Painting a 3-bedroom house in Melbourne costs $6,000–$11,000 for a full interior, $4,000–$18,000 for the exterior depending on cladding, and $13,000–$24,000 for a combined interior and exterior repaint in 2026. Interior rates run $20–$60 per square metre and exterior rates $30–$80 per square metre. Those are wide bands, and this guide breaks down exactly where a 3-bedroom home lands within them, room by room and surface by surface.
We’ve painted Melbourne homes since 1987, we carry $20M public liability, and every figure below comes from the ranges we see quoted across Melbourne, not a national average.
Key takeaway
A 3-bedroom Melbourne house costs $6,000–$11,000 to paint inside, $4,000–$18,000 outside depending on cladding, and $13,000–$24,000 for both together in 2026. Cladding sets the exterior price, scope (walls-only vs full interior) sets the interior price, and paint condition can push either up by 20–40%.
This page covers the whole house, inside and out. If you only need the interior priced in more detail, see our 3-bedroom interior cost guide. For every home size and the seven factors that move any quote, the master reference is our house painting cost Melbourne guide.
How much does a 3-bedroom house interior cost to paint in Melbourne?
A full 3-bedroom interior repaint costs $6,000–$11,000 in 2026, and most standard jobs land between $6,000 and $9,000. Where you sit in the range comes down to scope: walls-only is the cheapest job, and a full interior with ceilings, trim, doors and a colour change is the dearest.
| Interior scope | What’s included | Typical cost (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Walls only | Two coats on walls, minor filling, similar colour | $4,500–$6,500 |
| Walls + ceilings | Walls and ceilings, two coats, standard prep | $5,500–$8,000 |
| Full interior | Walls, ceilings, trim, skirting, doors | $7,000–$9,500 |
| Full interior + colour change | As above with dark-to-light change or extra coats | $8,500–$11,000+ |
Walls-only looks tempting on price, but fresh walls make tired ceilings and scuffed skirting stand out. Most owners doing a proper refresh end up in the full-interior band, and it works out better value than coming back for the ceilings a year later.
Key takeaway: Scope decides the interior price. Walls-only keeps a 3-bedroom interior near $4,500–$6,500, a full interior with ceilings, trim and doors runs $7,000–$9,500, and a colour change pushes it past $10,000.
What does each room cost to paint in a 3-bedroom house?
Room by room, a 3-bedroom interior breaks down to roughly $650–$950 per standard bedroom and $1,000–$1,500 for the living room, with wet areas and hallways cheaper. Here’s how a typical single-storey 3-bedroom home prices out, including walls, ceiling and trim per room:
| Room | Typical cost (2026) |
|---|---|
| Standard bedroom (x2) | $650–$950 each |
| Master bedroom | $800–$1,200 |
| Living room | $1,000–$1,500 |
| Kitchen and meals area | $800–$1,400 |
| Hallway and entry | $600–$1,100 |
| Bathroom and laundry | $700–$1,200 combined |
Add those up and you get $5,200–$8,300, which is why a full 3-bedroom interior lands in the $6,000–$11,000 band once doors, extra trim and any colour change are counted. Kitchens price on wall and ceiling area only; painting the cupboards is a separate job covered in our kitchen cabinet painting cost guide.
One caution on room-by-room maths: painters price a whole house lower per room than the same rooms done one at a time, because setup, masking and travel happen once. A single room booked on its own runs $400–$900, detail in our cost to paint a room guide.
Key takeaway: Use per-room figures to see where the money goes, not to negotiate line by line. A whole-house booking always beats the sum of individual room prices.
How much does the exterior of a 3-bedroom house cost to paint?
Cladding sets the exterior price, not the bedroom count. A 3-bedroom weatherboard runs $10,000–$18,000, render $6,000–$12,000, and brick veneer trim-only $4,000–$8,000, single storey, in 2026. Exterior rates run $30–$80 per square metre of wall, and a standard 3-bedroom home has roughly 100–160 m² of paintable exterior wall.
| Cladding | Single storey | Double storey |
|---|---|---|
| Weatherboard | $10,000–$18,000 | $15,000–$30,000 |
| Rendered / cement sheet | $6,000–$12,000 | $12,000–$20,000 |
| Brick veneer (trim only) | $4,000–$8,000 | $7,000–$14,000 |
Weatherboard costs the most because preparation is 60–70% of the labour: every board gets scraped, sanded, filled and spot-primed. Brick veneer is the cheapest scope because the brick stays bare and you’re only painting fascias, eaves, gutters, windows and doors. A double storey adds 40–60% once scaffolding is counted, since WorkSafe Victoria requires proper fall protection for sustained work at height.
The full cladding-by-cladding breakdown, including paint condition multipliers and heritage homes, is in our exterior house painting cost guide.
