How much does a painter cost in Canberra?
Painting in Canberra costs $44–$110 per hour for a licensed painter, or $330–$1,100 for a single room (walls and ceiling). A whole-house interior repaint for a 3-bedroom costs $4,400–$10,450, while exterior repainting runs $4,400–$11,000.
We've compiled pricing from painters across Canberra as of October 2026. All prices include GST.
Detailed Pricing — Painter Cost in Canberra 2026
Painting an office, shopfront or strata building instead? See our commercial painting cost guide for Canberra.
| Service | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Painter (hourly rate) | $44/hr | $66 | $110 |
| Single room (walls + ceiling) | $330per room | $715 | $1,100 |
| Whole interior (3-bed house) | $4,400total | $7,150 | $10,450 |
| Whole interior (4-bed house) | $4,950total | $8,800 | $13,200 |
| Exterior (single-storey) | $4,400total | $7,150 | $11,000 |
| Exterior (two-storey) | $8,250total | $14,300 | $19,800 |
| Feature wall | $165per wall | $330 | $550 |
| Ceiling only (per room) | $220per room | $350 | $550 |
| Door (both sides) | $88per door | $145 | $220 |
| Fence painting/staining | $550total | $1,325 | $2,750 |
| Deck staining | $550total | $1,200 | $2,200 |
| Wallpaper removal + repaint | $550per room | $990 | $1,650 |
| Painter day rate | $385per day | $550 | $715 |
| Interior painting per m2 (wall/ceiling surface area) | $22/sqm | $33 | $44 |
| Exterior painting per m2 (wall surface area) | $28/sqm | $44 | $66 |
| Whole interior (2-bed unit / apartment) | $2,750total | $4,625 | $7,150 |
| Exterior (timber weatherboard / Queenslander house, full timber prep) | $9,900total | $16,500 | $26,400 |
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Get Canberra quotes →Prices include GST. Based on Canberra metro area, October 2026. Outer suburbs may vary.
House painting cost in Canberra (2026): interior, exterior, day rates and what a painting quote includes
Painting a house in Canberra costs $4,400–$10,450 for the whole interior of a 3-bedroom home, with $7,150 typical, and $4,950–$13,200 for 4 bedrooms. The exterior is $4,400–$11,000 for a single-storey house and $8,250–$19,800 for two storeys. A single room, walls and ceiling, is $330–$1,100. Those prices are labour and paint for sound surfaces in standard colours; repairs and heavy prep are quoted on top.
| Job | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whole interior (3-bed house) | $4,400 | $7,150 | $10,450 |
| Whole interior (4-bed house) | $4,950 | $8,800 | $13,200 |
| Exterior (single-storey) | $4,400 | $7,150 | $11,000 |
| Exterior (two-storey) | $8,250 | $14,300 | $19,800 |
| Single room (walls + ceiling) | $330 | $715 | $1,100 |
| Interior painting per m² (surface area) | $22/m² | $33 | $44 |
| Exterior painting per m² (wall area) | $28/m² | $44 | $66 |
| Painter day rate | $385/day | $550 | $715 |
How painters in Canberra charge: most quote the job, built from a day rate of $385–$715 ($550 typical) and the surface area: $22–$44 per square metre of wall and ceiling inside, $28–$66 per square metre of wall outside. Two coats over a sound, prepared surface is the base; a colour change from dark to light, or bare plaster that needs sealing, adds a coat.
What a painting quote in Canberra should include: the rooms or elevations, the number of coats, the paint brand and grade, prep (filling, sanding, washing down), protection of floors and furniture, and clean-up. A quote that does not state the coats or the paint is the one that moves on the day.
What moves a painting quote in Canberra:
- Prep: cracked plaster, peeling exterior paint, mould or wallpaper to remove all add days before any paint goes on.
- Height: two-storey exteriors need scaffold or towers; high ceilings and stairwells inside need platforms.
- Surfaces and trim: doors, windows, skirtings and cornices are slow, detailed work priced per item or per metre.
- Paint grade and colour: premium paints and deep or bright colours that need extra coats cost more per square metre.
- Occupied or empty: an empty house paints faster than one the painter has to work around.
For painting quotes in Canberra that compare, give every painter the same room list, the same number of coats and the same paint grade.
What Affects Painter Costs in Canberra
Interior vs exterior
Interior painting in Canberra ($4,400–$10,450 for a 3-bed) is generally cheaper than exterior ($4,400–$11,000) due to weather exposure, scaffolding needs, and prep work on external surfaces.
