Painting the inside of a house costs $3,500 to $10,000 on average in 2026, by national published figures. We do not publish an Ann Arbor price list, because the walls set the price: how many rooms, how high, how much patching, and whether the ceilings and trim are part of the job.
Price ranges on this page are national figures published by HomeGuide for 2026. They are not our quotes. Local labor, paint prices and the condition of your own walls or siding move the number up or down. Last checked October 2026.
How much does it cost to paint the interior of a house?
Nationally, it costs $3,500 to $10,000 to paint the whole interior, with a national average of $7,500. HomeGuide lists a low of $2,000 and a high of $15,000. That works out to $1 to $3 per square foot of painted surface.
Ann Arbor has a wide spread of houses. A 1920s home on the Old West Side has plaster walls, tall baseboards and many small rooms with a lot of trim. A 1960s ranch on the south side has drywall, low ceilings and simple casings. The second one is quicker to paint for the same floor area.
How much does it cost to paint a room?
One room costs $300 to $1,000 to paint in most cases, with a national average of $750. The published low is $150 and the high is $2,500.
| Room | National range |
|---|---|
| Bathroom | $150 to $400 |
| Bedroom | $350 to $850 |
| Primary bedroom | $650 to $1,400 |
| Kitchen, walls only | $150 to $250 |
| Dining room or hallway | $300 to $1,000 |
| Living room | $600 to $2,000 |
| Open-plan basement | $800 to $2,500 |
Many painters also have a minimum job price. HomeGuide puts that minimum at $250 to $500 or more.
How much to paint a 1,500 or 2,000 square foot house inside?
For a 1,500 square foot house the national range is $4,500 to $6,000, and for a 2,000 square foot house it is $6,000 to $8,000. These come from HomeGuide's interior house painting page and go by floor area.
| House size | National range |
|---|---|
| 1,000 sq ft | $3,000 to $4,000 |
| 1,200 sq ft | $3,600 to $4,800 |
| 1,500 sq ft | $4,500 to $6,000 |
| 1,800 sq ft | $5,400 to $7,200 |
| 2,000 sq ft | $6,000 to $8,000 |
| 2,500 sq ft | $7,500 to $10,000 |
| 3,000 sq ft | $9,000 to $12,000 |
A table like this assumes an average house. It cannot see a two-storey stairwell, cracked plaster or a house full of stained woodwork.
How much to paint a 3 bedroom, 2 bath house?
A 3-bedroom house costs $1,200 to $8,500 to paint inside, by HomeGuide's table by bedroom count. The range is wide because it runs from walls only in good shape to walls, ceilings and trim with repairs.
You can also add it up room by room from the published room figures. Two bedrooms at $350 to $850 each, a primary bedroom at $650 to $1,400, a bathroom at $150 to $400, a primary bathroom at $250 to $650, a living room at $600 to $2,000, kitchen walls at $150 to $250 and a hallway at $300 to $1,000. That adds up to $2,800 to $7,400. It is arithmetic on national figures, not a quote.
How much do painters charge per square foot?
Painters charge $1 to $3 per square foot of surface painted, or $3 to $7 per square foot of floor space, by the national figures. Be sure which one a quote uses. Wall area is much larger than floor area.
| What is painted | Per square foot of surface |
|---|---|
| Walls only | $1.00 to $2.00 |
| Add ceilings | plus $1.00 to $2.00 |
| Add textured surfaces | plus $0.80 to $2.00 |
The same page says labor is 70% to 85% of the total. That is why prep time moves the price more than the paint does.
Do painters charge by the room or by the square foot?
Both. Small jobs are usually priced by the room, and whole houses by measured area or by the estimated hours. What matters is that the quote lists the rooms, the surfaces in each one and the number of coats.
We measure and walk every room before we price it. A written quote from us names the rooms and says whether ceilings, trim, doors and closets are in.
Does it cost more to paint ceilings as well as walls?
Yes. Ceilings are extra work and add $1 to $2 per square foot of ceiling, by the national figures. A bedroom ceiling is listed at $100 to $300 and a living room ceiling at $300 to $800 on HomeGuide's ceiling page.
Older Ann Arbor homes often have plaster ceilings with hairline cracks, and some later ones have textured ceilings. Both take longer than a flat drywall ceiling. Textured or popcorn ceilings are listed at $1.00 to $3.50 per square foot to paint.
How much extra for trim, doors and baseboards?
Trim and baseboards cost $1 to $4 per linear foot to paint, or $500 to $2,000 for a house, by the national figures. In one room, baseboards run $25 to $200. An interior door is $75 to $150.
| Item | National range |
|---|---|
| Baseboards and trim | $1 to $4 per linear foot |
| Crown molding | $1 to $5 per linear foot |
| Interior window frame | $25 to $100 per window |
| Interior door | $75 to $150 each |
| Interior door with its trim | $80 to $250 |
Trim is where prewar houses here differ most. Wide casings, picture rails and many-paned windows carry several old coats, sometimes oil-based, and need sanding and the right primer before new paint will hold.
How much extra for high or vaulted ceilings and stairwells?
High ceilings add 10% to 50% or more to the painting cost once they pass 10 feet, by HomeGuide's room page. No dollar figure is published for a vaulted ceiling, so that part is priced after a walkthrough.
Stairwells are listed per linear foot by wall height: $16 for 8 to 13 feet, $20 for 13 to 17 feet, $24 for 17 to 19 feet and $30 above 19 feet. The extra cost is ladders, planks and slower cutting in at height.
Does it cost more to go from a dark color to white?
Usually yes, because a dark color under a light one often needs a primer coat or a third coat. No national figure is published for it. HomeGuide only says a big color change may need more coats, which adds paint and labor.
Tell the painter the old and new colors when you ask for the quote. Then the extra coat is in the price from the start and not a surprise halfway through.
How much more if the walls need a lot of prep?
A lot of prep can add a real share to the price, because it is all labor. The national figure for sanding and patching is $1 to $3 per square foot of the area repaired. Drywall repairs on their own run $300 to $1,500 or more.
In Ann Arbor the usual heavy prep is cracked plaster, old wallpaper paste, nail pops in newer drywall and glossy old trim. Our quotes include patching, sanding, caulking and priming. We tell you up front if a wall needs more than that.
Does the price include moving furniture and covering floors?
With us, yes. We move and cover furniture and protect the floors, and we only ask you to put away small and fragile things. Ask every painter the same question, because some quotes assume empty rooms.
Where a painter charges for it, HomeGuide lists moving furniture at $35 to $60 per hour.
Why are my painting quotes so far apart?
Painting quotes end up far apart because they are rarely for the same job. One covers two coats on walls, ceilings and trim with full prep. Another covers one coat on the walls only.
- How many coats, and whether primer is included.
- Walls only, or ceilings, trim, doors and closets too.
- How much patching and sanding is allowed for.
- The grade of paint.
- Who moves the furniture and covers the floors.
- Whether the company carries insurance.
Line the quotes up item by item before you compare totals.
How do I know if a painting quote is fair?
A painting quote is fair when it is written, complete and close to other complete quotes for the same scope. It should list rooms, surfaces, prep, the paint line and sheen, the number of coats and the payment terms.
You can set it against the national ranges on this page as a rough check. A quote well below every other one usually leaves out prep or a coat.
A free estimate with a written quote is the only way to get a real price for your job. Call or text (734) 399-4198.