Cost guides / Exterior painting
Exterior House Painting Cost (2026)
Painting the outside of a 2,000 sq ft one-story house with wood siding, two coats plus trim, costs $2,940 to $14,770. The typical price is $6,510, including prep and caulking. Use the calculator for your house.
Estimate your cost
Most quotes for this job fall between Low and High. About 2,020 sq ft of wall, typical $3 per sq ft of wall.
| Paint, primer and supplies | $1,030 |
|---|---|
| Labor (painters, local wages) | $2,750 |
| Ladders, lifts and scaffolding | $0 |
| Overhead and profit | $2,730 |
Total price in dollars for the same job, for example 7000.
What the estimate includes
- Washing, scraping, light sanding and caulking
- Spot-priming bare and patched areas
- Exterior acrylic paint, the coats you choose
- Trim, doors and shutters, if you include them
- Ladders, lifts or scaffolding for taller homes
Not included: replacing rotten siding or trim, lead paint abatement, painting decks and fences, and big color changes that need extra coats.
Cost by house size
Typical price, wood siding, two coats, trim included, national average.
| House size | 1 story | 2 stories |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 sq ft | $4,600 | $7,160 |
| 1,500 sq ft | $5,620 | $8,610 |
| 2,000 sq ft | $6,510 | $9,850 |
| 2,500 sq ft | $7,310 | $10,940 |
| 3,000 sq ft | $8,050 | $11,940 |
| 4,000 sq ft | $9,430 | $13,750 |
Exterior painting cost by state
2,000 sq ft one-story house, wood siding, two coats, trim included. Labor uses each state's wages for painters (BLS, May 2025).
| State | Low | Typical | High | Painter wage/hr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $2,540 | $5,660 | $12,790 | $21.12 |
| Alaska | $3,500 | $7,740 | $17,560 | $29.32 |
| Arizona | $2,880 | $6,400 | $14,490 | $23.20 |
| Arkansas | $2,400 | $5,360 | $12,120 | $19.28 |
| California | $3,340 | $7,450 | $16,850 | $28.38 |
| Colorado | $2,970 | $6,610 | $14,930 | $25.47 |
| Connecticut | $3,310 | $7,380 | $16,670 | $28.12 |
| Delaware | $3,120 | $6,950 | $15,690 | $28.14 |
| District of Columbia | $3,320 | $7,350 | $16,710 | $28.61 |
| Florida | $2,680 | $5,990 | $13,480 | $22.85 |
| Georgia | $2,800 | $6,210 | $14,050 | $23.24 |
| Hawaii | $3,860 | $8,560 | $19,470 | $32.80 |
| Idaho | $2,530 | $5,650 | $12,750 | $21.58 |
| Illinois | $3,610 | $8,020 | $18,230 | $29.45 |
| Indiana | $2,900 | $6,410 | $14,570 | $24.16 |
| Iowa | $2,790 | $6,170 | $14,000 | $23.90 |
| Kansas | $2,490 | $5,560 | $12,530 | $21.88 |
| Kentucky | $2,770 | $6,150 | $13,960 | $23.13 |
| Louisiana | $2,560 | $5,710 | $12,910 | $22.31 |
| Maine | $3,180 | $7,070 | $16,000 | $28.50 |
| Maryland | $2,960 | $6,580 | $14,890 | $23.62 |
| Massachusetts | $3,220 | $7,160 | $16,220 | $27.65 |
| Michigan | $2,970 | $6,560 | $14,890 | $24.35 |
| Minnesota | $3,140 | $6,990 | $15,780 | $27.54 |
| Mississippi | $2,590 | $5,730 | $13,020 | $21.54 |
| Missouri | $3,070 | $6,820 | $15,460 | $27.65 |
| Montana | $3,050 | $6,780 | $15,310 | $28.03 |
| Nebraska | $2,540 | $5,670 | $12,780 | $22.73 |
| Nevada | $3,040 | $6,760 | $15,300 | $27.11 |
| New Hampshire | $2,940 | $6,540 | $14,790 | $23.88 |
| New Jersey | $3,330 | $7,410 | $16,750 | $28.49 |
| New Mexico | $2,630 | $5,860 | $13,200 | $22.23 |
| New York | $3,480 | $7,760 | $17,540 | $28.64 |
| North Carolina | $2,530 | $5,660 | $12,770 | $21.21 |
| North Dakota | $2,890 | $6,420 | $14,520 | $26.38 |
| Ohio | $2,880 | $6,360 | $14,430 | $23.77 |
| Oklahoma | $2,530 | $5,630 | $12,740 | $21.59 |
| Oregon | $3,000 | $6,640 | $15,080 | $23.51 |
| Pennsylvania | $2,990 | $6,650 | $15,060 | $25.06 |
| Rhode Island | $2,670 | $5,920 | $13,400 | $20.00 |
| South Carolina | $2,480 | $5,500 | $12,450 | $19.64 |
| South Dakota | $2,600 | $5,800 | $13,090 | $23.15 |
| Tennessee | $2,480 | $5,520 | $12,460 | $20.78 |
| Texas | $2,580 | $5,760 | $12,980 | $21.86 |
| Utah | $2,660 | $5,900 | $13,380 | $22.14 |
| Vermont | $3,010 | $6,710 | $15,140 | $25.54 |
| Virginia | $2,770 | $6,150 | $13,960 | $22.82 |
| Washington | $3,270 | $7,270 | $16,430 | $28.68 |
| West Virginia | $2,560 | $5,740 | $12,940 | $21.26 |
| Wisconsin | $2,890 | $6,430 | $14,560 | $24.08 |
