Exterior House Painting cost: Brooklyn vs Los Angeles (2026)
The two metros aren't quite in sync on exterior house painting: Brooklyn sits 7% above Los Angeles, or roughly $3,750 versus $3,500 — about $250 apart.
Brooklyn NY
Typically around $3,750
Los Angeles CA
Lower costTypically around $3,500
Brooklyn vs Los Angeles: full breakdown
| Factor | Brooklyn | Los Angeles |
|---|---|---|
| Typical 2026 cost | $3,750 | $3,500 |
| Estimated range | $2,150–$5,350 | $2,000–$5,000 |
| Labor index (vs US) | ×1.16 | ×1.11 |
| Climate zone | Cold | Mixed |
| Climate factor | ×1.02 | ×1 |
| Local permit | None | None |
| Labor share | $2,650 | $2,450 |
| Materials/equipment | $1,100 | $1,050 |
These are 2026 planning figures for exterior house painting, localized to each city — not formal quotes.
Is the gap worth worrying about?
At 7%, this gap is small enough that it's usually swallowed by normal quote-to-quote variation for exterior house painting — focus on the contractor, not the city.
Exterior house painting by type: Brooklyn vs Los Angeles
Each exterior house painting option, priced separately for both metros — the same local labor, climate and permit adjustments applied per city, so you can compare like for like.
| Type | Brooklyn | Los Angeles |
|---|---|---|
| Vinyl siding | $2,000–$4,750 | $1,900–$4,450 |
| Wood siding | $2,250–$5,350 | $2,100–$5,000 |
| Fiber-cement | $2,600–$6,050 | $2,450–$5,650 |
| Stucco | $2,600–$5,900 | $2,450–$5,550 |
| Brick | $2,950–$6,500 | $2,750–$6,100 |
Exterior house painting numbers here are 2026 planning ranges, adjusted per city — useful for budgeting, not a substitute for an actual quote.
Exterior house painting by home size: Brooklyn vs Los Angeles
Exterior painting is priced by the siding area, which tracks home size and the number of stories. Expect roughly $1–$4 per square foot of wall area; prep — scraping, sanding, and washing — often costs as much as the paint itself.
| Size | Brooklyn | Los Angeles |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 sq ft home (1 story) | $1,800–$4,150 | $1,650–$3,850 |
| 1,500 sq ft home | $2,150–$5,350 | $2,000–$5,000 |
| 2,000 sq ft home | $2,600–$6,500 | $2,450–$6,100 |
| 2,500 sq ft home (2 story) | $3,550–$8,300 | $3,300–$7,750 |
| 3,000 sq ft home | $4,500–$10,050 | $4,200–$9,400 |
| 3,500+ sq ft home | $5,350–$11,850 | $5,000–$11,050 |
Treat these as 2026 localized estimates for exterior house painting, not quotes from a contractor.
What painting pros earn in each metro
Labor is about 70% of a exterior house painting bill, so local wages drive most of the gap. These are real metro hourly wages for skilled installers (BLS OEWS), not estimates.
New York-Newark-Jersey City metro · about 23% above the US average installer wage.
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim metro · about 15% above the US average installer wage.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS metro wages for HVAC installers (used as a trade-labor index).
Cheapest time for exterior house painting in either city
There's a hard weather floor for exterior work (50-85°F), which crowds all that demand into summer. Interior jobs dodge that limit, so winter — when painters are otherwise slow — is when they cost the least.
What are you really paying for in a paint job?
Paint is the smallest line item in a painting budget — prep and labor are where the real cost sits. Our editors on where to actually spend.
The prep-first case
Surface prep — patching, sanding, caulking, washing — is most of a lasting finish. A bid that's cheap because it skips prep will peel within a year. Pay for the prep, not the brand name.
The timing case
Interior work in the trade's slow winter season catches the best crews at the best price. Save exterior jobs for dry weather — rushing paint onto a damp or cold wall guarantees a redo.
The coverage case
Two coats over primer is the honest standard; one-coat bids hide thin coverage. Confirm coats and primer in writing so a "lower" price isn't just less paint on the wall.
The headline price on a painting bid tells you almost nothing — ask about prep and coat count instead. Two coats over primer, done in the right season, consistently outperforms the cheapest quote.
Brooklyn vs Los Angeles
Is exterior house painting cheaper in Brooklyn or Los Angeles?
Los Angeles wins on price: exterior house painting runs about $3,500 there versus $3,750 in Brooklyn, a gap of roughly $250 (7%) as of 2026.
Why does exterior house painting cost more in Brooklyn than Los Angeles?
Labor rates explain most of it — 1.16 in Brooklyn vs 1.11 in Los Angeles. A cold climate versus mixed accounts for the rest.
How much is exterior house painting in Brooklyn, NY?
Brooklyn homeowners can expect $2,150 to $5,350 for exterior house painting in 2026, with $3,750 the typical number.
Do painting pros really charge more in one city?
Real wage data backs this up — skilled installers earn roughly $38.3/hr in New York-Newark-Jersey City compared with $35.9/hr in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim (BLS OEWS). Labor is about 70% of a exterior house painting job, so that wage gap is what mostly drives the price difference.
When is the cheapest time to buy exterior house painting — and does it differ by city?
Timing doesn't change by city here — Winter for interior; dry spring/fall for exterior is the cheapest window in both Brooklyn and Los Angeles, saving roughly 10–20% (interior, off-season). Avoid mid-summer (exterior peak) in either location, when emergency replacements push prices up.
Should I choose where to live based on exterior house painting cost?
Rarely. The $250 difference is real but one-time, and you can often close most of it in Brooklyn by buying in the off-season and getting tighter, apples-to-apples bids. Ongoing factors — energy prices, climate and home condition — matter more over the life of the system.
Compare exterior house painting in other cities
Updated June 2026 · By Serhat Özçelik