How much does house painting cost in Australia?

Painting is one of the highest-return cosmetic jobs you can do, but quotes confuse people because painters price it three different ways: per square metre of wall, per room, or as a whole-house lump sum. They're all the same job; they just slice the cost differently. This guide gives you honest 2026 figures for each, then shows why prep and access, not the paint, usually decide the price.

All figures are estimates for Australian residential work, GST inclusive.

Interior painting cost: three ways to price it

| Basis | 2026 estimate | Notes | | --- | --- | --- | | Per m² of wall area | $15-$45 | Lower end = clean walls, minimal prep | | Per standard room | $250-$450 | Bedroom-sized; bathrooms/kitchens differ | | Whole 3-bed interior | $4,500-$7,000 | Walls, ceilings, doors and trims, basic prep |

These bands reflect current Australian guides putting interior painting broadly in the $15-$45/m² range, with a full three-bedroom interior commonly $4,500-$7,000 (TradieVerify, Airtasker, Brushworks).

Exterior painting costs more, and here's why

Exterior painting runs higher per m² (commonly $30-$80/m² of paintable surface) and a full exterior repaint of a 3-bed home typically lands $8,000-$18,000. The reasons are structural, not cosmetic:

• More prep. Pressure washing, scraping flaking paint, sanding, filling, treating mould and priming bare timber or render takes real time before a brush touches the topcoat.
• Access. A single-storey home is ladder work; a two-storey or split-level often needs scaffolding or a boom, which adds hire cost and labour.
• Tougher paint. Exterior surfaces face UV, rain and salt, so they need premium weatherproof coatings that cost more per litre.

What actually drives the price

Beyond interior vs exterior, four things move any painting quote:

• Surface prep. This is usually the biggest hidden cost. Sound, clean walls paint fast; cracked, peeling or water-damaged surfaces need repair, sanding and priming first, sometimes as much labour as the painting.
• Number of coats. Two coats over primer is standard. A dark-to-light change or covering a feature wall often needs a third coat, adding paint and time.
• Ceiling height and detail. High ceilings, stairwells, ornate cornices, picture rails and lots of trim all slow the work and add cost over plain, flat walls.
• Access. Scaffolding, tight stairwells and rooms full of furniture to move and protect all add labour hours.

A worked example

Say you're repainting a standard 3-bedroom single-storey interior, with walls and ceilings throughout, doors and trims, surfaces in fair condition with some minor cracks to fill.

| Line item | Estimate | | --- | --- | | Prep (fill, sand, mask, protect) | $1,200 | | Walls, 2 coats throughout | $2,600 | | Ceilings, 2 coats | $1,100 | | Doors, trims and architraves | $700 | | Total (inc GST) | ≈ $5,600 |

That sits in the middle of the $4,500-$7,000 band. Add high ceilings and extensive crack or water-damage repair and you'd climb toward the top; a smaller unit with walls only would land below it. Take the same scope outside on a two-storey home and scaffolding alone could add $1,000-$3,000.

How prices vary across Australia

Painting is labour-heavy, so the regional pattern is the familiar one: Sydney and Melbourne sit at the top, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide a little lower, and regional areas vary with travel and how busy local painters are. Paint itself is roughly the same price nationally, so most of the swing is in the labour line.

The bigger variable is the condition of your surfaces, which has nothing to do with postcode. A recently built home with sound walls is quick to repaint anywhere; a weatherboard exterior with peeling paint and rotten boards needs prep and repair that can double the job in any city. That's why a per-m² average is only a starting point.

How to keep painting costs sensible

• Don't skimp on prep. It's tempting to cut, but poor prep is the main reason a paint job fails in a couple of years. Pay for it once.
• Keep colours sensible. Staying near your existing tone avoids the extra coat a big colour change needs.
• Bundle the work. Doing the whole interior in one visit is cheaper per room than staging it.

Questions worth asking before you commit

• What prep is included? Filling, sanding, priming and mould treatment should be itemised, not assumed.
• How many coats, over what primer? Two coats over primer is the standard to ask for.
• What paint brand and grade? Premium paint costs more but covers better and lasts longer.
• Is access (scaffold, height work) included? Confirm for two-storey or hard-to-reach areas.
• Is making good and clean-up included? Furniture moving, masking and final clean should be in the price.

The cheapest quote that skips prep or cuts to a single coat is rarely the cheapest paint job once it peels and needs redoing.

Get a tailored number

A per-m² average can't see your surfaces, your ceiling height or your access. Enter your rooms or areas and surface condition into Karven's painting calculator and get an itemised, fixed-price quote in minutes.