Painting the inside of a house costs $3,500 to $10,000 on average in 2026, by national published figures. We do not publish a Boston price list. The rooms set the price: their size, the ceiling height, how much trim there is and how much repair the walls need. Boston homes are old, and old plaster usually needs more prep than new drywall.
Price ranges on this page are national figures published by HomeGuide for 2026. They are not our quotes. Boston labor rates, the age of the building and the amount of prep move the number up or down. Last checked October 2026.
How much does it cost to paint the interior of a house?
Nationally, it costs $3,500 to $10,000 to paint the whole interior of a house, with a national average of $7,500. HomeGuide lists a low of $2,000 and a high of $15,000. That works out to $1 to $3 per square foot of painted surface, or $3 to $7 per square foot of floor space.
In Boston the same house can sit low or high in a range for reasons you can see on a walkthrough. A condo with smooth walls and 8 foot ceilings is quick. A Victorian with cracked plaster, 10 foot ceilings, picture rails and a three-story stairwell is slow. We look at all of it before we give a number.
How much does it cost to paint a room?
The national range to paint one room is $300 to $1,000, with an average of $750. HomeGuide lists a low of $150 and a high of $2,500, and a minimum project fee of $250 to $500 or more.
| Room | National range |
|---|---|
| Bathroom | $150 to $400 |
| Primary bathroom | $250 to $650 |
| Kitchen, walls only | $150 to $250 |
| Bedroom | $350 to $850 |
| Primary bedroom | $650 to $1,400 |
| Living room | $600 to $2,000 |
| Dining room or hallway | $300 to $1,000 |
| Open-plan basement | $800 to $2,500 |
Those figures are for walls. Ceilings, trim and doors are added on top, and we list them as separate lines in a quote so you can choose.
How much does it cost to paint a 1,500 or 2,000 square foot house inside?
By the national table, a 1,500 square foot house costs $4,500 to $6,000 to paint inside and a 2,000 square foot house costs $6,000 to $8,000. The table goes by floor area.
| Home size | National range, interior |
|---|---|
| 1,000 sq ft | $3,000 to $4,000 |
| 1,200 sq ft | $3,600 to $4,800 |
| 1,500 sq ft | $4,500 to $6,000 |
| 1,800 sq ft | $5,400 to $7,200 |
| 2,000 sq ft | $6,000 to $8,000 |
| 2,500 sq ft | $7,500 to $10,000 |
| 3,000 sq ft | $9,000 to $12,000 |
These come from HomeGuide's interior painting page. Its page on painting a room publishes lower whole-house figures for walls with less included, so compare like with like when you read prices online.
How much does it cost to paint a 3 bedroom, 2 bath house?
HomeGuide's national range for a 3 bedroom house is $1,200 to $8,500. The spread is wide because it runs from walls only in a small house to walls, ceilings and trim in a large one.
You can also add it up room by room from the national figures. One primary bedroom ($650 to $1,400), two bedrooms ($350 to $850 each), a primary bathroom ($250 to $650), a second bathroom ($150 to $400), a living room ($600 to $2,000), kitchen walls ($150 to $250) and a hallway ($300 to $1,000) come to $2,800 to $7,400. That is arithmetic on published national figures, not a quote.
How much do painters charge per square foot?
Painters charge $1 to $3 per square foot of surface painted, by the national figures. Measured by floor space instead, the range is $3 to $7 per square foot.
| What is painted | National figure |
|---|---|
| Walls only | $1.00 to $2.00 per sq ft |
| Add ceilings | plus $1.00 to $2.00 per sq ft |
| Add texture | plus $0.80 to $2.00 per sq ft |
| New construction | $2 to $5 per sq ft |
HomeGuide says labor is 70% to 85% of the total. That is why prep time, not the cost of the paint, moves the price most.
Do painters charge by the room or by the square foot?
Most painters price by the job after measuring, and the room and square foot figures are just two ways to describe the same work. We measure the walls, count the doors and windows, look at the condition and give one written price with each room listed. If you want to add or drop a room later, you can see what it changes.
Does it cost more to paint ceilings as well as walls?
Yes, ceilings are extra. The national figure for a ceiling alone is $1 to $2 per square foot, or $150 to $300 in labor per ceiling. A bedroom ceiling runs $100 to $300 and a living room ceiling $300 to $800.
In older Boston homes the ceiling is often the surface in the worst shape. Plaster ceilings crack and sag, and old water stains need a stain-blocking primer. A ceiling that only needs one coat of flat white costs far less than one that needs repair first.
How much extra is it for trim, doors and baseboards?
Interior trim and baseboards cost $1 to $4 per linear foot nationally, or $25 to $200 per room. Interior doors are $75 to $150 each, and a window frame is $25 to $100, or $50 to $120 with sashes and mullions. Crown molding is $1 to $5 per linear foot.
Boston houses built before 1940 tend to have a lot of woodwork: wide casings, tall baseboards, picture rails and paneled doors. If the old trim paint is thick, chipped or oil-based, it needs sanding and a bonding primer, and that takes time.
How much extra is it for high or vaulted ceilings and stairwells?
HomeGuide publishes no dollar figure for high ceilings. It says ceilings higher than 10 feet raise the painting cost by 10% to 50% or more. For stairwells it gives a price per linear foot by wall height.
| Stairwell wall height | National figure per linear foot |
|---|---|
| 8 to 13 ft | $16 |
| 13 to 17 ft | $20 |
| 17 to 19 ft | $24 |
| 19 ft and up | $30 |
Triple-decker stair halls and the open stairs in Back Bay and South End rowhouses need ladders, planks or staging. We price them after seeing how we can reach the top safely.
Does it cost more to go from a dark color to white?
Usually yes, because it takes more coats. HomeGuide publishes no figure for it. It only says a change from dark to light or light to dark may need extra coats, which adds material and labor. Dark walls going to white often need a primer coat plus two finish coats. We tell you how many coats the quote covers.
How much more does it cost if the walls need a lot of prep?
A lot of prep can add a meaningful share to the job, and it depends on what the walls need. The national figure for sanding and patching is $1 to $3 per square foot of the area repaired. Skim coating a whole wall runs $1.00 to $1.30 per square foot.
Old horsehair plaster is the usual reason in Boston. Hairline cracks, loose patches, failed tape on old repairs and layers of paint over wallpaper all take time. We point out the problem areas during the estimate and price the repair as its own line.
Does the price include moving furniture and covering floors?
With us, yes: we move and cover furniture and protect floors as part of the job, and we ask you to put away small and fragile items. Not every painter includes it. HomeGuide lists moving furniture as an add-on at $35 to $60 per hour on one page and $50 to $80 per hour on another, so ask each painter what the price covers.
Why are my painting quotes so far apart?
Quotes end up far apart because the painters are not pricing the same job. One includes two coats, ceilings and plaster repair. Another prices one coat on the walls only. Check these points on each quote:
- Which surfaces: walls, ceilings, trim, doors, closets.
- How many coats, and whether primer is included.
- What prep and repair is covered.
- The paint line and sheen.
- Whether the painter is insured and, for older homes, licensed for lead-safe work.
- Who moves furniture and who cleans up.
How do I know if a painting quote is fair?
A quote is fair when it is written, specific and close to other quotes for the same scope. It should name the rooms and surfaces, the number of coats, the prep, the paint and the total. Compare it with the national ranges on this page as a rough check, then compare it with a second and third quote for the same list of work. A price far below the others usually means something was left out.
A free estimate with a written quote is the only way to get a real price for your job. Call or text (617) 553-6484.