How much does a painter cost in Sydney?
Painting in Sydney costs $46–$115 per hour for a licensed painter, or $345–$1,150 for a single room (walls and ceiling). A whole-house interior repaint for a 3-bedroom costs $4,600–$10,900, while exterior repainting runs $4,600–$11,500.
We've compiled pricing from painters across Sydney as of October 2026. All prices include GST.
Detailed Pricing — Painter Cost in Sydney 2026
Painting an office, shopfront or strata building instead? See our commercial painting cost guide for Sydney.
| Service | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Painter (hourly rate) | $46/hr | $69 | $115 |
| Single room (walls + ceiling) | $345per room | $745 | $1,150 |
| Whole interior (3-bed house) | $4,600total | $7,450 | $10,900 |
| Whole interior (4-bed house) | $5,200total | $9,200 | $13,800 |
| Exterior (single-storey) | $4,600total | $7,450 | $11,500 |
| Exterior (two-storey) | $8,600total | $14,950 | $20,700 |
| Feature wall | $170per wall | $345 | $575 |
| Ceiling only (per room) | $230per room | $370 | $575 |
| Door (both sides) | $92per door | $150 | $230 |
| Fence painting/staining | $575total | $1,375 | $2,875 |
| Deck staining | $575total | $1,275 | $2,300 |
| Wallpaper removal + repaint | $575per room | $1,025 | $1,725 |
| Painter day rate | $400per day | $575 | $745 |
| Interior painting per m2 (wall/ceiling surface area) | $23/sqm | $34 | $46 |
| Exterior painting per m2 (wall surface area) | $29/sqm | $46 | $69 |
| Whole interior (2-bed unit / apartment) | $2,875total | $4,825 | $7,450 |
| Exterior (timber weatherboard / Queenslander house, full timber prep) | $10,350total | $17,250 | $27,600 |
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Get Sydney quotes →Prices include GST. Based on Sydney metro area, October 2026. Outer suburbs may vary.
How Painting Costs Vary Across Sydney
Your suburb affects painting costs primarily through property type, access difficulty, and the condition of existing paintwork. Heritage homes cost significantly more than modern builds.
Eastern Suburbs & Inner City
Paddington, Surry Hills, Bondi, Darlinghurst. Victorian terraces with detailed cornices, ceiling roses, picture rails, and skirting boards that require careful cutting-in and often multiple colours. Lead paint is common in pre-1970 homes — testing ($30–$50 per sample) and safe removal adds $2,000–$8,000. High ceilings (3.2m+) require scaffolding inside. Street parking restrictions limit van access and add to setup time. Expect the highest per-metre rates in Sydney.
North Shore & Northern Beaches
Mosman, Manly, Chatswood, Dee Why. Mix of brick veneer, weatherboard, and rendered homes. Coastal suburbs need marine-grade exterior paints with enhanced UV and salt resistance — Dulux Weathershield or equivalent. Multi-storey homes on steep blocks may need exterior scaffolding ($2,000–$6,000). North-facing walls cop the most UV damage and may need repainting sooner than other aspects. High-quality exterior paint is critical in these suburbs — budget brands fade noticeably within 3–5 years.
Western Sydney
Parramatta, Blacktown, Penrith, Liverpool. Predominantly modern homes with standard 2.4–2.7m ceilings, minimal decorative detail, and good access. The most affordable area for painting in Sydney. Flat, uniform walls mean painters can work faster with rollers rather than painstaking brush work. Extreme heat in western suburbs can cause exterior paint to blister if applied in full sun — experienced painters start on the shaded side and follow the shade around the house.
Hills District & Sutherland Shire
Castle Hill, Baulkham Hills, Cronulla, Miranda. Mid-range pricing for mostly 1980s–2000s homes. Larger homes in the Hills (4–5 bedrooms) may seem expensive in total but often have a lower per-m² rate due to economy of scale. The Shire's coastal influence means exterior paintwork degrades faster than inland suburbs. Consider repainting schedules of 8–10 years for coastal exteriors versus 10–14 years for inland.
What You'll Actually Pay — Real Painting Scenarios
Here's what common painting projects cost in Sydney in 2026, from the rows in our Sydney table. All prices include labour, paint, and standard preparation (cleaning, sanding, filling minor cracks, masking).
Single room repaint — standard bedroom
Walls and ceiling in a standard 3×4m bedroom with 2.4m ceilings. Includes light sanding, gap filling, one coat primer on patched areas, and two coats of top-quality acrylic. Painting the door (both sides) in a contrasting colour is $92–$230 per door in our table. Many painters set a minimum charge, so painting a single small room is less cost-effective than bundling multiple rooms.
