House Painting Cost in Hilo, HI (2026)
Updated October 2026 · Hilo, HI · index 1.24
How much does it cost to paint a house in Hilo? For 2,500 sq ft of paintable surface with interior: walls, ceilings, trim & doors, homeowners in Hilo, HI pay about $9,000 on average, and most quotes land between $5,800 and $12,200 — $2.32 to $4.88 per sq ft painted. The price covers protection and masking, prep and spot priming, two finish coats, trim and doors on a full interior, and the final walk-through.
The house painting price in Hilo runs 24% above the U.S. average: construction labor in the Hilo area runs 29% above the national mean, materials 17% above. The same job averages $7,250 nationally and about $9,000 at the Hawaii statewide index.
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House painting price in Hilo by painting scope
What 2,500 sq ft of paintable surface costs in Hilo with each painting scope, installed:
| Option | Average · range |
|---|---|
| Interior: walls, ceilings, trim & doorstwo coats throughout, the full repaint$3.60 per sq ft painted | $9,000$5,800 – $12,200 |
| Interior: walls & ceilingstwo coats, trim and doors left as they are$2.77 per sq ft painted | $6,900$4,450 – $9,400 |
| Exterior: siding & bodywashed, prepped and two coats; trim priced apart$2.48 per sq ft painted | $6,200$3,800 – $8,600 |
The least expensive option in Hilo is exterior: siding & body, at about $6,200; interior: walls, ceilings, trim & doors averages $9,000, 1.4 times as much.
Cost to paint a house in Hilo by size
With interior: walls, ceilings, trim & doors, priced for Hilo, HI:
| Size | Average · range |
|---|---|
| 1,000 sq ft of paintable surface$3.80 per sq ft painted | $3,800$2,450 – $5,150 |
| 2,500 sq ft of paintable surface$3.60 per sq ft painted | $9,000$5,800 – $12,200 |
| 4,000 sq ft of paintable surface$3.54 per sq ft painted | $14,200$9,150 – $19,200 |
Some costs stay the same whatever the size — walk-through and touch-ups — so a bigger job costs less per unit: $3.54 per sq ft painted for 4,000 sq ft of paintable surface against $3.80 for 1,000 sq ft of paintable surface.
What a house painting in Hilo includes
Line by line, the $9,000 average for 2,500 sq ft of paintable surface breaks down like this: 83% labor, 17% materials and equipment.
| Line | Low – high |
|---|---|
| Floor and furniture protection | $130 – $300 |
| Patch, sand and caulk | $450 – $1,250 |
| Spot primer | $140 – $280 |
| Walls, two coats | $2,700 – $5,350 |
| Ceilings, two coats | $870 – $1,750 |
| Trim and baseboard | $670 – $1,450 |
| Doors, both sides | $670 – $1,350 |
| Walk-through and touch-ups | $190 – $500 |
Each line is the price book's U.S. rate for that step times Hilo's index of 1.24; permit fees are not scaled.
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What affects house painting prices in Hilo
Labor and materials in Hilo
Construction wages in the Hilo area run 29% above the U.S. mean (BLS, May 2025), and materials in its ZIP codes price 17% above the national average. Together they give Hilo a construction cost index of 1.24.
Where Hilo sits in Hawaii
Hilo is the 3rd most expensive of the 3 Hawaii cities in our index, against a statewide index of 1.24. Kahului is the dearest at 1.27; no Hawaii city in it costs less.
Against the rest of the country
Of the 306 U.S. cities in JobFlex's index, Hilo ranks 22nd from the most expensive. The job that averages $9,000 here averages $7,250 at the national rate.
Sales tax in Hawaii
Hawaii's base state sales tax is 4%, and cities and counties can add their own. Hawaii also taxes installation labor on real property, so ask whether a quote includes tax on the whole job. Prices on this page are before tax.
What a Hilo contractor will ask before quoting
- Surfaces, condition and colors
- Ceiling height and trim scope
- Occupied — phasing and protection
House painting cost in other Hawaii cities
2,500 sq ft of paintable surface with interior: walls, ceilings, trim & doors averages $9,000 in Hilo; $9,200 in Kahului, $9,050 in Honolulu.
| City | Average · range |
|---|---|
| Kahului, HI2% more | $9,200$5,950 – $12,500 |
| Honolulu, HI1% more | $9,050$5,850 – $12,300 |
house painting price in Hilo: questions
How much does it cost to paint a house in Hilo, HI?
About $9,000 for 2,500 sq ft of paintable surface with interior: walls, ceilings, trim & doors, and most Hilo quotes fall between $5,800 and $12,200. That is 24% above the U.S. average, where the same job averages $7,250.
What is the painting price per square foot in Hilo?
$2.32 to $4.88 per sq ft painted, about $3.60 on average with interior: walls, ceilings, trim & doors. Smaller jobs cost more per unit, because the fixed costs are spread over less.
How much is 4,000 sq ft of paintable surface in Hilo?
$9,150 to $19,200, about $14,200 on average, with interior: walls, ceilings, trim & doors — $3.54 per sq ft painted.
Do you need a permit for house painting in Hilo?
Usually not: finish or repair work that changes no wiring, plumbing or structure is exempt under the International Residential Code, though Hilo or an HOA can still ask for one.
Does the price include sales tax in Hawaii?
No. The prices here are before tax; Hawaii's base state rate is 4%, plus any local rate. Hawaii taxes installation labor too.
What is the cheapest painting scope for house painting in Hilo?
Exterior: siding & body, at about $6,200 for 2,500 sq ft of paintable surface. Interior: walls, ceilings, trim & doors runs about $9,000.
Other home projects in Hilo
House painting cost in Hawaii
How these prices are built
Every price on this page comes from JobFlex's contractor price book: what a homeowner pays a licensed contractor for each step of the job, as a U.S. national average per unit, with the contractor's overhead and profit included and sales tax left out. The house painting is priced step by step, then multiplied by Hilo's construction cost index of 1.24.
Where the price book's steps for an option add up to more than 20% over the installed price a published source gives for the whole job, every step but a permit fee is scaled down to the middle of that range: exterior: siding & body × 0.52 (HomeGuide 2026: $1.00–$3.00 per sq ft painted).
The index weighs local construction wages (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025) at 60% and the area's material prices (Craftsman ZIP-area factors) at 40%. Published indices for Hilo, each on its own base: HUD 1.38, Craftsman 1.17. Treat any city figure as about ±5%; a contractor's quote for your house is the number to plan with.
Contractors in Hilo build quotes like these with JobFlex's Smart Proposal estimator.
- HomeGuide 2026: painters charge $1-$3/sqft; a room $350-$850; trim $1-$4/linear ft
- HomeGuide 2026: whole-home interior $3,500-$10,000 (1,500 sqft home $4,500-$6,000); labor 70-85% of the job