How much does it cost to paint a house exterior?

Published July 21, 2026.

Painting a house exterior usually costs about $1.50 to $5 per square foot of home, which works out to roughly $1,800 for a small house on the low end and $11,000 or more for a large one. HomeAdvisor puts the average exterior project around $3,200, with most jobs between $1,800 and $4,600, while This Old House lands higher at about $2.20 to $4.40 per square foot and Fixr higher still at $2.84 to $5.28 per square foot. Your real number swings with your home’s size and height, the siding material, how much prep the surface needs, the paint you pick, and local labor rates. These are national planning figures, not a quote, so use them to set a realistic budget before you call for bids.

What exterior painting costs

Two numbers matter: the price per square foot and the total for your home.

Per square foot of home, HomeAdvisor gives a range of $1.50 to $4.00, This Old House gives $2.20 to $4.40, and Fixr gives $2.84 to $5.28. The spread is wide because “per square foot” bundles together very different homes, siding types, and conditions. Most standard one-story jobs on decent siding land in the lower half of those ranges.

For a whole home, the total depends mostly on how much wall area you are covering, which tracks with the home’s size and number of stories. The table below blends the size ranges from This Old House and HomeAdvisor. Regional labor rates and surface condition can push you above or below these figures.

Home size	Typical total range
1,000 sq ft	$1,500 to $4,400
1,500 sq ft	$2,250 to $6,600
2,000 sq ft	$3,000 to $8,800
2,500 sq ft	$3,750 to $11,000
3,000 sq ft	$4,500 to $13,200

A 1,500 square foot home often runs a few thousand dollars, while a large 2,500 to 3,000 square foot home can cross $10,000 once height and prep are factored in. To get to your own number, you can estimate how much paint your walls need with our exterior paint calculator, then add labor.

What drives the price

Two homes of the same square footage can cost very different amounts. Here is what moves the needle.

Home size and number of stories. Bigger homes have more wall to cover, and taller ones add setup time on ladders and scaffolding. HomeAdvisor notes a two-story home can cost up to 50 percent more than a single-story home of similar size, and This Old House puts a two-story 2,000 square foot job at roughly $6,900 to $12,700 versus $4,400 to $8,800 for one story.
Siding material. What you are painting changes both prep and paint. HomeAdvisor prices vinyl at about $1.25 to $3.00 per square foot and brick at $1.50 to $4.50, with wood, stucco, and fiber cement in between (see the table below).
Surface prep and repairs. Prep is often the hidden cost. HomeAdvisor estimates general prep at $0.50 to $2.50 per square foot, power washing at $240 to $400, and patching at $0.50 to $1.50 per square foot. Fixr adds that siding in poor condition can cost over 60 percent more than well-maintained surfaces.
Paint quality and number of coats. This Old House prices contractor-grade latex at $30 to $50 per gallon and premium 100 percent acrylic at $45 to $85 per gallon. Sherwin-Williams recommends two coats for best results, which roughly doubles the paint you buy.
Trim and accents. Trim, shutters, and doors are usually priced separately. HomeAdvisor lists trim at $1 to $3 per linear foot, shutters at $50 to $150 each, and a door at $100 to $500.
Labor versus materials. Labor is usually the larger share of the bill. This Old House puts painters at $40 to $100 per hour per painter, and HomeAdvisor puts labor at $1 to $3.50 per square foot, or $25 to $100 per hour. Difficult access, heavy prep, and complex trim all push labor up.

Cost by siding material

Siding is where prep and paint choice come together. These are typical installed costs per square foot from HomeAdvisor. Prices vary by region, condition, and year, so use them to compare options, not as firm quotes. This Old House lists higher per-foot figures across the board, so treat these as the lower to middle part of the spread.

Siding material	Typical cost per square foot	Notes
Wood	$1.00 to $3.00	Takes paint well but needs more prep and scraping over time
Vinyl	$1.25 to $3.00	Needs paint rated for vinyl; color choice can be limited
Fiber cement	$1.20 to $3.20	Durable and holds paint for a long time
Aluminum	$1.50 to $2.50	Chalks with age; usually needs a cleaning and primer coat
Stucco	$1.50 to $4.00	Textured surface soaks up more paint per square foot
Brick	$1.50 to $4.50	Porous and thirsty for paint; hard to reverse once painted

Smooth siding like vinyl and aluminum uses less paint and less labor. Rough or porous surfaces like stucco and brick soak up more paint and take longer to coat evenly, which is why they sit at the higher end.

