Painting the inside of a house costs $3,500 to $10,000 on average in 2026, by national published figures. We do not publish a Fargo price list, because the rooms set the price: how many, how tall, how much trim and how much repair the walls need first.
Price ranges on this page are national figures published by HomeGuide for 2026. They are not our quotes. Local labor, paint prices and the condition of your own surfaces move the number up or down. Last checked October 2026.
How much does it cost to paint the interior of a house?
Nationally, it costs $3,500 to $10,000 to paint the whole interior of a house, with a national average of $7,500. HomeGuide lists a low of $2,000 and a high of $15,000. The same page gives $1 to $3 per square foot of painted surface and $350 to $850 for an average room.
Fargo houses fall into two camps. Older homes in the core neighborhoods have plaster walls, wide wood trim and old repairs that take time to make flat. Newer homes in south Fargo and West Fargo have drywall and less trim, but often tall entries and open stairwells. We cannot say where your house lands until we walk it.
How much does it cost to paint a room?
It costs $300 to $1,000 to paint one room, by the national figures, with a national average of $750. The low is $150 and the high is $2,500. Most painters also have a minimum job price, which HomeGuide puts at $250 to $500 or more.
| Room | National range |
|---|---|
| Bathroom | $150 to $400 |
| Primary bathroom | $250 to $650 |
| Kitchen walls | $150 to $250 |
| Bedroom | $350 to $850 |
| Primary bedroom | $650 to $1,400 |
| Living room | $600 to $2,000 |
| Dining room or hallway | $300 to $1,000 |
| Open-plan basement | $800 to $2,500 |
Finished basements are common in Fargo, so the basement row matters here more than in many cities.
How much to paint a 1,500 or 2,000 square foot house inside?
For a 1,500 square foot house the national range is $4,500 to $6,000, and for a 2,000 square foot house it is $6,000 to $8,000. Those figures come from HomeGuide's whole-interior page and go by floor area.
| Home size | National range |
|---|---|
| 1,000 sq ft | $3,000 to $4,000 |
| 1,200 sq ft | $3,600 to $4,800 |
| 1,500 sq ft | $4,500 to $6,000 |
| 1,800 sq ft | $5,400 to $7,200 |
| 2,000 sq ft | $6,000 to $8,000 |
| 2,500 sq ft | $7,500 to $10,000 |
| 3,000 sq ft | $9,000 to $12,000 |
HomeGuide's separate page on room painting gives lower numbers for the same sizes: $1,300 to $4,400 for 1,500 square feet and $1,600 to $5,600 for 2,000. The two pages count different things, such as walls only against walls, ceilings and trim. That gap is a good reason to read what a quote covers before you compare the totals.
How much to paint a 3 bedroom, 2 bath house?
HomeGuide publishes $1,200 to $8,500 for the interior of a 3-bedroom house. The range is wide because it runs from walls only in a small house to walls, ceilings and trim in a large one.
You can also add it up room by room from the table above. Two bedrooms at $350 to $850 each is $700 to $1,700. Add a primary bedroom at $650 to $1,400, a bathroom at $150 to $400, a primary bathroom at $250 to $650, a living room at $600 to $2,000, kitchen walls at $150 to $250 and a hallway at $300 to $1,000. The total is $2,800 to $7,400. That sum is arithmetic on national figures, not a quote.
How much do painters charge per square foot?
Painters charge $1 to $3 per square foot of painted surface, or $3 to $7 per square foot of floor space, by the national figures. Walls alone are $1.00 to $2.00 per square foot. Ceilings add $1.00 to $2.00 and textured surfaces add $0.80 to $2.00.
Check which square foot a quote means. A 12 by 12 room has 144 square feet of floor but close to 400 square feet of wall. By the hour, HomeGuide's interior page lists painters at $20 to $50, and says labor is 70% to 85% of the total.
Do painters charge by the room or by the square foot?
Both. Small jobs are usually priced by the room, and whole houses by the square foot or as one figure for the full job. What matters is that the written quote lists the rooms, the surfaces in each room, the prep and the number of coats.
