House painting in NZ costs $25–$80 per m² — interior at the lower end, exterior at the top.
Estimated cost = total paintable m² × cost per m²
Where your job sits in these ranges depends on prep, access, and paint system. The decision table below helps you find your rate.
\nNZ painter pricing data — updated April 2026.
Prices last updated: April 2026
Use per-m² rates to budget for a repaint, check whether a quote is in the right ballpark, and understand what pushes the price up or down.
Use these benchmarks as a rough pricing starting point, then build accurate quotes that account for prep, access, and scope.
Try the quoting tool →| Scenario | Typical Cost/m² | When This Applies |
|---|---|---|
| Interior repaint (good condition) | $25–$35 | Walls already in good shape, same or similar colour, minimal filling or sanding needed |
| Interior repaint (heavy prep) | $35–$55 | Damaged surfaces, wallpaper removal, mould treatment, dark-to-light colour change, or bare plaster |
| Ceilings | $15–$30 | Lower end for flat, accessible ceilings; higher for textured, high, or stained ceilings needing sealer |
| Exterior weatherboard (standard) | $35–$55 | Single-storey, paint in fair condition, light wash-down and spot-sand before recoat |
| Exterior plaster or stucco | $40–$65 | Smooth or textured plaster, minor crack repairs, two-coat system with flexible exterior paint |
| Exterior timber or cedar | $45–$80 | Natural timber needing stain or oil system, or old cedar requiring strip-back and multi-coat finish |
| Two-storey home (any surface) | +$5–$15/m² | Add to the base rate above — covers ladder or scaffold access, slower progress, and safety setup |
| Roof (iron) | $25–$45 | Wash, rust-treat, and two coats of roof paint; higher end for older roofs needing heavy prep |
Most quotes move up or down this table based on prep and access. If your surfaces are in good shape and easy to reach, expect the lower end. Heavy prep, height, or difficult access pushes toward the top.
Measure paintable surface, not floor area. Here's the formula for each surface type.
(Room perimeter × ceiling height) − openings = wall area
Subtract 1.5 m² per window and 2 m² per door. Example: a 4 m × 5 m bedroom with 2.4 m ceilings, one window, one door → (18 × 2.4) − 1.5 − 2 = 39.7 m².
Room length × room width = ceiling area
Same bedroom: 4 × 5 = 20 m². Measure ceilings separately — they're rated at $15–$30/m², not $25–$55 like walls.
Face width × height for each side, plus gable ends
Subtract large windows and garage doors. A single-storey 3-bed home totals 120–180 m².
For detailed rates by surface, see the interior cost guide or exterior cost guide.
Four multipliers shift your rate independently. Stack two or three on the same job and the per-m² cost compounds fast.
The full NZ pricing guide covers each factor in detail.
Per-m² rates are a ballpark. For a price matched to your surfaces and scope, try the painting cost calculator — about 30 seconds.
Work through this once and you'll be able to sense-check any quote a painter gives you.
Use the formulas above to measure walls, ceilings, and exterior separately. A typical 3-bed NZ home: ~150–200 m² walls, ~60–80 m² ceilings, ~120–180 m² exterior.
Match the rate to your surfaces and condition:
Rates include labour and two coats of mid-range paint.
Base cost = total paintable m² × chosen rate per m²
Light prep is usually included. These are additional:
| Item | Calculation | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Walls (good condition) | 150 m² × $35/m² | $5,250 |
| Ceilings | 65 m² × $22/m² | $1,430 |
| Trim & skirting | 80 lm × $10/lm | $800 |
| Doors (6) | 6 × $120 | $720 |
| Patch repairs (3 spots) | 3 × $80 | $240 |
| Estimated total | $8,440 | |
That sits inside the $7,000–$10,000 range most painters quote for a full 3-bedroom interior. If a quote falls well outside this, ask what's included — or what's been left out.
Use our calculator to do this instantly — enter your rooms and surfaces to get a cost range in seconds.
Per-m² rates are a starting point — not a final price. Use our NZ-focused calculator to factor in prep, access, trim, and paint system, or let the AI quoting workflow build a job-ready quote you can send to clients.
Want to see what a proper painting quote looks like? Our painting quote breakdown shows how labour, materials, prep, and margin stack up line by line.
Per-m² rates assume a decent-sized house, fair-condition surfaces, and easy access. When those assumptions don't hold, the number misleads.
Two interior jobs, both 150 m² of wall space:
| Job A | Job B | |
|---|---|---|
| Condition | Good — light sand and paint | Old wallpaper, mould patches, cracked plaster |
| Layout | Open-plan living + 3 bedrooms | 8 small rooms, narrow hallway, stairwell |
| Trim & doors | 6 doors, minimal skirting | 14 doors, full skirting, window frames |
| Access | Standard 2.4 m ceilings | 3.6 m raked ceilings, stairwell void |
| Estimated cost | $5,500–$7,000 | $12,000–$16,000 |
Same m², nearly double the price. Quoting both at the same per-m² rate would badly underprice Job B or overprice Job A.
This is why professional quotes don't rely on m² alone — they account for prep, layout, trim, and access. For more on how these variables interact, see the full NZ painting cost guide.
Our AI quoting tool works the same way: it asks about the variables that actually move the price, so the estimate reflects your job.
Measure total paintable surface (not floor area), pick the per-m² rate for your surface type and condition, and multiply. A 150 m² interior at $35/m² = roughly $5,250 for walls — then add ceilings, trim, and prep. Our painting cost calculator runs through this in about 30 seconds.
$25–$55/m² for interior, $35–$80/m² for exterior. A repaint on smooth walls in good condition sits at the low end. Stripped-back surfaces, colour changes, textured cladding, or two-storey access push toward the top.
Accurate enough for budgeting, but not for a final price. Per-m² rates don't account for small-job fixed costs, heavy prep, complex layouts, or high trim counts. Use it to ballpark, then get a written quote that covers the specifics.
Prep work. Wallpaper stripping, mould treatment, or plaster repairs adds $5–$15/m² on top of the base rate. Scaffold access on two-storey homes ($1,500–$4,000), extra coats for colour changes, and premium paint are the next biggest factors.
Both. Use per-m² rates to set a budget and spot quotes that look too high or too low. Then get a proper quote that accounts for prep, layout, trim, and access — no per-m² number can capture those. Get at least three written quotes.
Per-m² rates are a starting point — not a final price. Use our NZ-focused calculator to factor in prep, access, trim, and paint system, or let the AI quoting workflow build a job-ready quote you can send to clients.