Cost to Paint by Room Type
Pick the room, enter its area and your rate, and price it against a labeled band for that room type — so a bedroom is judged like a bedroom, not a kitchen.
A Bedroom of 200 sq ft at $2.00/sq ft is about $400.00. Per-room bands (bedroom ~$350–850, bathroom ~$150–400, living room ~$600–1,500, kitchen walls ~$400–900) are a labeled sanity guide — you enter the real price.
Calculator inputs
Room types are not priced the same, so they should not be judged against the same yardstick. A bathroom is dense, cut-in heavy work in a small area; a living room is large and open; a kitchen means working around cabinets and appliances. This tool prices your area at your rate, then checks the total against a labeled band for the room you picked — a bedroom against the bedroom band, a kitchen against the kitchen band.
The total still comes from the area and your price; the room type only chooses the sanity band. So measure the room properly first — the selector is for context, not a substitute for the square footage.
Formula
The total is area times your rate; the room type selects the band:
total = area_sqft × price_per_sqft — checked against the labeled band for the chosen room.
Worked example
A bedroom with 200 sq ft of paintable wall at $2.00 a square foot is $400 — inside the labeled bedroom band of about $350–850. Swap in the kitchen band (~$400–900) or the bathroom band (~$150–400) and the same $400 reads differently, which is exactly the point.
Measure first, avoid re-orders
Measure first, avoid re-orders:
- Measure the room, then pick the type. The area drives the dollars; the room type only frames them. A tiny over-scoped bedroom will still out-cost a large efficient one.
- Bathrooms and kitchens run hot per square foot. Fixtures, tile and cabinets mean more cutting-in and a moisture-resistant sheen — expect the upper half of the band.
- Kitchen walls only. This band is for the walls; painting the cabinets is a separate, count-based job — use the kitchen cabinet cost tool.
- Bands are guides, not quotes. They move with size, ceiling height, prep and local labor; your entered price is the real number.
Reference table
Labeled per-room planning bands ($ all-in) — a sanity guide only, not a price list. They shift with room size, ceiling height, trim, prep and your local labor; enter YOUR price for the real number.
| Room | Typical all-in $ |
|---|---|
| Bedroom | $350–$850 |
| Bathroom | $150–$400 |
| Living room | $600–$1,500 |
| Kitchen (walls) | $400–$900 |
| Whole interior, average home | $2,000–$6,000 |
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to paint a bedroom?
Roughly $350–850 for a typical bedroom — a labeled band. A small bedroom with sound walls sits low; a large one with ceilings, trim and a color change sits high. Enter the area and your rate above for your number.
Why is a kitchen or bathroom more per square foot than a bedroom?
They are labor-dense in a small area: cutting-in around cabinets, tile, fixtures and a mirror takes time, and both often want a moisture-resistant satin or semi-gloss. The per-square-foot rate runs higher even when the area is smaller.
Does the kitchen band include the cabinets?
No — the kitchen band is walls only. Cabinet painting is priced by the door and drawer count, not by area; see the cost to paint kitchen cabinets tool.
How is the total calculated?
It is simply your area times your price per square foot. The room type you pick only chooses the labeled band the total is compared against — it does not change the dollars.