Painting the outside of a house costs $1.50 to $5.00 per square foot in 2026, by national published figures, or $3,000 to $10,000 for an average 2,000 square foot house. We do not publish a Honolulu price list. Wall type, height, the state of the old paint and access around the house set the price, and we give it in writing after a free visit.
Price ranges on this page are national figures published by HomeGuide for 2026. They are not our quotes. Hawaii labor, shipped-in materials and the condition of your own walls move the number up or down. Last checked October 2026.
How much does it cost to paint the exterior of a house?
Nationally it costs $3,000 to $10,000 to paint the exterior of an average 2,000 square foot house, at $1.50 to $5.00 per square foot of wall. The table shows the published ranges by home size, with the wall area HomeGuide assumes.
| Home size | Paintable area assumed | National range |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 sq ft | 800 sq ft | $1,200 to $4,000 |
| 1,500 sq ft | 1,200 sq ft | $1,800 to $6,000 |
| 2,000 sq ft | 1,700 sq ft | $2,600 to $8,500 |
| 2,500 sq ft | 2,100 sq ft | $3,200 to $10,500 |
| 3,000 sq ft | 2,500 sq ft | $3,800 to $12,500 |
On Oahu, prep is a large part of the job. Salt, mildew and red dirt have to be washed off. Sun-baked paint on the south and west sides has to be scraped. Rusted nail heads need treating. A house on a steep lot in a valley or on a ridge needs more ladder and staging work than one on flat ground in Ewa.
How much to paint a two-story house outside?
A two-story house costs more than a one-story house of the same floor area, but HomeGuide's main exterior page gives no figure by number of stories. Its vinyl siding page lists $1,500 to $7,900 for a two-story house of 1,500 to 2,500 square feet. Its aluminum siding page says multi-story access can add up to 50%. Those pages are about other wall types than most Honolulu houses have, so treat them as a rough guide only. The extra cost is ladders, staging and slower work up high.
How much for a small single-story house?
For a small single-story house, the national range is $1,200 to $4,000 at 1,000 square feet and $1,800 to $6,000 at 1,500 square feet. Many older homes in Kaimuki, Kalihi, Kapahulu and Waipahu are this size: one story, on posts, with board walls. They are quick to reach but often need a lot of scraping, and paint that old may contain lead, which changes how the work has to be done.
How much to paint just the trim, shutters and front door?
Exterior trim costs $1 to $4 per linear foot, or $1,000 to $2,500 in total, by the national figures. Shutters are listed at $50 to $100 per pair and a front door at $125 to $225. Eaves, fascia and soffits are listed at $2 to $6 per linear foot.
Few Honolulu homes have shutters. What they do have is wide eaves, exposed rafter tails, fascia boards and lanai railings. Those take the sun and rain first, so a trim-only repaint between full repaints is a common and sensible job here.
Does the exterior price include power washing, scraping and caulking?
Our quotes include the prep: washing, scraping, patching, sanding, caulking and priming are part of the job and the price. Other painters list them as extras, so ask.
For reference, HomeGuide lists pressure washing a house at $170 to $360. It publishes no per-house price for scraping and no labor price for caulking alone. In this climate the wash matters more than on the mainland. Paint will not hold on salt film or live mildew.
How much more if the old paint is peeling?
Peeling paint adds cost, because every loose edge has to be scraped, sanded smooth and primed before new paint goes on. No per-house price for that is published. HomeGuide's painter page lists stripping at $1.91 to $2.38 per square foot and patching and sanding at $3.68 per square foot of the area treated.
On a house built before 1978, peeling paint also raises the lead question. Lead-safe work methods take more time. See our page on lead paint rules in Hawaii.
How much does it cost to paint stucco, vinyl siding or brick?
By each siding's own HomeGuide page, it costs $1.00 to $5.50 per square foot to paint stucco, $1 to $3 for vinyl siding and $1.50 to $4.50 for brick. Wood siding is listed at $1.50 to $5.00 on the main exterior page.
| Wall type | Per square foot | Average house |
|---|---|---|
| Wood siding | $1.50 to $5.00 | No separate figure published |
| Stucco | $1.00 to $5.50 | $2,400 to $8,100 |
| Vinyl siding | $1 to $3 | $1,500 to $5,000 |
| Brick | $1.50 to $4.50 | $2,000 to $8,000 |
In Honolulu the common walls are wood boards, plywood panel siding, fiber cement, hollow tile and stucco. Vinyl siding and brick houses are rare here. HomeGuide publishes no figure for hollow tile or concrete block as such. It soaks up paint much as stucco does, so we price it after seeing the wall.
Spray or roll outside: is there a cost or quality difference?
Spraying is faster and rolling or brushing works the paint into the surface, so the best exterior jobs often use both. On rough wood, grooved board walls and block, paint is sprayed on and then rolled or brushed in while wet. That is called back-rolling.
Spraying alone can cost less in labor but needs more masking, and in the trade winds overspray can travel to cars and neighbors' walls. On a breezy lot or a tight Honolulu street we often roll and brush. Ask each painter which method the quote assumes.
A free estimate with a written quote is the only way to get a real price for your job. Call or text (808) 201-4302.