Cost to paint a house exterior: by house size, per square foot of wall, by state
A 1,800 sq ft one-story house, about 1,650 sq ft of wall: about $3,700 to $5,200, typically $4,300. That's the outside walls pressure washed and painted in two coats, with the contractor's overhead, profit and sales tax. Everything in, it runs $2.25 to $3.25 a sq ft of wall.
Anthony Hicks30+ years in construction. Updated November 5, 2026.
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What it costs
| Job | Cost |
|---|---|
| A 1,200 sq ft one-story house, about 1,350 sq ft of wall | $3,050 to $4,250 |
| A 1,800 sq ft one-story house, about 1,650 sq ft of wall | $3,700 to $5,200 |
| A 2,500 sq ft two-story house, about 2,550 sq ft of wall | $5,700 to $8,000 |
About $2.25 to $3.25 a sq ft of wall, everything in.
Totals include the contractor's overhead and profit (20%) and the state's average sales tax. Prices as of November 2026.
What’s in these numbers
Each total is a typical job, priced the way a contractor’s estimate is priced:
- Pressure washing the walls first; the pressure washing cost guide prices it on its own.
- Two coats of paint on the walls.
- Overhead and profit: 20%, the standard markup on a contractor’s estimate.
- Sales tax on the materials, at the state’s average rate.
The sizes are square feet of wall, not of floor: 8 foot walls for each story, plus the two gable ends under a 6/12 roof, with windows and doors left in. A one-story house 40 by 30 feet has 2 × (40 + 30) × 8 = 1,120 square feet of wall, plus 225 in its gables: about 1,350.
Not in them: trim, fascia and soffit, doors, shutters, scraping and priming peeling paint, repairs to the siding, and lead-safe work on older paint.
What moves the price
- Trim and details. Fascia, soffits, window trim, doors and shutters are brushed by hand and priced on their own.
- Prep. Peeling paint is scraped and the bare spots primed before the finish coats.
- Stories. Second-story walls and tall gables need taller ladders, staging or a lift.
- Older homes. In homes built before 1978, anyone paid to do work that disturbs paint has to be certified and use lead-safe work practices under the EPA’s renovation, repair and painting rule.
- Where you live. Pick your state in the box above.
Working out your own house
- Measure each wall’s length and height and multiply. A gable is its width times its height, divided by 2.
- Add the walls up and type the total in the box above for the range at that size.
- Add trim, doors and shutters separately.
The paint calculator turns the wall area into gallons.
Common questions
How much does it cost to paint a 1,200 sq ft house exterior?
A one-story house of that size has about 1,350 square feet of wall: about $3,050 to $4,250, typically $3,550, washed and painted in two coats.
How much does it cost to paint the outside of a 2,000 sq ft house?
It depends on the stories. A one-story house of 2,000 square feet, 50 by 40, has about 1,850 square feet of wall: about $4,150 to $6,100. A two-story house of the same floor area, 40 by 25, has about 2,250 square feet of wall: about $5,000 to $7,400.
What does exterior painting cost per square foot?
$2.25 to $3.25 a sq ft of wall, washed and two coats, with overhead, profit and sales tax included.
How much paint does a house exterior take?
The wall area times the coats, divided by what a gallon covers, which the can’s label gives. The paint calculator does the math.