Apartment painting cost: How much should you budget in 2025?

Slapping a fresh coat of paint on your apartment remains one of the smartest investments for property owners looking to boost value. In fact, real estate professionals consistently note that quality painting can add up to 5% to your sale price, making it a high-return improvement that attracts potential buyers and creates a positive first impression during inspections.

In Australia, apartment painting costs typically range between $229 and $1,500. This price variation depends on several factors, including apartment size, wall condition, paint quality, and finish requirements. To help you budget accurately and find the best house painter for the job, this guide will break down the average costs and important factors to consider.

Apartment painting price list

Apartment painting costs vary greatly based on location. Painters in highly urbanised cities charge more than those in smaller rural areas. In addition, places where painting materials aren’t as accessible might have higher painting service costs. 

To help you understand how much it costs to repaint an apartment, refer to this table:

A tradesman carefully preparing paint during a home renovation project.   (Source: Shutterstock)

Factors affecting apartment painting costs

Now that we’ve discussed the cost of apartment painting based on location, it’s time to tackle the different factors that influence the cost of the service.

Apartment size

The size of your apartment significantly influences your overall painting costs, with larger spaces naturally requiring more time, paint, and labour. For bedroom painting costs, expect to pay between $340 and $1500 per room, depending on wall condition, ceiling height, and the complexity of trims and fixtures. 

If your apartment includes outdoor areas, factor in additional deck painting costs, which typically range from $250-$700, depending on size and condition. Deck surfaces require specialized weather-resistant paints and often need more extensive preparation work, including sanding and sealing, which can increase your project budget by 20-30% compared to interior spaces. 

Materials

Most painters will already provide the materials needed for the project. But if you want to supply your own materials and just pay for the labour fee, you can always ask your painter if that’s something they can accommodate. Nonetheless, take note of the materials needed for apartment painting. The rule of thumb is the higher the paint quality, the higher the service fee. While it's more expensive to buy good-quality paint, you can be assured that the result will last for years.

Task complexity

Aside from painting, your painter might also need to do other tasks requiring more time and labour. These include prepping walls, moving furniture, and cleaning up waste. Since these tasks take more time and effort, they will be included in the final cost of the service. You might also be required to pay more if you have higher ceilings to paint or walls with intricate details.

The cost of painting the exterior of an apartment building might also be different from interior painting. Often, exterior painting is more expensive, as it requires more paint ingredients to strengthen toughness, moisture resistance, and UV colour corrosion.

Reasons to book a professional apartment painter

You're probably wondering whether to hire a professional painter or just take on the task yourself. While it’s cheaper to go the DIY route, there’s no guarantee that you'll be satisfied with the result. Here are the top reasons why hiring a pro painter is the better option:

They help you save time

Let's face it: Painting your entire apartment is a big job. What might take you a full week of evenings and weekends can be knocked out by professionals in just a day or two. They arrive with everything they need, protect your furniture, and clean up when they’re done. You don’t have to spend your precious free time balancing on ladders or washing paint rollers in the bathtub. 

Instead, you can simply leave for work in the morning and come home to freshly painted walls.

They provide quality work

Most DIY paint jobs go wrong before the first stroke of paint. This is because professional painters don't just slap paint on walls. Instead, they carefully prepare each surface. They’ll fix holes, sand rough patches, and clean walls properly before painting. They’ll also use the right primers and know exactly how many coats your walls need. This thorough preparation makes a professional paint job look good for years instead of months.

They actually save your money in the long run

Hiring painters might seem expensive at first, but do the math. You need to buy quality paint, primers, rollers, brushes, trays, drop cloths, painter’s tape, and maybe even ladders. Professionals already have all the tools and can often get paint at trade discounts. Plus, if your DIY job goes wrong, you might end up paying professionals to fix it anyway. A properly done professional paint job also lasts longer, meaning you won’t need to repaint as often. 

When you add it all up, the professional option often makes more financial sense. When you hire a pro painter, you no longer need to worry about the materials needed for the project. They are equipped with all the necessary painting supplies to complete the job promptly and orderly. 

 A handyman painting a white wall with a roller. (Source: Shutterstock)

Post a task for apartment painting

Tired of staring at chipped paint and uneven walls? Airtasker connects you with skilled local painters who deliver professional results without the DIY headaches. Simply post your job, compare verified reviews and transparent quotes, and choose an apartment painter matching your budget and timeline. 

When creating your first job post, be sure to include details such as:

1. Your budget
2. Your location
3. The size of your apartment
4. Number of ceilings

The more information you provide, the easier for Taskers to provide accurate price quotes. Give it a try now!