square foot
$3,000 – $10,000
total, 2,000 sq ft home
$25 – $75
labour, per hour
The 3 figures above, drawn to one scale so the distance between them is visible rather than only stated. Each bar spans its own range, and the amount beside it is the one printed above.
Cost breakdown
Each table below comes from one source, named underneath it, with the date that source last revised the figures. Everything is a United States figure in USD.
How painters charge
| Charging method | Average cost |
|---|---|
| Per square foot | $1.50 – $5.00 |
| Per hour | $25 – $75 |
| Total cost, 2,000 sq ft | $3,000 – $10,000 |
Exterior painting cost by house size
| Home size (sq ft) | Approximate paintable area (sq ft) | Average total cost |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | 800 | $1,200 – $4,000 |
| 1,500 | 1,200 | $1,800 – $6,000 |
| 2,000 | 1,700 | $2,600 – $8,500 |
| 2,500 | 2,100 | $3,200 – $10,500 |
| 3,000 | 2,500 | $3,800 – $12,500 |
| 3,500 | 2,900 | $4,400 – $14,500 |
| 4,000 | 3,350 | $5,000 – $16,800 |
Exterior painting cost for a 2,000 square foot home, by storeys, from a second source
| Storeys | Estimated cost |
|---|---|
| One | $4,400 – $8,800 |
| Two | $6,900 – $12,700 |
| Three | $8,300 – $15,200 |
A bar for each row of the table above, 3 of them, drawn to the same scale so the spread is visible at a glance. The figure beside each bar is the one the table prints.
What changes the price
- Paintable area, not floor area
- Two houses of the same square footage can differ by hundreds of square feet of wall once you subtract glazing. A good estimate is measured off the walls themselves.
- What the walls are made of
- Smooth siding takes less paint and less time than stucco or brick, both of which soak up material and need more coats.
- How many storeys
- Anything above one floor brings scaffolding or lifts, and the access equipment is charged whether or not it saves time.
- Preparation
- Scraping, sanding, filling and priming is most of a good exterior job and most of the labour hours. A quote that looks cheap is usually cheap here.
- Colour change
- Going darker to lighter, or covering a strong colour, adds coats. Staying close to what is there does not.
How to pay less
- Do the prep yourself
- Scraping and washing down is unskilled and time-consuming, which is exactly the combination worth taking off a contractor rate.
- Paint outside the season
- Exterior painters are busiest in the warm months. Booking at the shoulder of the season is when there is room to negotiate.
- Repaint before it fails
- Paint that is chalking repaints cleanly. Paint that has let water into the substrate brings carpentry with it.
- Get the paintable area in writing
- Ask each quote to state the square footage it is based on. It makes three quotes comparable and it catches the one that guessed.
Questions
How often does a house exterior need repainting?
Commonly every five to ten years, though it depends heavily on the substrate, the climate and how good the last preparation was. South-facing walls go first.
Is it cheaper to paint or to re-side a house?
Painting is far cheaper up front. Re-siding starts to compete when the existing cladding is failing rather than just tired, because then painting is a repair job as well as a decoration job.
How many coats does an exterior need?
Two over a sound, similar-coloured surface. Bare wood, masonry and colour changes usually need a primer plus two.
Where these figures come from
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How Much Does It Cost to Paint a House Exterior?
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How Much Does It Cost To Paint a House Exterior?