Cost to Paint Exterior of a House in San Francisco [2026 Data]

Exterior house painting in San Francisco costs $4,683 on average, but costs can range from $2,964 to $6,408. The total project cost depends mostly on house size, number of stories, siding type, and labor costs. The area’s cost of living is among the highest in the country, so homeowners will need to budget more for this project. We explore the things that determine how much you’ll pay for exterior house painting in San Francisco.

Exterior Painting Cost Factors 

The cost of exterior house painting in San Francisco, California, is based on factors including house size, siding type, number of stories, and more. Take a closer look at these and other factors to see how they’ll affect your budget for this project. 

Home Size

It averages about $2.20 to $5.90 per square foot to paint the exterior of a house. That means that the bigger your home is, the more money it will cost to paint. Homes with more stories and hard-to-reach areas, like dormers, will also increase costs by around 50% per story.

At under 1,800 square feet, San Francisco’s average home size is smaller than the national average, but the area’s high cost of living means homeowners will pay more per square foot for exterior painting.

Number of Stories

Painting a two-story house can cost up to 50% more than painting a one-story house. This is mainly because the additional stories are harder to reach, so setting up scaffolding and ladders will tack on extra labor costs.

Here’s what those increases could look like:

• Add 30% above 8 feet.

• Add 60% above 13 feet. 

• Add 90% above 17 feet.

• Add 120% above 19 feet.

Siding Type

Fiber cement and vinyl siding both stand up well to San Francisco’s wet winters, high salt content in the air, sun, and summer heat. Wood siding is less common in the area, since it can be more easily damaged by San Francisco’s wide range of weather conditions.

Vinyl siding has a shorter lifespan than fiber cement and may require more frequent painting. The best sheen for exterior paint depends on the type of siding, so consult with your exterior painting pro to choose the ideal paint for your home. 

Prep Work 

It’s important to prep your house for exterior painting for the best results. Paint stripping costs $0.75 to $2.95 per square foot, and is necessary to remove old paint in poor condition, such as paint that is cracking, flaking, or bubbling. These issues can prevent the new coats of paint from going on smoothly.

You’ll also need to prime the home before painting, and primer costs $20 to $120 per gallon, not including labor. Most pros will include primer in the project’s total cost. Prepping and priming your home correctly can make your exterior paint last longer and reduce how frequently you need to repaint. 

Add-Ons

You may want to paint more than just your home’s siding. Maybe you need a fresh coat of paint on your trim, or your porch needs some TLC. Here are the costs of common exterior house painting add-ons:

Exterior Painter Costs

Hiring an exterior house painting pro in San Francisco will cost more than tackling this project as a DIY, but there are good reasons to leave this job to the pros. Exterior painting poses a serious safety risk, since much of the work is done on a ladder or scaffolding.

DIY exterior painting will cost more than just the cost of paint—power rollers or sprayers, and other necessary tools and equipment for the best results quickly add up. A pro will have the equipment and experience to properly and efficiently paint your house without you having to risk a fall. 

Labor

Hiring a professional painting team costs about $1.50 to $5 per square foot or about $37 to $150 per hour for each painter. That price includes both adding primer and painting the home’s exterior. San Francisco’s wet winters mean labor is more in demand during spring, summer, and fall, since, in most cases, you can’t paint in the rain.

Does Exterior Painting Increase Home Value?

Painting the exterior of your house boosts both its curb appeal and its value, offering a return on investment (ROI) of 50% or more. When you compare the ROI of exterior versus interior paint, interior comes out higher, but a fresh coat of exterior paint can set your home apart from similar properties and make it easier to sell, since prospective buyers appreciate not having to worry about this large project for a decade or more.

How Angi Gets Its Cost Data

Home is the most important place on earth, which is why Angi has helped more than 150 million homeowners transform their houses into homes they adore. To help homeowners with their next project, Angi provides readers with the most accurate cost data and upholds strict editorial standards. We survey real Angi customers about their project costs to develop the pricing data you see, so you can make the best decisions for you and your home. We pair this data with research from reputable sources, including the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, academic journals, market studies, and interviews with industry experts—all to ensure our prices reflect real-world projects. 

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