A homeowner in Fitzroy called us last winter after getting three quotes for the same weatherboard cottage that ranged from $6,500 to $14,000. Same house, same job — more than double the spread. She wasn’t being scammed by anyone; the painters were just pricing different scopes of work and nobody had explained why. If you’re weighing up a repaint, that gap is the first thing worth understanding, because the number depends far more on your house than on the painter’s day rate.
So how much does it cost to paint a house — or how much cost to paint a house, or simply how much to paint a house, however you’ve typed it into Google? Here’s the short answer before we go deep: most full house repaints in Melbourne land between $6,000 and $12,000 for a standard single-storey interior, and $8,000 to $25,000-plus for a full exterior, depending on size, condition, and access. After 15 years painting homes across Melbourne, we’ve learned the honest version of this question is never one figure — it’s a range shaped by a handful of factors you can actually control. This guide breaks down real Melbourne costs room by room, wall by wall, so you can read any quote you’re handed and know exactly what you’re paying for. If you’d rather skip the reading and get a tailored figure, you can always request a free painting quote and we’ll walk the numbers with you.
What Actually Drives the Cost of Painting a House
The price of a paint job comes down to three things: how much surface there is, how much prep that surface needs, and how hard it is to reach. Everything else is detail. A brand-new plaster wall in a Point Cook townhouse gets a coat and it’s done. A 1920s weatherboard in Brunswick with flaking lead-era paint might need scraping, sanding, filling, and priming before a single coat of colour goes on — and that prep can be half the total labour.
Melbourne adds its own quirks. Homes near the bay in Brighton, St Kilda and Port Melbourne cop salt air that breaks down exterior coatings faster, so they often need a tougher (pricier) system. Heritage and weatherboard homes around Fitzroy and Richmond need careful hand-prep. And our wet, cold winters slow drying times, which stretches the labour hours on any job booked between June and August.
Interior Painting Costs in Melbourne
So how much does interior painting cost, and how much does it cost for interior painting across a whole home rather than a single room? Interior painting in Melbourne typically runs $6,000 to $12,000 for a whole single-storey home, or roughly $500 to $1,500 per room for walls, ceilings, and trim done properly. The variation comes down to ceiling height, how many coats the old colour needs to be covered, and whether you’re painting trim and doors as well as walls.
Here’s a realistic breakdown of what we see across Melbourne homes:
| Interior job | Typical Melbourne price |
|---|---|
| Single bedroom (walls only) | $500 – $1,200 |
| Single room (walls, ceiling, trim) | $650 – $1,500 |
| Living/dining open plan | $900 – $1,600 |
| Standard 3-bedroom home interior | $6,000 – $12,000 |
| Large 4-bedroom / double-storey interior | $10,000 – $16,000 |
If you are pricing a repaint of the inside of a house rather than the whole property, the same per-room figures apply — most Melbourne homeowners repainting interior walls, ceilings and trim across a standard three-bedroom home land in that $6,000 to $12,000 band.
A dark wall going to white is the classic hidden cost — it can need three coats instead of two, adding real hours. Same with heavily patched or water-stained ceilings, which usually want a stain-blocking primer like Zinsser before topcoat or the marks bleed straight back through. When you’re comparing quotes, a lower number often just means fewer coats or skipped prep, not a better deal.
Exterior Painting Costs in Melbourne
Exterior painting is where the range gets widest. A full exterior repaint in Melbourne generally sits between $8,000 and $25,000, and the surface material is the single biggest lever. Rendered and brick homes are relatively quick; timber weatherboard is the most labour-heavy because every board edge needs prep.
| Exterior surface | Typical Melbourne price |
|---|---|
| Single-storey rendered/brick | $8,000 – $14,000 |
| Single-storey weatherboard | $8,000 – $18,000 |
| Double-storey rendered/brick | $12,000 – $20,000 |
| Double-storey weatherboard/heritage | $14,000 – $25,000+ |
Two things push exterior costs up more than people expect. The first is access — a double-storey home or a site on a slope needs scaffolding or elevated work platforms, and that hire cost flows into your quote. The second is prep on weathered timber. For coastal Melbourne homes, we’ll usually specify a product built for the conditions, such as Dulux Weathershield, because a cheaper exterior paint near the bay simply won’t hold up as long, and the recoat cost three years early wipes out any saving.
