Table of Contents
- Typical 2026 planning ranges: studio $1,500 to $3,000, one-bedroom $2,500 to $5,000, two-bedroom $4,000 to $8,000, three-bedroom $6,000 to $12,000.
- Ranges include walls, ceilings, trim and normal prep; skim coating adds about $2 to $5 per square foot.
- Room count is a poor predictor of price. Ceiling height, trim, wall condition and building rules matter more.
- Painting only walls, or only occupied rooms, or phasing the job can reduce the upfront cost, with tradeoffs.
- A written, room-by-room quote is the only reliable number.
Painters get asked the same question every day: "How much to paint a three-bedroom?" The honest answer starts with a range and ends with a walkthrough. A three-bedroom in a new Long Island City tower with eight-foot ceilings and smooth drywall can paint quickly. A three-bedroom in a pre-war Chelsea building with ten-foot ceilings, plaster walls, crown molding and radiators can take twice as long.
Still, you need a number to plan. This guide gives you a size-by-size table for 2026, explains what each apartment size usually includes, and shows how the factors that matter most change the price. It is built to be skimmed. Use the table, then read the section that matches your home.
All figures are typical 2026 planning ranges as of October 2026. A written, itemized quote governs. For a broader look at pricing, see our guide to the cost of painting an apartment in NYC.
1. The Price Table by Apartment Size
The table assumes interior painting of walls, ceilings and trim, with normal prep and two coats, in an apartment in reasonable condition.
| Apartment size | Typical size | Typical 2026 planning range | Typical time on site |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | roughly 350 to 550 sq ft | about $1,500 to $3,000 | 2 to 3 working days |
| One-bedroom | roughly 550 to 800 sq ft | about $2,500 to $5,000 | 3 to 4 working days |
| Two-bedroom | roughly 800 to 1,200 sq ft | about $4,000 to $8,000 | 4 to 6 working days |
| Three-bedroom | roughly 1,200 to 1,800 sq ft | about $6,000 to $12,000 | 5 to 7 working days |
Reading the table
Size bands are rough, because apartments vary. The ranges are wide on purpose. The low end fits compact, well-maintained apartments with standard ceilings and simple trim. The high end fits older apartments with high ceilings, lots of trim and wall repair.
What is not in these numbers
- Skim coating, about $2 to $5 per square foot
- Kitchen cabinet painting, typically about $3,500 to $9,000
- Wallpaper removal and major plaster repair
- Lead-safe containment where it applies
- Specialty finishes
For cabinet pricing, read our kitchen cabinet painting cost guide.
2. Studio Apartments
A studio looks cheap to paint, but it concentrates labor in a small space.
What a studio job includes
- One main room, a kitchenette and a bathroom
- A closet or two
- Trim, a front door and a few windows
- Ceilings throughout
Why the price per square foot is higher
Setup, protection and cleanup take roughly the same time regardless of size. In a studio, those fixed tasks take a bigger share of the total. A small bathroom takes nearly as long as a living room because of cut-in work around fixtures.
Typical range and scope
About $1,500 to $3,000 as a 2026 planning range. A studio in an elevator building with sound walls sits near the lower end. A studio in a pre-war walk-up with plaster repair and a high ceiling sits near the upper end.
Money-saving options
Painting walls only, using one color throughout or skipping the ceilings can lower the price, though ceilings in a small space are quick and make a big visual difference.
3. One-Bedroom Apartments
One-bedrooms are the most common apartment painted in the city, especially at turnover.
What a one-bedroom includes
- Living room, bedroom, kitchen, bath and hallway
- Closets and entry
- Ceilings, trim, doors and windows
Price and time
About $2,500 to $5,000 as a 2026 planning range, with three to four working days on site. Two painters can finish faster, but access and building hours may limit crew size.
Common upgrades
- Accent walls
- Closet interiors
- Radiator cover painting
- Wall repair after removing shelves or art
Landlord turnover
If you are a landlord, repainting between tenancies is required for multiple dwellings under HPD rules. Our apartment turnover painting guide covers batching units and keeping costs predictable.
