How Much Does Paint Cost?
This page shows what published sources report about paint and painting costs. It is not a quote for your house, and it does not blend those reports into one price.
Each figure below stays with the publisher that printed it. The pages were written years apart, and they measure different jobs: a whole house interior, a square foot of surface, or a single room. Local prices vary. A written quote from a painter near you is the real answer for your project.
Read the row that matches the job you are pricing. A whole interior belongs with HomeAdvisor. A price per square foot of the surface painted, or a wide per-room professional range, belongs with Inch Calculator. A single room size belongs with Real Homes. Do not add a room price to a whole-house average, and do not treat an older page as if it were printed this month.
What published sources report
According to HomeAdvisor, the average national cost to paint a house interior is $2,224, and most homeowners spend $1,848 to $2,600. Paint and supplies are about 15% of that total, and labor is about 85%. One gallon covers about 350 square feet. HomeAdvisor bases those figures on 21,113 project cost profiles reported by its members. The page shows no date; checked October 2026.
According to Inch Calculator (last updated October 5, 2023), professional painting is $1.50 to $3.00 per square foot of the surface painted, or $955 to $3,000 per room. DIY paint per gallon is $25 to $60 for flat, $35 to $100 for semi-gloss, and $20 to $50 for primer. Other supplies are $150 to $200. Coverage is 350 to 400 square feet per gallon, plus about 10% extra.
According to Real Homes (Future US), published April 2, 2022, the average professional cost is $525 per room, including labor and materials, and DIY is about $100. Both of those figures are attributed to Angi's Bailey Carson. The same article lists a professional cost by room size: a 10×10 room at $400, a 10×12 at $480, a 12×12 at $576, a 12×14 at $672, and a 14×16 at $896.
| Source | What it measures | Range | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| HomeAdvisor | Average national cost to paint a house interior, from 21,113 project cost profiles reported by HomeAdvisor members. Also the materials and labor split of that total, and coverage. | Average $2,224. Most homeowners spend $1,848 to $2,600. Paint and supplies about 15% of the total; labor about 85%. One gallon covers about 350 sq ft. | Page shows no date. Checked October 2026. |
| Inch Calculator | Professional price per square foot of the surface painted, a per-room professional range, DIY paint by sheen, other supplies, and coverage. | $1.50 to $3.00 per sq ft of surface painted. $955 to $3,000 per room. DIY paint per gallon: flat $25 to $60, semi-gloss $35 to $100, primer $20 to $50. Other supplies $150 to $200. Coverage 350 to 400 sq ft per gallon, plus about 10% extra. | Last updated October 5, 2023. |
| Real Homes (Future US) | Average professional cost per room, including labor and materials, a DIY figure (both attributed to Angi's Bailey Carson), and professional cost by room size. | $525 per room on average. DIY about $100. By size: 10×10 $400, 10×12 $480, 12×12 $576, 12×14 $672, 14×16 $896. | Published April 2, 2022. |
Why the numbers differ
HomeAdvisor's $2,224 is the average cost to paint a whole house interior. Inch Calculator's $1.50 to $3.00 is a rate for each square foot of the surface that gets painted, and its $955 to $3,000 is a professional range for one room. Real Homes' $525 is an average professional cost for one room from 2022, with separate figures for specific room sizes.
A whole-house average, a price per square foot of surface, and a price per room are not the same measurement. The sources also differ in age: Real Homes published in 2022, Inch Calculator last updated its guide in 2023, and HomeAdvisor's page shows no date. They should not be averaged into one number.
A 12×12 professional figure is not a smaller copy of a whole-house average. One source is pricing a room. The other is pricing a house. Inch Calculator's rate is for each square foot of the surface that gets paint, which is the walls (and anything else in the scope), not the floor area of the room.
Local prices vary with the room, the prep, and the painter you hire. A written local quote is the real answer.
DIY or hire a painter?
According to HomeAdvisor (checked October 2026), paint and supplies are about 15% of the cost to paint a house interior, and labor is about 85%. Doing the work yourself mainly saves that labor share. The paint itself is still a cost.
According to Inch Calculator (last updated October 5, 2023), DIY paint per gallon is $25 to $60 for flat, $35 to $100 for semi-gloss, and $20 to $50 for primer. Other supplies are $150 to $200. Those are paint and supply prices. They are not a labor quote, and they are not added together on this page.
That 15% and 85% split describes a hired whole-interior job in the HomeAdvisor report. It is not a discount to apply to a bedroom, and it is not a promise that doing the work yourself removes a set dollar amount. The paint is still a separate purchase.
Use the sheen you are actually buying. Flat, semi-gloss, and primer are separate Inch Calculator ranges. Do not average them into one price per gallon. After the calculator gives you a gallon count, multiply that count by the range for that sheen. The product is paint only. Other supplies stay on their own line. A painter's price comes from a different source and a different kind of job.
Gallons depend on the room. Use the calculator to count them for your walls before you compare a paint budget with a written quote.
Sources
- HomeAdvisor — cost to paint a home interior. Page shows no date. Checked October 2026. Average national cost to paint a house interior, the 15% materials and 85% labor split, and coverage of about 350 square feet per gallon. Based on 21,113 project cost profiles reported by HomeAdvisor members.
- Inch Calculator — room painting cost guide. Last updated October 5, 2023. Professional painting per square foot of the surface painted and per room, DIY paint per gallon, other supplies, and coverage.
- Real Homes (Future US) — cost to paint a room. Published April 2, 2022. Average professional cost per room and a DIY figure, both attributed to Angi's Bailey Carson, plus professional cost by room size.