| Wyoming | $2,700 | $5,990 | $13,640 | $22.70 |
What homeowners actually paid
We checked this calculator against 74 exterior painting quotes and invoices that homeowners shared publicly from 2019 to 2025, in 9 states. Older prices were adjusted to 2026 with official construction cost indexes. Their median was $8,300 for a mix of house sizes, and 78% of them fell between our Low and High estimates for the same house and state. Painters' prices vary a lot with how much prep a house needs.
Published cost guides we checked put a similar job at about $5,500 (median of 8 guides from 2023-2026), 16% below our typical price. Guides are estimates too, often older or for a smaller scope of work; we follow the quotes homeowners actually shared, and 78% of them fell within our range.
What affects the cost
- Wall area and height: a two-story 2,000 sq ft house typically costs $9,850 against $6,510 for one story, because of ladder and lift work.
- Prep: peeling, cracked or chalky paint takes far more scraping and priming.
- Coats: one coat typically costs $4,980 instead of $6,510 for two.
- Surface: stucco and brick soak up more paint; vinyl needs a vinyl-safe color.
- Your state: labor is about 42% of the typical price.
Common questions
How much does it cost to paint a 2,000 sq ft house exterior?
For a one-story house with wood siding, two coats and trim, the typical price is $6,510, and most quotes fall between $2,940 and $14,770. A two-story house of the same size typically costs $9,850.
How much paint will I need?
A 2,000 sq ft one-story house has about 2,020 sq ft of wall. Use our paint calculator to turn that into gallons for your siding type.
Is one coat enough?
One coat can work when you repaint the same color over sound paint. Two coats last longer and are needed for color changes and bare wood. In our estimates, the second coat adds about $1,530 for a 2,000 sq ft one-story house.
My house was built before 1978. Does that matter?
Yes. Paid contractors who disturb paint in homes built before 1978 must be certified under the EPA's lead Renovation, Repair and Painting rule and follow lead-safe practices (EPA). That can add to the cost.
How much paint for a 1,500 sq ft house exterior?
A one-story 1,500 sq ft house has about 1,720 sq ft of wall. Two coats on wood siding take about 13 gallons with 10% extra, before subtracting doors and windows, and vinyl siding about 11 gallons. Trim paint is extra.
How much does it cost to paint a 1,000 or 3,000 sq ft house?
With wood siding, two coats and trim, national average: typically $4,600 for a 1,000 sq ft one-story house and $11,940 for a 3,000 sq ft two-story house. The table above shows other sizes.
How often should a house exterior be repainted?
It depends on the surface, the sun and the last paint job. Painted wood usually needs it sooner than stucco, brick or fiber cement. Repaint when the paint starts to crack, peel or chalk, before bare wood is exposed.
How much does it cost to paint a stucco house?
For a 2,000 sq ft one-story stucco house with two coats and trim, the typical price is $7,780, and most quotes fall between $3,520 and $17,560, national average. Stucco soaks up more paint than smooth siding and often needs crack repair first.
How we calculated this
Paint and primer prices from manufacturers and national retailers (checked October 2026), coverage from paint technical data sheets, painting and prep hours per square foot from trade sources times local painter wages from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025), contractor margins from industry financial data, and regional price levels from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. We check the result against verified homeowner quotes. Full methodology · Sources.
Estimates, not quotes. Actual prices depend on your contractor, house and the condition of the old paint.
Changelog
- : Published.
- : Cost model built from 74 verified homeowner quotes (2019-2025), local trade wages from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025) and material prices checked in October 2026.
Related
Paint calculator · Siding replacement cost · Gutter installation cost · All cost guides