4. Two-Bedroom Apartments
A two-bedroom adds a bedroom, often a second bathroom and more hallway.
What changes
More surface means more days, and more rooms mean more trim and doors. The ceiling area grows, which matters if ceilings are high.
Price and time
About $4,000 to $8,000 as a 2026 planning range, with four to six working days on site.
Where the range comes from
- Lower end: Newer construction with smooth walls, standard ceilings and minimal trim
- Middle: Typical co-op with some repairs and standard trim
- Upper end: Pre-war with plaster repair, heavy trim, tall ceilings and furniture to move
Planning tip
In a two-bedroom, painting rooms in sequence while you live in the home is possible but slows the work. Emptying one bedroom at a time is a common compromise.
5. Three-Bedroom Apartments and Small Homes
Three-bedroom apartments are where the range gets widest.
Price and time
About $6,000 to $12,000 as a 2026 planning range, with five to seven working days. Large pre-war classics and townhouse floors can exceed the range.
What pushes it up
- Ten-foot or higher ceilings
- Multiple bathrooms
- Crown molding, wainscoting, built-ins
- Doors and window casings on every opening
- Plaster repair and skim coating at about $2 to $5 per square foot
- Wallpaper removal
- Freight elevator and weekday-only hours
What keeps it down
- Smooth drywall in good condition
- White-to-white color changes
- Empty apartment during turnover
- A single color palette
- A flexible schedule
Houses on Long Island and in New Jersey
A three-bedroom house has stairs, longer wall runs and more trim, so the apartment ranges above are a starting point rather than a ceiling. Stairwells need staging or tall ladders, and two-story foyers can add a day by themselves. Ask for houses to be priced by floor so you can see where the labor sits.
6. The Factors That Matter More Than Bedroom Count
Room count is a rough proxy. These factors move the price more.
| Factor | Effect on price | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Ceiling height | Raises labor | More area, ladders or staging |
| Trim and doors | Raises labor | Detail work takes longer than walls |
| Wall condition | Raises prep | Cracks, holes, peeling, plaster |
| Color change | Raises coats | Primer and extra coats |
| Furniture | Raises setup | Moving, covering, restoring |
| Building rules | Raises time | Hours, elevator, protection |
| Lead-safe rules | Raises scope | Containment, wet methods, cleanup |
| Paint quality | Small effect | Material is a minority of the price |
For a trim-focused budget, see our trim, door and baseboard painting cost guide.
7. Lead Paint, Permits and Building Rules
Lead paint
Pre-1978 homes may contain lead paint. The EPA Renovation, Repair and Painting rule requires paid firms that disturb paint in these homes to be certified and use lead-safe practices. Learn more from the EPA's RRP program page. The cost impact depends on how much sanding and scraping your walls need.
Permits
Painting is cosmetic and generally does not need a DOB permit. Our permit guide explains where the line is, and the DOB's permit overview covers the formal process if your project goes beyond painting.
Board and landlord rules
Co-ops and condos typically require insurance certificates, approved hours and floor protection. Many limit work to roughly 9 AM to 5 PM on weekdays. The city noise code generally permits construction on weekdays from about 7 AM to 6 PM unless a variance is approved. Rentals require landlord permission and often color restoration at move-out.
Landmark buildings
Interior painting is generally outside LPC review, which focuses on exteriors and certain protected interiors. In a landmark district, check your building before painting anything visible from outside, such as window frames.
8. How to Lower the Cost Without Hurting the Result
- Paint during off-peak weeks. Avoid the end-of-month lease crunch.
- Empty the apartment where possible. Painters move faster.
- Choose white-to-white. Fewer coats and less primer.
- Fix small repairs yourself. Holes from shelves and picture hooks are easy to patch before the crew arrives.
- Group work. Paint the apartment all at once to avoid repeated setup charges.
- Be clear on scope. A written scope prevents surprise add-ons.
- Skip the unneeded. Closet interiors or utility rooms can wait.
- Do not cheap out on prep. Skipping prep to save money leads to peeling in a year.
