Enter the room and see what painting it costs with a painter and doing it yourself, from 2026 prices. Pricing a whole home? Switch to its square footage.
What it costs
$288–$864 with a painterabout $576 for a 12′ × 12′ room · yourself: about $80 of paint
Quick answer: painters price interior work by the floor area, $2–$6 a square foot in 2026 (Angi’s figures). A 12′ × 12′ room costs $288–$864, about $576; a 2,000 sq ft home, $4,000–$12,000. Doing the room yourself, the paint is about $80: two gallons at $40.
How to use the painting cost calculator
- Pick one room or a whole home. For a room, type its size, wall height, doors and windows; for a home, its floor area.
- Choose what gets painted (walls, or walls and ceiling), whether you need primer, and the paint you would buy.
- Read both prices: a painter’s range with the typical middle, and the paint for doing it yourself, drawn side by side.
How painting is priced
- A painter: $2–$6 per square foot of floor. Angi’s 2026 data puts interior painting at $2,000–$6,000 for every 1,000 sq ft of home, as NerdWallet reported in February 2026; the national average job was $2,021. The calculator gives the range and its middle.
- Yourself: the paint. Interior paint runs $15–$60+ a gallon and primer $20–$60 (the same report). How much you need is the paint calculator‘s answer: two coats, a gallon for every 350 sq ft of wall.
- What moves a quote: the walls’ condition and the patching they need, a dark color going light (more coats), tall ceilings, trim and doors, and where you live. Ask two or three painters, and ask whether the ceiling and trim are in the price.
Cost to paint a room, by size
Walls only, 8′ high, one door and two windows; the paint at $40 a gallon.
| Room | With a painter | Typical | Paint yourself |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10′ × 10′ | $200–$600 | $400 | $80 |
| 10′ × 12′ | $240–$720 | $480 | $80 |
| 12′ × 12′ | $288–$864 | $576 | $80 |
| 12′ × 14′ | $336–$1,008 | $672 | $80 |
| 14′ × 16′ | $448–$1,344 | $896 | $120 |
| 15′ × 20′ | $600–$1,800 | $1,200 | $120 |
Cost to paint the inside of a home
| Home | With a painter | Typical |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 sq ft | $2,000–$6,000 | $4,000 |
| 1,500 sq ft | $3,000–$9,000 | $6,000 |
| 2,000 sq ft | $4,000–$12,000 | $8,000 |
| 2,500 sq ft | $5,000–$15,000 | $10,000 |
| 3,000 sq ft | $6,000–$18,000 | $12,000 |
Three worked examples
A 12′ × 12′ bedroom, walls only. A painter: $288–$864, about $576. Yourself: 334 sq ft of wall takes 2 gallons; at $40 that is $80.
A 10′ × 12′ room, walls and ceiling, primed, premium paint. A painter: about $480. Yourself: 2 gallons for the walls, 1 for the ceiling and 2 of primer at $60 = $300. The ceiling, primer and premium paint narrow the gap to $180.
A 2,000 sq ft home. $4,000–$12,000 with a painter, about $8,000. For the paint, run each room through the paint calculator: a floor area does not say how much wall a home has.
Common mistakes
- Comparing quotes that cover different work. One includes the ceiling, trim and patching; another is walls only. Line them up before you pick the cheaper.
- Pricing paint without primer. New drywall and a dark wall going light both need it, and it can cost as much as the paint.
- Forgetting the tools. Rollers, brushes, tape, drop cloths and a tray come on top of the paint the first time you paint.
- Judging paint by the price on the can. A paint that needs a third coat to cover means half as much paint again and another day of work.
Pick the color before you pay for it: the room paint visualizer repaints a photo of your room, and the free 2D room planner lays out the furniture you will move out of the way.
Open the free room plannerRead next
- Can you use the same paint for walls and ceilings?
- Does it matter which direction you paint a ceiling?
- A geometric accent wall, step by step
- Accent walls in the living room
Painting cost questions
How much does it cost to paint a room?
With a painter, $2–$6 per square foot of floor in 2026: $288–$864 for a 12′ × 12′ room, about $576. Doing it yourself, the paint for the same walls is about $80.
How much do painters charge per square foot?
$2–$6 per square foot of the home’s floor area for interior work (Angi’s 2026 data, as NerdWallet reported it in February 2026).
How much does it cost to paint the interior of a 2,000 sq ft house?
$4,000–$12,000 with a painter, about $8,000. For comparison, the national average interior painting job in the same data was $2,021.
How much does a gallon of paint cost?
$15–$60 or more for interior paint, and $20–$60 for primer. A gallon covers about 350 sq ft of smooth wall per coat.
Is it cheaper to paint a room yourself?
In money, yes: about $80 of paint for a 12′ × 12′ room against about $576 for a painter. What you pay instead is a weekend, plus rollers, brushes and tape if you have none.
How much does it cost to paint a bedroom?
For a 10′ × 12′ bedroom, $240–$720 with a painter, about $480; about $80 of paint to do the walls yourself.
Does a painter’s price include the ceiling and trim?
Not always: some quotes cover walls only and price the ceiling, trim and doors on top. Ask before you compare two quotes.