Cost Guides · Exterior Painting
Cost to Paint a House in 2026: Paint, Coats, and Crew Wages
The cost to paint a house from publishers that print a number: two painting companies with posted prices, exterior paint per gallon from three dealers, and the coverage math.
In a hurry? Turn a photo into an itemized estimate in about 6 seconds.
What is the cost to paint a house right now?
The cost to paint a house depends on who posts the number. CertaPro Painters reports a national average exterior project of $4,839.33. Paint Medics, a Northeast Ohio contractor, posts $3,000 to $6,000 for a 1,500 to 2,500 square foot house. The paint itself is a small share: 14 gallons for a two-story repaint runs $420 to $1,478 at posted dealer prices. The rest is prep and labor.
Cost to paint a house: what painters post
Most painting companies quote on site and print nothing.
| Publisher | What it posts | Figure | Page date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CertaPro Painters (national) | Average exterior project, last year | $4,839.33 | Aug 24, 2026 |
| CertaPro Painters | Per square foot, 2025 | $4.25 to $7.95 | Aug 24, 2026 |
| Paint Medics (Parma, Ohio) | Per square foot | $1.50 to $4.00 | May 1, 2026 |
| Paint Medics | By house size: 1,000 to 1,500 / 1,500 to 2,500 / 2,500 plus sq ft | $2,000 to $4,000 / $3,000 to $6,000 / $6,000 to $10,000 plus | May 1, 2026 |
How much does the paint itself cost?
Two Benjamin Moore dealers post gallon prices online, and Sutherlands posts Davis Paint across 21 stores. One product, one size, one dealer per cell, captured September 14, 2026.
| Exterior paint, 1 gallon flat | Dealer | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Davis Paint Silver Glow latex exterior | Sutherlands | $29.99 |
| Benjamin Moore Element Guard | Ricciardi Brothers / JC Licht | $58.41 / $62.29 |
| Benjamin Moore Regal Select Exterior | Ricciardi Brothers / JC Licht | $65.59 / $69.21 |
| Benjamin Moore Aura Exterior | JC Licht / Ricciardi Brothers | $96.88 / $105.56 |
Coverage sets the gallon count. Benjamin Moore lists 250 to 350 square feet per gallon for Regal Select Exterior and Aura Exterior. Rough siding and a color change push you to the low end. Plan two coats.
Turn a photo of the house into an itemized estimate, free →
A worked example on the median house
The median new single-family house sold in 2025 was 2,194 square feet, and half of new houses have two stories (Census). Take a two-story house on a 40 by 27 foot footprint. The perimeter is 134 feet. At two 9 foot stories that is 2,412 square feet of wall, or about 2,050 after doors and windows.
Two coats means 4,100 square feet of coverage. At 300 square feet per gallon that is 13.7 gallons, so buy 14. Regal Select runs $65.59 to $69.21 a gallon, so the paint is $918 to $969. At Davis Paint’s $29.99 it is $420, and at Aura’s $96.88 to $105.56 it is $1,356 to $1,478. Against Paint Medics’ $3,000 to $6,000, paint is 7 to 49 percent of the job.
How to price a house repaint
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Measure the walls
Perimeter times wall height times stories, minus doors and windows. Our guide to measuring for painting covers it.
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Set coverage and coats
Use the maker’s rate for the exact product, 250 to 350 square feet per gallon for Benjamin Moore Regal Select Exterior and Aura Exterior and 300 to 400 for Element Guard, plan two coats, and round up.
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Price the paint by product
Pull the gallon price from a dealer that posts it. The paint cost calculator runs the math.
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Add prep, height, and labor
Pressure washing, primer, and repairs are separate lines. Then labor: crew hours times a rate covering wage, burden, overhead, and margin.
What the crew costs
Painters, construction and maintenance, earn a $26.64 mean and $23.75 median hourly wage in the BLS May 2025 national estimates. That is a wage, not a billed rate. Burden, overhead, and margin sit on top, as our contractor hourly labor rates by trade page explains. The painting contractor pricing guide covers markup.
SimplyWise Cost Estimator for the cost to paint a house
SimplyWise Cost Estimator turns a job-site photo into an itemized estimate in about 6 seconds. Material, labor, and fee lines are editable. Enter your gallon price and crew rate, then send a branded quote the client signs to approve. It is $29.99/mo or $239.99/yr, about $20/mo on annual, with a 7-day free trial.
Keep reading
- Paint Cost Calculator: gallons and dollars for any wall area.
- Painting Contractor Pricing Guide: from wage to a bid that holds margin.
Sources
- CertaPro Painters, cost to paint a house exterior, 2026-08-24, captured 2026-09-02.
- Paint Medics, cost of exterior painting in 2026, 2026-05-01, captured 2026-09-02.
- JC Licht, Benjamin Moore exterior gallon prices, captured 2026-09-14.
- Ricciardi Brothers, Benjamin Moore exterior gallon prices, captured 2026-09-14.
- Sutherlands, Davis Paint exterior, captured 2026-09-14.
- Benjamin Moore, Regal Select, Aura and Element Guard Exterior specifications, verified 2026-09-14.
- U.S. Census Bureau, Characteristics of New Housing, captured 2026-09-02.
- BLS OEWS, May 2025 national estimates, 47-2141, verified 2026-09-02.
- SimplyWise Cost Estimator on the App Store, 4.8 rating, verified 2026-09-02.
Frequently asked questions about the cost to paint a house
The price
How much does it cost to paint a house in 2026?
CertaPro Painters reports a $4,839.33 average exterior project. Paint Medics posts $2,000 to $4,000 for a small house, $3,000 to $6,000 for 1,500 to 2,500 square feet, and $6,000 to $10,000 plus above that. Paint is $420 to $1,478 of a two-story job.
What do painters charge per square foot?
Paint Medics posts $1.50 to $4.00 per square foot. CertaPro posts $4.25 to $7.95 and does not state its base. Quote whole-job dollars alongside any per-foot figure.
The paint
How many gallons does it take to paint a house exterior?
About 14 gallons for two coats on a two-story house with 2,050 square feet of siding, at 300 square feet per gallon. Benjamin Moore rates Regal Select Exterior and Aura Exterior at 250 to 350 square feet per gallon, and Element Guard at 300 to 400.
Estimating the job
Can I measure exterior walls with my phone camera instead of a tape?
Wheel or tape the perimeter, note the wall height, and enter them. SimplyWise Cost Estimator turns a photo of the house into an itemized estimate in about 6 seconds. Every line stays editable.
Does SimplyWise Cost Estimator price a paint job?
It builds material, labor, and fee line items, each with unit, quantity, and price per unit. Enter your gallon price and crew rate, then send a branded quote the client signs to approve. Pricing is $29.99/mo or $239.99/yr, with a 7-day free trial.
Turn a gallon count into a bid that holds margin.
Snap a photo and get an itemized estimate with editable lines, then send a branded quote from the driveway. Free to try, then $29.99/mo or $239.99/yr after a 7-day trial.