A note on phasing
Phasing a job by room works best when the order is planned. Start with the rooms you use least, so you can test the crew's work before the living areas, and keep the same paint batch and sheen across phases so walls match. Mixed batches and different sheens are the most common reason a later touch-up looks patchy.
What not to cut
Primer on stains, caulking on trim and two finish coats make a lasting paint job. These are small cost items with big payoffs.
For a complete walkthrough from prep to cleanup, read our ultimate guide to apartment painting in NYC, and see our complete NYC apartment painting pricing guide for budgeting tactics.
9. Reading and Comparing Quotes
What a good quote lists
- Rooms and surfaces, one by one
- Prep and repairs per room
- Primer and coats
- Paint brand, product line and sheen
- Protection and cleanup
- Schedule and hours
- Insurance and license details
- Payment terms and change orders
Comparing totals
When two quotes differ by thousands, compare the scope first. The cheaper quote often excludes ceilings, trim, repairs or primer. A line-by-line comparison reveals what you are really buying.
Verify licensing
NYC requires a Home Improvement Contractor license for residential remodeling work. Ask for license and insurance information before signing.
10. Why a Licensed Painting Crew Is Worth the Premium
A paint job is judged in daylight, from the doorway, with a cup of coffee. Every roller mark, missed spot and rough ceiling shows. The difference between a crew that preps carefully and one that rushes is the difference between a finish that lasts and one that peels.
N.Y. Renovation Services is licensed and insured, and our in-house team handles interior painting from the first repair to the final touch-up. We protect floors and furniture, repair plaster, prime stains, follow EPA lead-safe rules in pre-1978 homes and coordinate with your building on certificates and hours. In co-ops and condos, we help with the paperwork that boards require.
Pricing is transparent. Your itemized quote lists each room, each surface, prep, product and coats, so you can compare it with any other quote. Where a smaller scope will do, we say so. We can also phase the job by room if budget requires. 5 percent of project cost goes to a nonprofit of your choice. Request an itemized estimate to see where your apartment falls in the range.
11. Neighborhoods and ZIP Codes We Serve
We paint apartments and homes across the five boroughs, Long Island and nearby New Jersey. The areas and ZIP codes for this guide are:
- Chelsea, Manhattan: 10001, 10011
- Midwood, Brooklyn: 11230
- Sunnyside, Queens: 11104
- Great Kills, Staten Island: 10308
- Manhasset, Nassau County: 11030
- Fair Lawn, Bergen County, NJ: 07410
Local details matter. Chelsea's pre-war and new-build condos and Chelsea Historic District townhouses come with strict building rules, white-glove expectations and ten-foot ceilings in older buildings. Midwood's detached and semi-detached homes and pre-war co-ops mix house-scale stairs with apartment-scale rules. Sunnyside Gardens is a historic district with co-ops and attached homes; interior work follows co-op rules while exteriors face landmark review. Great Kills' waterfront and detached homes have damp-prone basements and lower levels where mold-resistant primers matter. Manhasset's large colonials in the Town of North Hempstead mean tall foyers and extensive trim. Fair Lawn's capes, ranches and garden apartments are efficient to paint and often finish near the lower half of the ranges. See our service pages for Chelsea and Sunnyside.
12. Next Steps: Get Your Painting Quote
Here is how it works.
- Share the basics. Tell us your apartment size, building and ceiling height.
- We review. We visit or review photos and note surfaces, repairs and access.
- You get a written, itemized quote. It lists each room and the work.
- We handle the building. We prepare insurance certificates and coordinate hours.
- We paint and clean up. You get a walkthrough and touch-ups.
For deeper context, see our interior painting guide for NYC, the NYC renovation cost guide and the Home Painter Handbook.
Prefer the form? The online quote form takes a few minutes.
Safety Note: All work follows OSHA 30 safety and EPA Lead-Safe practices for pre-1978 homes. Check local permit requirements before starting.
James - Lead Renovation Editor. With over 20 years in renovation and construction, James writes and edits our guides. More about James