Full interior repaint — 3-bedroom house
All walls, ceilings, and trims throughout. A standard 120–150m² home takes 3–5 days with a two-person crew. This includes living areas, bedrooms, hallway, kitchen, and bathrooms. Quality painters use different paint types for different areas: low-sheen for living areas and bedrooms, semi-gloss for bathrooms and kitchens (moisture resistance), and gloss for trims and doors (durability). Expect to pay more for a home with ornate cornices, high ceilings, or dark-to-light colour changes.
Exterior repaint — single-storey brick veneer
Pressure wash, repair render cracks, prime bare or patched areas, and two coats of premium exterior acrylic. For a standard 3-bedroom single-storey home. Brick homes are generally cheaper to paint than weatherboard because the surface is more uniform. If the existing paint is in good condition, a single coat may cost less. Fascia, gutters, window frames and eaves add to the price; our table prices exterior painting at $29–$69 per square metre of wall.
Exterior repaint — two-storey weatherboard
Scaffolding, extensive preparation (scraping, sanding, filling gaps between boards), primer where bare timber is exposed, and two coats of premium exterior acrylic. Weatherboard homes are the most labour-intensive exterior paint job — preparation often takes longer than the actual painting. If the house may have lead paint, have it tested before sanding; safe lead paint management is quoted separately. The total timeframe is typically 1–2 weeks for a two-person crew.
Pre-sale refresh — interior only, neutral colour
A fresh coat of a neutral colour (Dulux Lexicon Quarter, Natural White, or similar) throughout the interior makes every room look cleaner, bigger, and more inviting. Our Sydney table prices a whole 3-bed interior at $4,600–$10,900 and a single room at $345–$1,150, so focusing on walls and ceilings in living areas, bedrooms, and hallway — and skipping inside wardrobes and storage areas — keeps it below the whole-house figure.
House painting cost in Sydney (2026): interior, exterior, day rates and what a painting quote includes
Painting a house in Sydney costs $4,600–$10,900 for the whole interior of a 3-bedroom home, with $7,450 typical, and $5,200–$13,800 for 4 bedrooms. The exterior is $4,600–$11,500 for a single-storey house and $8,600–$20,700 for two storeys. A single room, walls and ceiling, is $345–$1,150. 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) | $4,600 | $7,450 | $10,900 |
| Whole interior (4-bed house) | $5,200 | $9,200 | $13,800 |
| Exterior (single-storey) | $4,600 | $7,450 | $11,500 |
| Exterior (two-storey) | $8,600 | $14,950 | $20,700 |
| Single room (walls + ceiling) | $345 | $745 | $1,150 |
| Interior painting per m² (surface area) | $23/m² | $34 | $46 |
| Exterior painting per m² (wall area) | $29/m² | $46 | $69 |
| Painter day rate | $400/day | $575 | $745 |
How painters in Sydney charge: most quote the job, built from a day rate of $400–$745 ($575 typical) and the surface area: $23–$46 per square metre of wall and ceiling inside, $29–$69 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 Sydney 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 Sydney:
- 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 Sydney that compare, give every painter the same room list, the same number of coats and the same paint grade.
What Affects Painter Costs in Sydney
Interior vs exterior
Interior painting in Sydney ($4,600–$10,900 for a 3-bed) is generally cheaper than exterior ($4,600–$11,500) due to weather exposure, scaffolding needs, and prep work on external surfaces.
Surface condition
Freshly plastered walls are easy. Older Sydney 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 Sydney 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 Sydney 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 ($170–$575 in Sydney) with a different colour or texture adds cost.
How to Save Money on Painter Cost in Sydney
Finding house painters in Sydney
Sydney’s coastal and harbour suburbs deal with salt air and humidity that shorten the life of an exterior coat, while inner-city terraces bring heritage trim and render detail. Looking for a cheap painter in Sydney? Our table puts the hourly rate at $46–$115 and a day at $400–$745, and a single room at $345–$1,150.
In NSW, painters must hold a contractor licence for any residential painting valued over $5,000 in labour and materials (including GST), so for most repaints it’s worth asking for their licence number and checking it on the NSW Government online licence check. Also ask for a certificate of currency for public liability insurance and a written scope.
Painting quotes in Sydney are easiest to compare by area: interior walls and ceilings at $23–$46 per square metre and exterior walls at $29–$69 in our table.
Frequently Asked Questions — Painter Cost in Sydney
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 →
Nearby area guide: painter costs in Kellyville.
Painter costs by Sydney suburb
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