What is the average cost of painting a house exterior?
Published ranges put exterior painting at $1.5–4 per square foot, with an average full exterior job reported around $3,177. Labour is about 85% of that and materials about 15%, which is why prep time drives the price far more than the paint you pick.
Short version
- These are third-party survey ranges, not quotes — we name the range rather than a single average.
- The 85/15 labour-to-materials split is the most useful number in any quote.
- Upgrading the paint changes a small share of the total; adding prep changes a large one.
- Get three itemised quotes and compare the prep scope, not the headline price.
Why the labour share matters when you read a quote
If labour is roughly 85% of the job, then the difference between a mid-range and a premium paint moves the total by a few percent. The difference between two coats over proper prep and one coat over none moves it enormously — and only one of those is visible in two years.
A quote that is much cheaper than the others is usually buying that gap out of the prep line, not out of the profit line.
What changes the number most
Surface condition, height and access, the number of colours, and how much trim and detail there is. A room with tall ceilings, heavy trim and a dark existing colour can cost double a plain room of the same floor area.
Common mistakes
- Comparing quotes on headline price without comparing prep scope and coat count.
- Treating a national average as a local price.
- Paying a large deposit up front.
- Accepting a quote that does not state the products and the number of coats.
Sources
- Aggregated third-party cost surveys. US painting cost ranges (accessed 2026-08-17).
Also asked as
- What is the average cost of exterior house painting?