DIY versus hiring a pro

Doing it yourself saves labor, which is usually the bigger half of the job. Since HomeAdvisor puts labor at $1 to $3.50 per square foot, cutting it out on a 2,000 square foot home is real money, and your main out-of-pocket cost becomes paint and supplies.

Materials for a DIY job are modest by comparison. Paint runs about $20 to $85 per gallon depending on quality, per HomeAdvisor and This Old House, and you will also need brushes, rollers, drop cloths, painter’s tape, primer, and often a good ladder. On how much paint to buy, Sherwin-Williams notes a gallon covers 250 to 400 square feet and recommends two coats, so a typical home needs somewhere around 6 to 15 gallons for the walls and trim. Measure your wall area, divide by 400, and multiply by two for a solid estimate.

That said, exterior painting is more work than it looks, and much of it happens off the ground. You are pressure washing, scraping and sanding peeling paint, filling cracks, priming bare spots, and cutting in around windows and trim, often from a ladder. Sherwin-Williams walks through that prep sequence: wash and let it dry 24 to 48 hours, strip loose paint, fill and sand, then prime bare wood, brick, or stucco. DIY makes the most sense on a single-story home with sound siding and good access. A two- or three-story home, heavy prep, or lead paint (which HomeAdvisor prices at $8 to $17 per square foot to remove professionally) are all good reasons to hire out. If your home was built before 1978, confirm lead-safe practices with a certified pro.

How often you need to repaint

Exterior paint does not last forever, so factor repainting into the long-term cost. This Old House and HomeAdvisor both put the general lifespan at about five to 10 years, depending on paint type, surface, and climate.

Material matters here too. HomeAdvisor notes wood siding often needs repainting every three to seven years, aluminum around every five years, and painted brick can last 15 to 20 years. Sun, moisture, and paint quality all shorten or extend that window. Spending more on premium paint and thorough prep up front usually buys you more years before the next repaint.

How to budget

Start by estimating your wall area and deciding on paint quality and how much trim work you want. Multiply the area by a per-square-foot range from above for a rough total, then add for prep, power washing, and any trim, shutters, or doors. HomeAdvisor notes a professional crew finishes an average home in about three to four days, which gives you a sense of the labor involved.

From there, get two to three written bids from local painters. Exterior prices vary a lot by region and by year, and a national average cannot capture your siding condition, your home’s height, or what crews charge locally. Ask each bid to itemize prep, paint, labor, and trim so you are comparing the same scope. If one bid is far below the others, find out whether it skips prep or a second coat.

Exterior painting also touches surface repairs and, on older homes, lead paint rules. For anything involving lead, structural rot, or working at height, confirm the approach with a licensed pro and follow local codes. The figures here are a planning range to size up the project, not a quote for your home.

Sources

This Old House · How Much Does It Cost To Paint a House Exterior? thisoldhouse.com/painting/reviews/cost-to-paint-house-exterior
HomeAdvisor · How Much Does It Cost to Paint the Exterior of a House? homeadvisor.com/cost/painting/paint-a-home-exterior
Fixr · Exterior Painting Cost. fixr.com/costs/paint-house-exterior
Sherwin-Williams · How to Paint a House Exterior. sherwin-williams.com/en-us/project-center/paint/exterior-painting-how-tos

Exterior paint calculator →

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to paint a 2,000 square foot house exterior?

For a 2,000 square foot home, This Old House puts the range at about $4,400 to $8,800, with an average near $6,600. HomeAdvisor runs lower, with a typical exterior project averaging around $3,200 and most jobs landing between $1,800 and $4,600. The gap comes from siding material, home height, surface condition, and local labor rates. Two-story homes cost more than single-story ones of the same floor area because crews spend more time on ladders and scaffolding. Treat these as planning ranges and get written bids for your actual home.

How much paint do I need to paint a house exterior?

It depends on your wall area, but a good starting point is coverage. Sherwin-Williams notes that a gallon generally covers 250 to 400 square feet, and recommends two coats for best results. To estimate, measure each wall (length times height), add them up, subtract for large windows and doors, then divide by 400 and multiply by two for a second coat. For many homes that works out to roughly 6 to 15 gallons for the walls and trim combined. Buying a little extra for touch-ups later is smart.

How often should you repaint a house exterior?

Most exterior paint lasts about five to 10 years, according to This Old House and HomeAdvisor, though it varies by material and climate. HomeAdvisor notes wood siding often needs repainting every three to seven years, aluminum around every five years, and painted brick can hold up for 15 to 20 years. Sun exposure, moisture, and paint quality all move that timeline. Catching peeling and cracking early, and washing the surface now and then, helps the paint last toward the longer end of the range.