Our quotes are written after we walk the house and measure. You see what is included before you agree to anything.
Does it cost more to paint ceilings as well as walls?
Yes. Ceilings cost extra because they are a separate surface with their own paint and their own labor. The national figure is $1 to $2 per square foot of ceiling, or $150 to $300 in labor per ceiling. Textured and popcorn ceilings run $1.00 to $3.50 per square foot.
Many Fargo homes from the 1960s to the 1990s have sprayed texture on the ceilings. It soaks up paint and cannot be rolled hard, so it takes longer than a smooth ceiling.
How much extra for trim, doors and baseboards?
Trim and baseboards cost $1 to $4 per linear foot, or $500 to $2,000 for a house, by the national figures. Per room that is $25 to $200. Interior doors are $75 to $150 each. Crown molding is $1 to $5 per linear foot, and an interior window frame is $25 to $100.
Older Fargo homes often have tall baseboards, wide casings and many small panes. Some of that trim is stained or was painted with oil. Changing it to a painted finish needs sanding and a bonding primer, and that takes more time than repainting trim that is already painted.
How much extra for high or vaulted ceilings and stairwells?
High ceilings raise the price by 10% to 50% or more once they pass 10 feet, by HomeGuide's figures. No dollar amount is published, because it depends on how the painter reaches the wall.
For stairwells, HomeGuide lists a price per linear foot by wall height: $16 for 8 to 13 feet, $20 for 13 to 17 feet, $24 for 17 to 19 feet and $30 above 19 feet. Two-story entries and open stairs are common in newer homes in south Fargo, West Fargo and Horace. They need ladders, planks or staging, and that setup is the extra cost.
Does it cost more to go from a dark color to white?
Usually yes, because a dark color under white needs more coats. No published figure exists for this. HomeGuide only says that a change from light to dark or dark to light may need extra coats, which adds paint and labor.
Deep reds, navy and dark greens are the hardest to cover. A tinted primer under the finish coats often saves one coat of the more costly paint. We tell you in the quote how many coats we expect.
How much more if the walls need a lot of prep?
Walls that need a lot of prep cost more, and sanding and patching alone are listed at $1 to $3 per square foot nationally. Drywall repair as its own job is $300 to $1,500 or more, with small holes at $300 to $500.
Basic prep is part of our work: patching, sanding, caulking and priming are in the quote. Heavy repair is different. Cracked plaster in an older Fargo house, a ceiling stained by an ice dam leak or rows of nail pops in a newer house take real hours. We list that work as its own line so you can see it.
Does the price include moving furniture and covering floors?
With us, yes. We move and cover furniture and protect floors, and we only ask you to put away small and fragile items. Not every painter works that way, so ask. HomeGuide lists moving furniture as an extra at $35 to $60 per hour on one page and $50 to $80 per hour on another.
Why are my painting quotes so far apart?
Quotes end up far apart because they do not cover the same work. One includes ceilings, trim and closets and the other does not. One allows for two coats and proper prep, the other for one coat over the old paint. The grade of paint and whether the painter carries insurance also change the number.
- Which rooms and which surfaces: walls, ceilings, trim, doors, closets.
- How many coats, and whether primer is included.
- What prep is included, and what counts as extra repair.
- The paint line and sheen for each surface.
- Who moves furniture and who covers floors.
- Proof of a contractor licence and liability insurance.
Line the quotes up item by item. The gap usually closes once they describe the same job.
How do I know if a painting quote is fair?
A painting quote is fair when it is written, complete and close to other complete quotes for the same scope. Check it against the national ranges on this page, and remember those are not local prices.
Be careful with a price far below the rest. In painting, the usual way to cut a price is to cut prep or a coat, and you will not see that until the paint fails. In North Dakota, also check that the painter holds a contractor licence if the job is over $4,000. Our guide to choosing a painter shows how.
A free estimate with a written quote is the only way to get a real price for your job. Call or text (701) 502-6833.