How Much Does it Cost to Paint a House in Australia?

Staring at those faded walls and thinking it may be time to freshen things up with a new coat of paint? Before you dig into choosing colours, know that a professional paint job doesn’t come cheap.

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Based on my 10+ years as a painter serving clients across Australia, you can expect to pay an average of $3,000 to $7,000 to paint a standard 2-3 bedroom house on the inside. Painting the exterior will typically cost you $2,500 to $5,000 extra.

Of course, that’s just an average—the final cost will depend on factors like your;

location,
house size,
number of floors,
preparation work needed,
ease of wall access,
choice of finishes,
paint quality,
whether you hire professionals or do it yourself.

Let’s take a closer look at how house painting costs typically are broken down by room count, square footage, and other key factors.

Also, check out the topics below to read about your specific type of house painting project:

House Painting Cost by No. of Bedrooms

Based on aggregated data from over 500 single and double-storey house and townhouse painting jobs across Sydney and Melbourne, along with insights drawn from my 10+ years as a professional painter, I can provide realistic cost ranges for interior paint jobs segmented by the number of bedrooms.

I’ve found these cost brackets align closely with the quotes I’ve provided clients on hundreds of homes, taking into account room count, total square footage, preparation work and ease of access.

How Much Does it Cost to Paint a House Interior?

This pricing below encompasses a comprehensive paint refresh, including only walls for all rooms with two standard coats of paint. Let’s take a look at the cost to paint house interior for the most common single and double-storey detached home and townhouse configurations (Sydney and Melbourne only):

No. of Bedrooms	Single Storey	Double Storey
2	$1,800 – $3,000	$2,200 – $4,000
3	$2,500 – $3,800	$3,000 – $6,000
4	$3,500 – $4,500	$4,000 – $8,000
5+	$4,500 – $6,000	$5,500 – $8,000+

Cost to Paint 3 Bedroom House Interior

A standard 3 bed, 2 bath suburban home usually spans about 1,500-2,400 square feet. Expect to pay $2,500-$3,800 to paint the walls of the entire interior for a single story layout, or $3,000-$6,000 for a double story.

Quotes will go up depending on the factors like ceilings, high ceilings requiring extra ladder work, skirting boards, doors, windows frames, number of accent walls or decorative finishes like sponging, overall condition of walls needing repairs, as well as location and ease of moving furniture to paint behind.

If your 3 bed home is well maintained and only requires 2 coats of white or neutral paint, aim for the lower end of these averages. For multi-colours or more intricate decorator work, be prepared for your total to creep higher.

Cost to Paint 4 Bedroom House Interior

The interior walls of a spacious 4-bedroom family home typically span about 2,500-3,500 square feet. Based on average painter rates to prep and paint interiors in this range, you can expect to invest $3,500-$4,500 for a single-storey and $4,000-$8,000 for a double-storey 4-bedroom house.

Factors like ceilings, skirting boards, number of accent walls or fiddly decorative details, overall condition of existing walls, and ease of moving furniture around impact the hours and materials needed to complete the job.

Generally, I see quotes on the lower end of these brackets for well-maintained 4 beds that simply need a fresh coat of neutral paint.

Prices push towards the higher limits when there are special finishes like sponging, rag rolling or faux treatments, or for homes needing patching, repairs and priming due to wear and tear or bold existing colours.

Cost to Paint Exterior of House

No. of Bedrooms	Single Storey	Double Storey
2	$2,500 – $4,000	$4,500 – $6,000
3	$4,000 – $6,000	$6,000 – $10,000
4	$5,500 – $8,000	$8,000 – $12,000
5+	$7,000 – $10,000	$10,000 – $15,000

Entire House Paint Cost (Interior + Exterior)

No. of Bedrooms	Single Storey	Double Storey
2	$4,300 – $7,000	$6,700 – $10,000
3	$6,500 – $9,800	$9,000 – $16,000
4	$9,000 – $12,500	$12,000 – $20,000
5+	$11,500 – $16,000	$15,500 – $23,000+

Interior House Painting Cost by Square Footage

Sq. Ft.	Interior Paint Cost Range
800	$1,200 – $1,500
1000	$1,500 – $2,000
1200	$1,800 – $2,400
1600	$2,400 – $3,200
2000	$3,000 – $4,000
2500	$3,750 – $5,000
3000	$4,500 – $6,000

The cost ranges are based on standard painter rates to paint interior walls only. This excludes paint and additional charges for ceilings, skirting boards, special finishes, repairs, accent walls or complex prep work.

Average Cost per Square Foot Painting

The average cost per square foot painting works out to $2.50 – $3.50 across difference residence sizes from 800-3000 sq ft.

As you can see, the average cost per square foot drops as the size of the painting job increases due to the painter’s efficiency. However, each house or apartment layout also differs in aspects like room count, wall height, and ease of furniture moving, which also impacts overall time and price.

Interior Painting Cost per M2

According to industry standards from The National Institute of Painting and Decorating, interior house painting costs in Australia typically range from $10 to $60 per square meter.

As an experienced professional painter, I align with this overall range based on hundreds of jobs quoted. However, as a trusted advisor to clients, I strive to take a more nuanced view when estimating project costs rather than simply stating square meter rates.

While a range of $10-$60 per meter accounts for standard preparation, multi-coat application and single-colour paint, that does not tell the whole story. The existing condition of walls, required repairs, choice of premium finishes, high ceilings demanding extra labour, and complexity of colour schemes can dramatically influence cost on a case-by-case basis. For example, an intricate accent wall mural or faux finish in a luxury master bedroom would likely exceed a straightforward per-metre estimate.

My goal is to educate clients on the array of elements that shape interior painting costs specific to their home, rather than focus merely on square metres or dollar figures. From room proportions, to type of paint, to prep work needed – these facets converge to form quotes that either ease or challenge one’s budget and expectations.

I aim to consult and advise so that customers clearly comprehend the complete scope of work a bid entails. This allows them to best assess what paint job particulars and pricing suit their home improvement goals.

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