Key takeaway: Get exterior quotes for your cladding, not “a 3-bedroom house”. A small weatherboard can cost more to repaint than a big rendered home.
What does it cost to paint a 3-bedroom house inside and out?
A combined interior and exterior repaint on a 3-bedroom Melbourne home typically lands between $13,000 and $24,000 in 2026, with cladding deciding where in that band you sit. Adding the interior and exterior ranges together by cladding:
| Cladding (single storey) | Interior | Exterior | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brick veneer | $6,000–$11,000 | $4,000–$8,000 | $10,000–$19,000 |
| Rendered / cement sheet | $6,000–$11,000 | $6,000–$12,000 | $12,000–$23,000 |
| Weatherboard | $6,000–$11,000 | $10,000–$18,000 | $16,000–$29,000 |
Booking both together is genuinely cheaper than two separate jobs. One mobilisation, one set of protection and masking, and the painter can sequence inside work around weather instead of losing days to rain. It’s also one of the few honest ways to pull a combined quote toward the bottom of its range.
Key takeaway: Most 3-bedroom combined jobs land in the $13,000–$24,000 band. Brick veneer sits under it, weatherboard can sit over it, and combining both scopes in one booking is the easiest saving available.
What moves the price of painting a 3-bedroom house?
Paint condition, colour change, ceiling height and storeys move a 3-bedroom quote more than floor area does. Two 3-bedroom homes on the same street can quote thousands apart for these reasons:
| Cost driver | Effect on price |
|---|---|
| Dark-to-light colour change | +$800–$1,500 (extra coats to cover) |
| High or raked ceilings | +30–40% labour on affected rooms |
| Extensive prep (cracks, water stains, peeling) | +20–40% |
| Double storey | +40–60% on exterior, access time inside |
| Extra coats needed | +25–40% per surface |
| Trim and door count | More cutting-in hours on period homes |
Condition is the one owners underestimate. Sound paint in a similar colour is a baseline job. Cracked plaster, water stains or peeling exterior boards add labour hours before a topcoat goes anywhere near the wall. The full list of price movers is in our guide to what adds to painting costs.
Key takeaway: Flag colour changes, high ceilings and known damage before the quote, not during the job. Anything discovered mid-job becomes a variation, and variations always cost more than scoped work.
How do you get an accurate quote for a 3-bedroom house?
Get written quotes on identical scope after an on-site inspection, and check each one names the prep, coat count and paint products. Consumer Affairs Victoria recommends comparing written quotes built on the same defined scope, because a walls-only quote against a full-interior quote tells you nothing.
We quote every job in person. We measure the rooms, check every surface, ask about colours, and give you a fixed written price that names the Dulux products, the prep scope and the number of coats. We’ve done it that way since 1987, we carry $20M public liability, and we hold 5.0 star Google reviews. You can see the full scope of our interior painting and exterior painting services, or compare your home against our 4-bedroom interior guide and 2-bedroom unit guide if the size isn’t quite right.
Want a real number for your 3-bedroom home, not a range?
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Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to paint a 3-bedroom house in Melbourne?
A full interior repaint on a 3-bedroom Melbourne house costs $6,000–$11,000 in 2026, with most standard jobs landing between $6,000 and $9,000. The exterior runs $4,000–$8,000 for brick veneer trim-only, $6,000–$12,000 for render, and $10,000–$18,000 for weatherboard. A combined interior and exterior repaint typically lands between $13,000 and $24,000.
How much does it cost to paint a 3-bedroom house interior only?
Interior only, expect $6,000–$11,000 in 2026. Walls-only work in sound condition sits at $4,500–$6,500, walls plus ceilings at $5,500–$8,000, and a full interior covering walls, ceilings, trim, skirting and doors at $7,000–$9,500. A dark-to-light colour change adds $800–$1,500 on top.
How much does the exterior of a 3-bedroom house cost to paint in Melbourne?
It depends on cladding more than bedroom count. A single-storey 3-bedroom weatherboard runs $10,000–$18,000 because every board needs scraping, sanding and priming. A rendered home runs $6,000–$12,000 and brick veneer where only the trim gets painted runs $4,000–$8,000. Double-storey homes cost 40–60% more once scaffolding is counted.
What are painting rates per square metre in Melbourne?
Interior painting in Melbourne runs $20–$60 per square metre in 2026, and exterior painting runs $30–$80 per square metre. The rate covers preparation, two coats of premium paint and materials. Use per-metre rates to sanity-check quotes, not to build a price, because trim, doors, windows and ceilings are priced on top of simple wall area.
How long does it take to paint a 3-bedroom house?
A full 3-bedroom interior repaint takes about 4–6 working days. A single-storey exterior takes roughly one to two weeks depending on cladding, prep condition and weather. A combined interior and exterior job usually runs two to three weeks.
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