Painting a 2-bedroom unit interior in Melbourne costs $3,000–$5,000 in 2026 for the standard scope: walls, ceilings and trim in two coats of premium paint. Add doors, built-in wardrobes and a dark-to-light colour change and a full scope can reach $7,000. Interior rates run $20–$60 per square metre, and units sit at the affordable end of Melbourne painting because there are simply fewer square metres to coat.
We’ve painted Melbourne homes since 1987, units and apartments included, and we carry $20M public liability. This guide covers the room-by-room numbers plus the two things that make unit painting different from houses: owners corporation rules and building access.
Key takeaway
A 2-bedroom unit interior costs $3,000–$5,000 in Melbourne in 2026, up to $7,000 for full scope with doors, wardrobes and a colour change. You don't need body corporate approval to paint inside your own lot. Access logistics (lifts, parking, corridor protection) are the unit-specific factor a good quote prices upfront.
If you’re comparing home sizes, our 3-bedroom house guide and 4-bedroom interior guide cover larger homes, and the house painting cost Melbourne guide is the master reference for every size.
How much does it cost to paint a 2-bedroom unit in Melbourne?
A 2-bedroom unit interior costs $3,000–$5,000 in 2026 for walls, ceilings and trim, and up to $7,000 for a full scope with doors, wardrobes and a colour change. Scope and condition place you inside the band:
| Scope | What’s included | Typical cost (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Walls only | Two coats on walls, minor filling, similar colour | $3,000–$4,500 |
| Walls + ceilings + trim | The standard full repaint, two coats | $3,000–$5,000 |
| Full scope + colour change | Adds doors, wardrobes, dark-to-light change | $4,000–$7,000 |
| Single room only | One bedroom or living area on its own | $400–$900 |
For context on smaller places: a 1-bedroom unit usually runs $2,200–$3,500 and a studio $1,800–$2,800. If your place is an apartment in a larger building rather than a villa or walk-up unit, our apartment painting cost guide covers the same ground with more on high-rise logistics.
Key takeaway: Budget $3,000–$5,000 for a standard 2-bedroom unit repaint. The jump to $7,000 comes from scope (doors, wardrobes) and colour change, not from the unit itself.
What does each room cost to paint in a 2-bedroom unit?
Room by room, a 2-bedroom unit breaks down to roughly $500–$800 per bedroom and $800–$1,300 for the living and dining zone. Unit rooms are more compact than house rooms, so the per-room figures sit under house prices:
| Room | Typical cost (2026) |
|---|---|
| Bedroom (x2) | $500–$800 each |
| Living and dining | $800–$1,300 |
| Kitchen (walls and ceiling) | $400–$700 |
| Bathroom and laundry | $350–$600 combined |
| Hallway and entry | $300–$500 |
Add those up and you get $2,850–$4,700, which is where the $3,000–$5,000 whole-unit band comes from. Kitchens are priced on wall and ceiling area only; painting the cupboard doors is a separate trade covered in our kitchen cabinet painting guide.
Partial jobs suit units well because the rooms are self-contained. A ceiling-only refresh, one feature wall or a single bedroom are all normal small jobs, priced as fixed amounts rather than a share of a whole-unit figure.
Key takeaway: A whole-unit booking beats room-by-room prices because setup and masking happen once. But if you only need one room, expect a fixed $400–$900 and don’t accept whole-job pricing for it.
Do you need body corporate approval to paint your unit?
No, not for the inside of your own lot. Interior walls and ceilings are yours to repaint freely. This is the question unit owners ask most, so it’s worth being precise about where the line sits.
Owners corporation (body corporate) approval only applies to common property:
- The building exterior and external walls
- Shared corridors, foyers and stairwells
- Balcony ceilings, in some schemes
- Fences and garage doors, in some villa unit schemes
Everything inside your front door is yours. If your job is walls, ceilings and trim inside the unit, you can book a painter tomorrow without asking anyone. The moment the job touches anything shared or external, check your scheme’s rules first, because schemes vary and balconies in particular are treated differently building to building. Consumer Affairs Victoria covers how owners corporation rules work in Victoria.
One villa-unit wrinkle: in older two-and-three-unit developments, the exterior is often common property even though it feels like your own house. If you want the outside painted too, get the owners corporation’s position in writing before quoting it.
