How much does house painting cost in Pennsylvania?

Updated November 10, 2026 · KeystoneProGuide editorial team

What does it cost to have a house painted?

For the inside of a whole house, Angi reports a national average of $2,022, with most homeowners paying $965 to $3,089. For the outside, Angi's average is $3,178 and most people pay $1,819 to $4,551. Other surveys put both jobs higher, so the range you should expect depends heavily on whose numbers you read.

No survey below publishes a figure for Pennsylvania, so every number here is national and is given the way its publisher gives it.

Why do the surveys disagree so much?

Partly because they measure different things. Angi says its interior figure rests on 65,117 projects reported by its contractors and its exterior figure on 39,126. HomeAdvisor publishes exactly the same interior numbers, so treat the two as one source. Fixr's exterior range is the row in its own table for 2,200 square feet of wall surface, and Fixr says its prices include standard preparation such as sanding, caulking and power washing. HomeGuide's whole-house range is for an average 2,000-square-foot house.

So before you compare a quote with a survey, check whether the survey number is for a house your size, and whether it includes the preparation your house needs.

What does one room cost?

HomeAdvisor gives these ranges by room: a bathroom of about 70 square feet $140 to $420, a 120-square-foot bedroom $240 to $720, a kitchen $300 to $960, a dining room $600 to $1,200 and a living room $700 to $2,000. HomeGuide puts a 10 by 12 room at $300 to $800 and a 14 by 16 primary bedroom at $700 to $1,300.

Ask whether a room price covers the walls only or also the ceiling, trim and doors. HomeGuide's own labor table shows how much that matters: a 10 by 12 bedroom at $391 for walls only and $815 with baseboards, ceiling, doors and trim.

How do painters work out a price?

The surveys describe three common ways.

• By the square foot. Angi gives $2 to $6 per square foot for interiors, or about $2.75 for walls alone and $4.70 with trim and ceilings. For exteriors it gives $1.50 to $4 per square foot of paintable area; HomeGuide gives $1.50 to $5.00 and Fixr $2.84 to $5.28.
• By the hour or day. HomeGuide gives $25 to $75 an hour, or $200 to $600 a day. Angi gives $25 to $100 an hour for each painter on an exterior job.
• By the item. HomeGuide lists $75 to $150 to paint both sides of an interior door, $100 to $225 for an exterior or front door, and $1 to $4 per linear foot of trim and baseboard.

Labor is most of the bill. Angi says it makes up 75% to 95% of an interior job, which is why the condition of your walls matters more than the price of the paint.

What pushes an exterior price up?

• Height. Angi says a two-story house can cost up to 50% more than a one-story one.
• Siding. Angi's per-square-foot figures run from $1 to $3 for wood and $1.25 to $3 for vinyl up to $1.50 to $4.50 for brick. HomeGuide's run from $1.50 to $5.00 for wood up to $2.50 to $5.00 for brick.
• Old paint. Angi prices paint stripping at $0.50 to $2 per square foot.

What pushes an interior price up?

• Repairs. Angi says drywall repair adds an average of $600, and that wall prep costs $0.50 to $0.75 per square foot.
• Texture and color changes. Angi says textured walls can raise the budget by up to 50%, and an accent wall adds 20% to 30% to a room.
• Removal work. Angi prices wallpaper removal at around $3 per square foot and popcorn ceiling removal at $1 to $2.

Does the age of your house change the price?

It can. If your house was built before 1978, a painter who will sand, scrape or otherwise disturb the old paint falls under the federal lead rule, which the Environmental Protection Agency says covers painting preparation in pre-1978 homes. The work then has to follow lead-safe practices, and a quote for an older house may include containment and cleanup that a quote for a newer house does not. HomeGuide prices full lead paint removal, which is a different and larger job, at $6 to $17 per square foot.

How do you compare two quotes fairly?

1. Get more than one written estimate. The Federal Trade Commission says a written estimate should describe the work, the materials, the completion date and the price, and it advises not to choose the lowest bid automatically.
2. Check that both quotes cover the same surfaces, the same number of coats and the same preparation.
3. Ask how each painter priced the job: by area, by time or by item.
4. For a job above $500, Pennsylvania's Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act, which names painting, requires a written contract with the total price or a time-and-materials clause, and the deposit is capped for jobs over $5,000.

What Pennsylvania requires of painters explains those contract rules, and how to choose a painter covers the checks to make before you sign. Painters who work in the area are listed on the painters directory page.

Sources

1. How Much Does It Cost to Paint the Interior of a House? [2026 Data], Angi
2. How Much Does It Cost to Paint the Interior of a House in 2025?, HomeAdvisor
3. How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Painter? (2026), HomeGuide
4. How Much Does It Cost to Paint the Exterior of a House? [2026 Data], Angi
5. How Much Does It Cost to Paint a House Exterior? (2026), HomeGuide
6. How Much Does it Cost to Paint the Exterior of a House?, Fixr
7. 2008 Act 132 (Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act), Pennsylvania General Assembly
8. Renovation, Repair and Painting Program: Contractors, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
9. How To Avoid a Home Improvement Scam, Federal Trade Commission