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 We do not publish a Pittsburgh price list, because the house sets the price. Many homes here have plaster walls, high ceilings, thick old trim and stairwells that take more time than a new drywall box.
Price ranges on this page are national figures published by HomeGuide for 2026. They are not our quotes. Local labor, the paint you choose and the condition of your own walls 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 a whole interior, 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 Pittsburgh the spread comes mostly from prep. A 1920s house in Squirrel Hill or Brookline with cracked plaster and ten coats on the trim takes longer than a 1990s house with smooth drywall. We look at the walls before we give a number.
How much does it cost to paint a room?
It costs $300 to $1,000 to paint one room on average, by the national figures, with a national average of $750. The published low is $150 and the high is $2,500. Painters also list a minimum project fee of $250 to $500 or more, so a single small room does not cost half of two rooms.
| Room | National range |
|---|---|
| Bathroom | $150 to $400 |
| Primary bathroom | $250 to $650 |
| Kitchen walls | $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 |
How much does it cost to paint a 1,500 or 2,000 square foot house inside?
For a 2,000 square foot house the national range is $6,000 to $8,000, and for 1,500 square feet it is $4,500 to $6,000. Those figures come from HomeGuide's interior painting page and go by floor area.
| Home size | National range |
|---|---|
| 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 |
Floor area is only a starting point. Two houses of the same size can have very different wall area, ceiling height and amounts of trim.
How much does it cost to paint a 3 bedroom, 2 bath house?
A 3 bedroom house costs $1,200 to $8,500 to paint inside, by the national figures. The range is wide because it runs from walls only in a small house to walls, ceilings, trim and doors in a large one.
You can also build a rough figure from the room table above. Three bedrooms at $350 to $850 each come to $1,050 to $2,550. Two bathrooms at $150 to $400 each add $300 to $800. A living room adds $600 to $2,000. Kitchen walls and hallways come on top. That is arithmetic on national numbers, not a quote.
How much do painters charge per square foot?
Painters charge $1 to $3 per square foot of painted surface, by the national figures. Measured by floor space the same work is $3 to $7 per square foot. Always ask which one a quote uses, because the two numbers are not the same thing.
- Walls only: $1.00 to $2.00 per square foot.
- Adding ceilings: $1.00 to $2.00 more.
- Textured surfaces: $0.80 to $2.00 more.
- Labor is 70% to 85% of the total.
Do painters charge by the room or by the square foot?
Both are used. Many painters price small jobs by the room and whole houses by the square foot or by the estimated hours. What matters is that the quote lists what is painted in each room: walls, ceiling, trim, doors and closets.
We measure the job, look at the prep and give one written price. You should not have to work out the method to understand the total.
Does it cost more to paint ceilings as well as walls?
Yes. Ceilings cost extra. The national figure is $1 to $2 per square foot for a ceiling, or $150 to $300 per ceiling in labor. A textured or popcorn ceiling is listed at $1.00 to $3.50 per square foot.
In older Pittsburgh houses the ceilings are plaster and often have hairline cracks or old water stains from a bathroom above. Those need repair and stain-blocking primer before paint, which adds time.
How much extra is it for trim, doors and baseboards?
Trim and baseboards cost $1 to $4 per linear foot, by the national figures, or $500 to $2,000 for a whole house. Per room the published range is $25 to $200. Interior doors are $75 to $150 each.
Homes here often have tall baseboards, picture rails, wide door casings and stair balusters. Old trim with drips and chips from many past coats needs sanding to look good again. That is slow, careful work and it is the part of the job people notice most.
How much extra do high or vaulted ceilings and stairwells cost?
High ceilings do cost more. HomeGuide says ceilings over 10 feet raise the painting cost by 10% to 50% or more. It gives no dollar figure, so we price it after we see the room. Stairwells are listed per linear foot by height: $16 for 8 to 13 feet, $20 for 13 to 17 feet, $24 for 17 to 19 feet and $30 above 19 feet.
The extra pays for ladders, planks or scaffold and the time to set them up safely. Three story stairwells in city row houses and two story foyers in suburban colonials are the usual cases.
Does it cost more to go from a dark color to white?
Yes, usually. Covering dark walls with white or a pale color often takes a primer coat or a third coat, and that adds paint and labor. No national figure is published for this, so it is priced after a walkthrough.
Tell the painter the old and new colors when you ask for a quote. A tinted primer under the new color often saves a full finish coat.
How much more does it cost if the walls need a lot of prep?
Walls that need a lot of prep cost more, and the amount depends on the damage. Nationally, sanding and patching is listed at $1 to $3 per square foot, and drywall repair at $300 to $1,500 or more for a job.
Basic prep is part of our quote: filling nail holes, small patches, sanding, caulking and spot priming. Heavy prep is listed separately so you can see it. In plaster houses that often means opening and filling cracks, fixing loose plaster, or skim coating a wall that was stripped of wallpaper.
Does the price include moving furniture and covering floors?
With us, yes. We move the furniture to the middle of the room, cover it and protect the floors. We only ask you to put away small and fragile items first.
Not every painter includes it. HomeGuide lists furniture moving at $35 to $60 per hour as a separate charge on some quotes. Check the line before you compare prices.
Why are my painting quotes so far apart?
Painting quotes end up far apart because they are rarely for the same job. One covers two coats on walls, ceilings and trim with full prep. Another covers one coat on the walls only.
- How many coats, and whether primer is included.
- Walls only, or ceilings, trim, doors and closets too.
- How much patching, sanding and caulking is included.
- The grade of paint.
- Who moves furniture and who cleans up.
- Whether the company is insured and follows lead-safe rules in an older home.
Line the quotes up item by item before you compare totals. The lowest number often leaves something out.
How do I know if a painting quote is fair?
A painting quote is fair when it is complete, written and close to other complete quotes for the same scope. It should name the rooms and surfaces, the number of coats, the prep, the paint and the total.
You can set it against the national ranges on this page as a rough check. A quote above the range is not wrong if the house has high ceilings, damaged plaster or a lot of trim. A quote far below the rest deserves questions.
A free estimate and a written quote is the only way to get a real price for your job. Call or text (412) 668-1875.