Key takeaway: Inside your lot, paint freely. Exterior, corridors and shared surfaces need owners corporation sign-off, and in small villa developments the exterior usually counts as shared.
How does building access change a unit painting quote?
Access is the unit-specific cost factor. Lift bookings, parking and corridor protection all add time on site, and time is what you’re paying for. Houses are simple: park in the driveway, carry gear in. Units add practical steps a good quote accounts for:
- Lift and loading dock bookings. Many buildings require a booked service lift window for trades. Missed windows cost hours.
- Parking. Where the painter can load and unload matters, especially in inner suburbs with permit parking.
- Corridor protection. Carpeted common hallways need covering to get gear in and out without damage.
- Working hours. Some schemes restrict trade noise to set hours, which stretches multi-day jobs.
Ground-floor villa units with a carport skip most of this, which is one reason two identical 2-bedroom floor plans can quote a few hundred dollars apart. None of it is a dealbreaker. Mention the building’s rules when you book the quote so the price reflects reality rather than a best-case guess.
Key takeaway: Tell the painter about lifts, parking and building rules before they quote. Access surprises on day one turn into variations, and variations cost more than scoped work.
How long does it take to paint a 2-bedroom unit?
A full 2-bedroom unit interior takes about 2–4 working days. That covers preparation, two coats on walls, ceilings and trim, and drying time between coats. A single room is about a day, and a 1-bedroom unit runs two to three days.
The schedule stretches slightly in buildings with restricted service hours or lift bookings. If you’re living in the unit while it’s painted, a good crew sequences the work so the bedrooms are usable each night. If the unit is empty, say so, an empty unit paints faster and that shows up in the quote.
A note on timing for landlords and sellers: a repaint between tenants or before listing is the cheapest version of this job, because there’s no furniture to work around and no scheduling around occupants. Two coats of a washable finish like Dulux Wash&Wear in the living zones stands up to tenant wear far better than a single cheap coat.
Key takeaway: Plan for 2–4 working days, less if the unit is empty. Flag an empty unit at quote time, it genuinely lowers the price.
How do we quote a 2-bedroom unit?
We look at the unit in person, measure the rooms, check every surface, ask about the building’s access rules, and give you a fixed written quote that names the Dulux products, the prep and the coat count. We’ve painted Melbourne homes since 1987, we carry $20M public liability, and we hold 5.0 star Google reviews. The full scope is on our interior painting service page.
Want a fixed price for your unit, not a range?
Free on-site inspection and a fixed-price written quote, access and building rules priced in. Painting Melbourne homes since 1987.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to paint a 2-bedroom unit in Melbourne?
Painting a 2-bedroom unit interior in Melbourne costs $3,000–$5,000 in 2026 for walls, ceilings and trim in two coats of premium paint. A full scope adding doors, wardrobes and a dark-to-light colour change can reach $7,000. Walls-only work in sound condition sits at the bottom of the range.
Do I need body corporate approval to paint inside my unit?
No. The walls and ceilings inside your own lot are yours to repaint freely, in any colour. Owners corporation approval only applies to common property: the building exterior, shared corridors, and balcony ceilings in some schemes. If your job is purely interior, you can go ahead.
Is a 2-bedroom unit cheaper to paint than a 2-bedroom house?
Yes, usually. A unit has less surface area than a freestanding house with the same bedroom count, fewer external walls and single-level access with no stairs. That is why a 2-bedroom unit runs $3,000–$5,000 while a 3-bedroom house interior runs $6,000–$11,000. The price follows the square metres, not the bedroom label.
How long does it take to paint a 2-bedroom unit?
A full 2-bedroom unit interior takes about 2–4 working days, covering preparation, two coats on walls, ceilings and trim, and drying time between coats. A single room is about a day. Buildings with restricted lift bookings or service-hour rules can stretch the schedule slightly.
What unit-specific factors change a painting quote?
Access is the main one: lift bookings, loading dock windows, parking and protecting carpeted common corridors all add time on site. Inside the unit, ceiling height, the amount of prep, glossy old paint that needs keying, and adding doors and built-in wardrobes to the scope move the price.
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