Painting Cost per Square Metre: 2026 Metric Rates
Per square metre, professional interior painting runs $21.5–64.6/m² of wall in the US (our 2026 band of $2–6/sq ft, verified 2026-10) and £10–20/m² in the UK (Checkatrade's 2026 guide). A square metre is 10.76 square feet, so any per-sq-ft quote converts by multiplying by 10.76 — the tables below do it for you, along with gallon counts per m².
Quick answer: Painting cost per m² (verified 2026-10): US professional interior $21.5–64.6 per m² of wall area (from $2–6/sq ft); labor-only $16.1–37.7/m² ($1.5–3.5/sq ft); DIY materials $2.4–6.7/m². UK: £10–20/m² for walls, including regular trade paint (Checkatrade 2026). 1 m² = 10.76 sq ft; a 12×12 ft room carries about 31m² of wall and 2 gallons of paint for two coats.
What does painting cost per square metre in 2026?
In the US, professional interior painting runs $2–6 per square foot of wall — $21.5–64.6 per square metre at the 10.76 conversion, verified 2026-10. Labor-only (you buy the paint) is $1.5–3.5/sq ft, or $16.1–37.7/m². In the UK, decorators charge £10–20 per m² for interior walls, averaging £15, with regular trade paint included (Checkatrade 2026). The US band reads higher partly because US quotes typically assume two coats and fuller prep.
How many square metres does a gallon of paint cover?
One US gallon covers 350–400 sq ft per coat — 32.5–37.2 m². Working metric-first: one litre covers roughly 8.5–10 m² for one coat, so a 2.5-litre tin does about 21–25 m² per coat, and a 10 m² room needs about 1 US gallon (or two 2.5L tins) for two coats. The 350 sq ft/gal planning figure is the conservative end — textured walls and deep color changes eat the difference.
| Room size | Wall area | Paint for 2 coats | DIY materials (premium) | Professional (mid-rate) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 m² floor | ~248 sq ft (~23m² wall) | 2 gal | $85 | $574 |
| 20 m² floor | ~495 sq ft (~46m² wall) | 3 gal | $128 | $1,107 |
| 30 m² floor | ~743 sq ft (~69m² wall) | 5 gal | $213 | $1,680 |
| 50 m² floor | ~1,238 sq ft (~115m² wall) | 8 gal | $340 | $2,787 |
| 100 m² floor | ~2,476 sq ft (~230m² wall) | 15 gal | $638 | $5,535 |
How do you convert per-square-metre to per-square-foot?
Multiply by 10.76 to go from per-sq-ft to per-m², divide by 10.76 to go back — and be careful which area the rate applies to (wall vs floor), because wall area of a room is roughly 2.3× its floor area at 8-ft ceilings. Our US calculator quotes $2–6 per sq ft of wall, which is $21.5–64.6 per m² of wall; a UK quote of £15/m² works out to £1.39/sq ft. Same math either direction; the unit on the quote is what decides.
| Rate (per sq ft) | Equivalent (per m²) | What it refers to (US 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| $1.50 | $16.15 | Labor-only, low end |
| $2.00 | $21.53 | Labor-only midpoint / all-in low end |
| $3.50 | $37.67 | Labor-only high end |
| $6.00 | $64.58 | All-in high end (premium markets, full prep) |
Why do UK and US per-m² rates differ so much?
Three real reasons, not exchange-rate noise. Inclusions: UK guide prices include regular trade paint, while US $2–6 quotes bundle paint plus fuller prep norms (two coats standard). Measurement: US quotes price wall area; UK whole-house figures price floor area (£50/m²), which is a smaller number for the same house. And labor markets: decorator day rates (£250–350) and painter wages ($20–50/hour) price hours differently. Convert dimensions, not prices — then sanity-check with a local quote.
Should you price your own job in square metres?
Only if you're comparing against UK-style quotes or working from a floor plan. For actual budgeting, wall area is the honest unit — it's what painters measure and what paint coverage consumes. Measure each room's wall perimeter × height, subtract doors (1.95m² each) and windows (1.5m² each), and you're in wall m²; our interior calculator does the same math in feet and returns gallons, materials and the pro comparison.
What PaintCalcs doesn't do
- We don't price in GBP interactively — the £ figures are sourced from Checkatrade's 2026 guide (verified 2026-10), not our calculator.
- We don't convert currencies: US and UK bands are quoted in their own markets, and we flag interpolation where we do it.
- Our calculators work in feet and inches (with metric equivalents shown here) — if you need metric-first inputs, convert once before entering.
- We don't produce quotes in either currency; all figures are budgeting estimates.