How Much do Painters Charge in Australia?

Understanding Painter Costs in Australia: Factors Influencing Rates, Budgeting Tips, and What to Expect

"How much does a painter charge in Australia in 2025 for interior and exterior house painting based on square metre rates, and what influences the cost, including house size, location, paint quality, and painter experience?"

In Australia, painters typically charge between $60 to $100 per square metre, with the total cost of painting a house ranging from $6,000 to $40,000 for interior work and $4,000 to $28,000 for exterior painting. The final price depends on several factors, including the size of the house or rooms, location, surface preparation required, type of paint used, and the experience of the professional painter.

One of the cost-effective ways of making your property look as good as it formerly looked is to paint. Painting makes everything — rooms, walls, ceilings, and roofs change completely with its repainting look. However, do you not know how much a house painter is going to cost you for this painting job? In this cost guide, you get to see how professional painters near you determine their service rates and how much they charge for different houses, including per square metre rates, hourly charges, and interior or exterior painting costs.

If you think about the average charge a house painter in Australia costs, you are somewhere between $2,500 and $28,000. However, the cost variation is based on the size of the painting job that a painter calculates. In addition to this, the interior and exterior of a house also matter when a house painter charges the cost.

How Much Does A Painter Cost To Paint A House?

If you consider the average charge for a house painter in Australia, it typically ranges between $4,000 and $40,000. However, this cost variation is determined by the size of the painting job as calculated by the painter. Furthermore, both the interior and exterior of a house play a role in determining the cost charged by a house painter. You can observe such cost variations depending on various factors.

• Average Hourly Rate: $40 – $70 per hour


• Per Square Metre (Interior): $20 – $35 per m²


• Per Square Metre (Exterior): $25 – $45 per m²


• 1 Bedroom Unit (Interior): $1,200 – $2,000


• 2-3 Bedroom House (Interior): $2,500 – $4,500


• 4 Bedroom House (Interior): $6,500 – $40,000


• Exterior Painting (Full House): $4,000 – $28,000


• Ceiling Painting: $5 – $15 per m²


• Door Painting: $80 – $200 per door


• Window Frame Painting: $20 – $50 per frame


• Commercial Painting Rates: $45 – $70 per hour or custom per m²/project


• Prep Work (cleaning, sanding, patching): May add 10–30% to the total cost


• Travel & Access Fees: Extra for hard-to-reach areas, scaffolding, or remote locations


• Paint Quality: Premium paints may cost $15 – $40+ per litre


• Roof Painting: Roof painting- Between $2,800 and $4,500.

Not all homeowners have to set their minds to pay $4,000, $6,000, or $40,000 because painters charge based on job size. Therefore, if you want a painter to repaint only one bedroom's interiors, then it would cost you low.

How Much Does A Painter Cost To Paint The Interior Of My House?

Particular painters charge you an average cost depending on the single coat and two finishing coats of an interior. The cost for this service varies between $20 and $30, depending on the square metre, and it includes your ceiling too.

There are times when you have to pay the least cost for a painter's job, and that's when a single-color painting is done with minimal trimming work. But if the same job includes additional tasks such as painting multiple colors on the ceiling, trimming, and glass architraves, with a quote, then the charges exceed $30. You can even expect to pay more than $30 if you need special effect paintings, wallpapering, sponged effects, etc.

• A 2-bedroom unit with a single bathroom and a laundry with the benefit of a quote- Between $2,500 and $4,500.


• A few rooms kitchen or dining area with the benefit of quotes- Between $800 and $2,500.

How Much Does A Painter Cost To Paint The Exterior Of My House?

For exterior painting jobs like brickwork, you might be charged somewhere between $25 and $45 per square meter. If there are timber surfaces, then you might expect to pay a painter's cost between $12 and $60 per square meter. For others, it is as listed below:

• A 2-storey building with 3 bedrooms- Between $5,500 and $8,000


• A 2-storey weatherboard house- Between $10,000 and $20,000 (based on house size and surface condition).

The job of a painter who does exterior painting needs more preparation work than interior painting. Thus, the costs they charge are usually high.

How Much Does A Painter Cost To Paint A Roof?

When you decide to ask for a quote from the painter, make up your mind to ask how much they charge to paint your roof. We have a general answer to this inquiry of yours that is, the roof painting charges between $2800 and $4500. But this costs only if your home is a unit of 3 bedrooms with terracotta, metal, or tile surfaces.

Moreover, if you want any roof repair services in addition to other casual painting jobs to be done, the cost of hiring a roof painter varies.

What Is The Cost Of DIY Painting?

Yes, DIY house painting seems to be pretty until you do it yourself with insufficient materials, tools, no matching paint colour, etc. Because what you know about DIY house painting is not the only thing that is acknowledged in the market, but more than that.

As spoken, there is a wide range of paint colours, materials, and different surfaces that have a huge impact on the final finishing. Note:- Any experienced and knowledgeable house painter in the field knows that getting your house surfaces with the first coat plays a crucial role. So, then inform you the same.

The DIY house painting cost is just up to painting your house whenever you want, but there are many more things to consider. A few important things to consider are paint rollers, brushes, and so on, supplies. So, you can expect to pay the following costs for DIY house painting:

• Home paint costs based on finishing- From $30 to $40


• Painting tools such as drop sheets, trays, brushes, tapes, rollers, etc- From $400 to $500

What Are the Factors That Painters Use to Calculate Their Costs?

When it comes to a quote, painters calculate the cost per square meter. In addition to this, the house painting costs vary depending on the paint colour and supplies.

But there are times when per square becomes deceptive, as it considers all kinds of work in it relating to the painting job. And out of all the painting jobs, many factors can be neglected when calculating the painting rates.

If it is interiors, a painter calculates the painting cost depending on the following aspects:

• Will there be any repairs to be done or surface preparation?


• Do you do trimming and have any architraves?


• How many doors are to be painted?


• How high is your ceiling from the floor?

If it is exteriors, a painter calculates the painting cost depending on the following aspects:

• Is your building on a level block, and what about its access?


• If it's a multi-level home, then how much do painters charge for a scaffolding job and labour work with a quote?


• Does exterior painting need different treatments?
  

Final Thoughts on Painting Jobs Cost In Australia

Painting your home in Australia can cost anywhere between a few thousand to tens of thousands of dollars, depending on the job size, surface condition, house layout, and quality of paint used. Whether it's interior, exterior, or roof painting, each requires different levels of prep work and expertise, all of which influence the final cost. While DIY painting may seem budget-friendly, professional painters offer the advantage of precision, durability, and time-saving results. By understanding the factors that affect painting costs and comparing quotes from qualified painters, homeowners can budget smartly and ensure a flawless finish that adds lasting value to their property.