Surface condition
Freshly plastered walls are easy. Older Canberra homes with peeling paint, cracks, or wallpaper removal need extensive prep, which adds to labour costs.
Number of coats
Two coats over a primer is standard. Dark-to-light colour changes may need 3+ coats. Extra coats add to paint costs and labour time.
Ceiling height & access
Standard 2.4m ceilings are straightforward. Higher ceilings in older Canberra homes need scaffolding or platform ladders, increasing cost and time.
Paint quality
Budget paint vs premium (for example Dulux Wash & Wear) affects both finish quality and longevity. Most Canberra painters recommend mid-range to premium for interiors.
Trim & detail work
Painting doors, window frames, skirting boards, and architraves is labour-intensive. A feature wall ($165–$550 in Canberra) with a different colour or texture adds cost.
How to Save Money on Painter Cost in Canberra
Canberra Painting Costs by Home Type
Standard brick home (Belconnen, Gungahlin, Tuggeranong) — a full exterior repaint of a single-storey home costs $4,400–$11,000 in Canberra, and brick homes are faster to paint than rendered surfaces. These suburbs have predominantly 1980s–2000s brick-and-tile homes with straightforward access.
Modern rendered home (Molonglo, Coombs, Wright) — newer rendered facades need crack filling and primer before painting. Two-storey townhouses in these newer suburbs need scaffolding, and a two-storey exterior costs $8,250–$19,800.
Older established home (Yarralumla, Deakin, Red Hill, Griffith) — larger blocks, mature landscaping restricting access, and heritage considerations in some streets push costs toward the top of the exterior bands. Paint choices may need to complement the streetscape character.
Government/ex-government housing (various suburbs) — many Canberra homes were originally built as government housing with simple, uniform designs. These are straightforward to paint with standard access.
Finding house painters in Canberra
Canberra’s climate swings hard, with frosty winters, hot dry summers and intense high-altitude UV all stressing exterior paintwork. Canberra house painter quotes usually start from the job, but if you're comparing rates, our table puts a painter at $44–$110 an hour or $385–$715 a day.
Painting isn’t a licensed trade in the ACT, so the checks that matter most are recent local references and reviews, a current ABN, and a certificate of currency for public liability insurance — Access Canberra recommends confirming insurance before any work starts. Get the scope in writing too: the number of coats, the surface prep, and the products they’ll use.
Painters prices near you in Canberra should sit inside our ranges — a single room is $330–$1,100 and a whole three-bedroom interior $4,400–$10,450; anything far outside them is worth asking about.
What a Painter's Quote Covers in Canberra, and What It Should Cost
A written painting quote in Canberra should be priced the way the table above is, by the room or by the whole house, and then show what sits inside that number. For a whole interior that is $4,400–$10,450 for a 3-bedroom home (typical $7,150) or $4,950–$13,200 for 4 bedrooms (typical $8,800); a single room, walls and ceiling, is $330–$1,100. Doors ($88–$220 each) and ceilings ($220–$550 per room) are the lines most often left vague, so ask for them to be counted rather than allowed for. Preparation is where Canberra quotes differ most. Older brick and weatherboard homes in the inner north and south, Woden and Belconnen often carry several layers of old enamel that need sanding and priming, and paint from before the 1970s can contain lead, which changes how it has to be prepared. Ask for the paint brand and range, the number of coats and whether primer is included, all in writing, then compare quotes on the same scope rather than the bottom line.
Exterior Painting Cost in Canberra, and When to Book It
Outside, a single-storey Canberra home costs $4,400–$11,000 to repaint (typical $7,150) and a two-storey $8,250–$19,800 (typical $14,300). A fence adds $550–$2,750 and a deck stain $550–$2,200. Canberra's climate sets both the price and the calendar. Frosty winters and hot, dry summers under strong high-altitude UV make exterior paint chalk and peel faster than on the coast, so north- and west-facing walls often need more preparation than the rest of the house. Exterior paints shouldn't go on in near-freezing conditions, so outside work is booked from spring through autumn, and good painters fill those months early: for a spring start, get quotes in winter. On weatherboards and older timber trims, ask whether the price includes scraping back to a sound surface and spot-priming bare timber, the two steps that decide how long the new coat lasts.
Frequently Asked Questions — Painter Cost in Canberra
Our Methodology
These are independent estimates from public cost guides, marketplaces and industry rate data, and no tradesperson can influence them, so always get a few quotes. Last reviewed October 2026. Read our full methodology →