- Ceiling painting usually costs $160 to $400, about $250 typical.
- Painting the ceiling of one average room.
- Price your own job with the calculator above; it breaks the job into lines.
What ceiling painting costs
Most homeowners pay $160 to $400 for ceiling painting, and $250 is a typical price. Painting the ceiling of one average room.
| Price | |
|---|---|
| Low end | $160 |
| Typical | $250 |
| High end | $400 |
The range blends Fixr and HomeAdvisor (method below). Where you live matters: Koira's estimate is $201 in Arkansas and $332 in Hawaii.
What drives the price
- Height. High and vaulted ceilings need taller ladders or scaffolding.
- Texture. Popcorn and heavy textures soak up paint and are slower to roll.
- Stains. Water and smoke stains need a stain-blocking primer first.
- Crown molding. HomeAdvisor says to add $0.50 to $3 a linear foot when the crown is painted too.
Ceiling painting cost by state
Koira estimates for each state, built from the national $160 to $400. About 85% of a ceiling painting price is labor, and only that part is scaled by the state's median wage for construction and extraction workers. A starting point, not a quote.
| State | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $133 | $208 | $333 |
| Alaska | $197 | $307 | $492 |
| Arizona | $157 | $245 | $391 |
| Arkansas | $129 | $201 | $322 |
| California | $188 | $293 | $469 |
| Colorado | $164 | $256 | $409 |
| Connecticut | $188 | $293 | $469 |
| Delaware | $160 | $249 | $399 |
| District of Columbia | $184 | $288 | $460 |
| Florida | $137 | $214 | $342 |
| Georgia | $138 | $215 | $344 |
| Hawaii | $212 | $332 | $531 |
| Idaho | $152 | $238 | $381 |
| Illinois | $208 | $325 | $520 |
| Indiana | $165 | $258 | $413 |
| Iowa | $160 | $250 | $400 |
| Kansas | $150 | $234 | $374 |
| Kentucky | $145 | $227 | $363 |
| Louisiana | $138 | $216 | $345 |
| Maine | $162 | $253 | $404 |
| Maryland | $161 | $251 | $402 |
| Massachusetts | $201 | $314 | $502 |
| Michigan | $164 | $256 | $409 |
| Minnesota | $190 | $297 | $474 |
| Mississippi | $131 | $205 | $327 |
| Missouri | $165 | $258 | $412 |
| Montana | $163 | $255 | $408 |
| Nebraska | $147 | $229 | $367 |
| Nevada | $165 | $258 | $412 |
| New Hampshire | $161 | $252 | $403 |
| New Jersey | $192 | $300 | $479 |
| New Mexico | $138 | $216 | $345 |
| New York | $185 | $289 | $462 |
| North Carolina | $137 | $214 | $342 |
| North Dakota | $164 | $256 | $409 |
| Ohio | $166 | $259 | $415 |
| Oklahoma | $135 | $211 | $338 |
| Oregon | $175 | $273 | $438 |
| Pennsylvania | $162 | $253 | $406 |
| Rhode Island | $168 | $262 | $420 |
| South Carolina | $137 | $214 | $343 |
| South Dakota | $138 | $216 | $346 |
| Tennessee | $139 | $218 | $348 |
| Texas | $136 | $213 | $341 |
| Utah | $155 | $241 | $386 |
| Vermont | $160 | $251 | $401 |
| Virginia | $153 | $239 | $382 |
| Washington | $196 | $307 | $491 |
| West Virginia | $156 | $243 | $389 |
| Wisconsin | $169 | $265 | $423 |
| Wyoming | $160 | $251 | $401 |
Rural areas and cities in the same state can differ a lot.
How we got these numbers
| Guide | Range | Average | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fixr | $120 to $300 | $250 | Counted |
| HomeAdvisor | $200 to $500 | $250 | Counted |
We take the middle of the guides' lows for the low end, the middle of their highs for the high end, and the middle of their averages for the typical ceiling painting price. Where a guide gives no average we use its midpoint. All read on October 9, 2026.
Labor share used: 85%. Ceiling painting is setup, painting overhead and cleanup. Koira's assumption. State factor: the state's median hourly wage for construction and extraction workers over the national $28.63 (BLS, May 2025), kept between 0.7 and 1.4.
For contractors: price this job in Koira
Painting is mostly labor, so the estimate should name the rooms or surfaces, the coats and the prep.
Run the numbers for a real ceiling painting in the free painting cost calculator, then save the result as an estimate. On Koira's free Office plan you build the estimate, text it, collect the deposit and turn it into an invoice when the ceiling painting is done. Price this job in Koira, free.
Sources: Fixr, ceiling painting cost; HomeAdvisor, ceiling painting cost; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (state and national files). Prices checked October 9, 2026. More for your trade: how the trade runs on Koira.