Cost Per Square Metre — The Number Painters Actually Use
Most Melbourne painters price internally by square metre, then convert it to a total painting cost. As a rough guide, interior work runs about $25 to $45 per m² and exterior about $30 to $70 per m², depending on coats and prep. It’s a useful sanity check: if a quote works out to well under $20/m² for interior, something is being left out — almost always prep or a coat. Whether you search it as painting cost or paint cost, this per-square-metre figure is the real benchmark Melbourne painters use, not a marketing number.
That said, per-m² pricing can mislead on small or fiddly jobs. A tiny bathroom with lots of cutting-in around tiles and fittings costs more per square metre than a big blank feature wall, even though the wall has more paint on it. Labour, not paint, is where your money goes — materials are usually only 15–20% of a professional job.
What Changes One Quote From Another
When two quotes for the same house differ by thousands, it’s almost always one of these:
- Number of coats — two coats is standard; one “value” coat won’t cover properly and fades unevenly.
- Prep depth — scraping, sanding, filling, and priming take hours but are what make a finish last.
- Paint grade — premium lines (Dulux, Taubmans, Wattyl) cost more per litre but hold colour and washability far longer.
- Surface repairs — cracked render, rotten weatherboard, or rusted metal need fixing before paint, and that’s often quoted separately.
- Access and height — scaffolding, ladders, and safe two-storey work add labour and hire costs.
The cheapest quote almost never includes the same scope as the dearest one. That’s why comparing the final figure alone tells you very little — you have to compare what’s inside each quote. We wrote a full guide on exactly how to do that, linked below.
A Practical Checklist Before You Approve Any Quote
Before you sign off on a painting quote in Melbourne, run through this quick list so you’re comparing like for like:
- Does it state the number of coats, in writing?
- Is prep (scraping, sanding, filling, priming) itemised, not just implied?
- Are the specific paint brand and finish named?
- Are ceilings, trim, and doors included, or walls only?
- Who covers surface repairs if rot or cracking is found?
- Is scaffolding or access equipment included for two-storey work?
If you’re mid-way through weighing up options and want a straight, itemised figure with none of this left vague, feel free to get in touch for a transparent quote — we’d rather over-explain the scope than surprise you later.
Is It Worth Painting a House Yourself to Save Money?
DIY interior painting can genuinely save you money on a single room or a straightforward feature wall — paint and a decent roller might run $150 to $300. Where it stops making sense is exteriors, high ceilings, and anything needing serious prep. Two-storey exterior work involves height risk, and rushing prep on weatherboard usually means repainting within a couple of years, so the “saving” evaporates. For interiors you’re confident tackling, DIY is fair game; for exteriors and heritage homes, the professional finish and safety usually justify the cost.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Most single-storey interiors cost $6,000–$12,000, and full exteriors $8,000–$25,000+, depending on size, surface, condition, and access. The house itself matters far more than the painter's day rate.
A single room in Melbourne typically costs $500–$1,500 for walls, ceiling, and trim. Walls only sit at the lower end; adding trim, doors, and a high ceiling pushes the price up.
Interior work runs roughly $25–$45 per m² and exterior about $30–$70 per m², depending on coats and prep. Anything well under $20/m² for interior usually means prep or a coat is being skipped.
Because they price different scopes. Number of coats, prep depth, paint grade, surface repairs, and access all vary between quotes, so the final figure alone tells you very little about the job.
Interiors are usually cheaper per job because there's less prep, no weathering, and no access equipment. Exteriors cost more due to surface prep, height, and tougher weather-resistant paint.
Two coats is standard for a lasting finish. One "value" coat covers unevenly and fades faster, and dark-to-light colour changes often need a third coat.
Yes. Two-storey homes need scaffolding or elevated platforms for safe access, and that hire cost plus extra labour typically adds several thousand dollars to an exterior repaint.
DIY on a single interior room can save a few hundred dollars. Exteriors, high ceilings, and heavy prep rarely pay off, since rushed prep often means repainting within a couple of years.
Indirectly, yes. Cold, wet winters slow drying and stretch labour hours, and coastal salt air near the bay calls for tougher coatings that cost more but last longer.