Exterior House Painting cost: Hollywood vs St. Petersburg (2026)
Budget-wise, exterior house painting in Hollywood ($3,100) runs 5% more than in St. Petersburg ($2,950), a roughly $150 spread.
Hollywood FL
Typically around $3,100
St. Petersburg FL
Lower costTypically around $2,950
Hollywood vs St. Petersburg: full breakdown
| Factor | Hollywood | St. Petersburg |
|---|---|---|
| Typical 2026 cost | $3,100 | $2,950 |
| Estimated range | $1,750–$4,400 | $1,700–$4,200 |
| Labor index (vs US) | ×0.95 | ×0.9 |
| Climate zone | Hot | Hot |
| Climate factor | ×1.03 | ×1.03 |
| Local permit | None | None |
| Labor share | $2,150 | $2,050 |
| Materials/equipment | $950 | $900 |
Exterior house painting numbers here are 2026 planning ranges, adjusted per city — useful for budgeting, not a substitute for an actual quote.
Is the price difference a dealbreaker?
5% is within noise for exterior house painting — contractor selection and timing move the price more than which of these two metros you're in.
Exterior house painting by type: Hollywood vs St. Petersburg
Below, each exterior house painting option is priced independently for both cities, with identical local labor, climate and permit logic applied — so the comparison holds up.
| Type | Hollywood | St. Petersburg |
|---|---|---|
| Vinyl siding | $1,650–$3,900 | $1,600–$3,750 |
| Wood siding | $1,850–$4,400 | $1,750–$4,200 |
| Fiber-cement | $2,150–$5,000 | $2,050–$4,750 |
| Stucco | $2,150–$4,900 | $2,050–$4,650 |
| Brick | $2,450–$5,350 | $2,350–$5,150 |
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: Hollywood vs St. Petersburg
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 | Hollywood | St. Petersburg |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 sq ft home (1 story) | $1,450–$3,400 | $1,400–$3,250 |
| 1,500 sq ft home | $1,750–$4,400 | $1,700–$4,200 |
| 2,000 sq ft home | $2,150–$5,350 | $2,050–$5,150 |
| 2,500 sq ft home (2 story) | $2,950–$6,850 | $2,800–$6,500 |
| 3,000 sq ft home | $3,700–$8,300 | $3,550–$7,900 |
| 3,500+ sq ft home | $4,400–$9,750 | $4,200–$9,300 |
These are 2026 planning figures for exterior house painting, localized to each city — not formal quotes.
What painting pros earn in each metro
Roughly 70% of what you pay for exterior house painting is labor, which is why local wages explain most of the price gap. The numbers below are actual metro wages for skilled installers, sourced from BLS OEWS — not guesses.
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach metro · about 7% below the US average installer wage.
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro · about 14% below 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
Summer's exterior-painting rush is really a weather requirement, not a preference, and prices reflect it. Interior work has no such requirement, making the trade's quiet winter months the cheapest time to book it.
What are you really paying for in a paint job?
Two bids on the same room can differ by half, and the gap is almost never the paint itself — it's how much prep and how many coats each one includes. Here's what separates a finish that holds from one that doesn't.
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
One-coat quotes win on price by putting less paint on the wall, and you see the difference within months as the old color ghosts through. The defensible standard is primer plus two finish coats. Get coat count and primer named in the contract so a lower number can't quietly mean thinner coverage.
A low bid usually buys you less prep and one thin coat, which reads as savings right up until the wall starts showing wear. Ask what surface work is included and how many coats you're getting before you line the totals up against each other.
Hollywood vs St. Petersburg
Is exterior house painting cheaper in Hollywood or St. Petersburg?
St. Petersburg comes out ahead here, at roughly $2,950 for exterior house painting compared with $3,100 in Hollywood — a 5% ($150) gap as of 2026.
Why does exterior house painting cost more in Hollywood than St. Petersburg?
Labor rates explain most of it — 0.95 in Hollywood vs 0.9 in St. Petersburg. A hot climate versus hot accounts for the rest.
How much is exterior house painting in Hollywood, FL?
exterior house painting in Hollywood runs $1,750–$4,400 as of 2026 — most jobs land near $3,100.
Do painting pros really charge more in one city?
Yes — and the wage data shows it. A skilled installer earns about $28.8/hr in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach area versus $26.9/hr around Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater (BLS metro wage data). Since labor is roughly 70% of a exterior house painting job, that wage gap is the biggest reason the installed prices differ.
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 Hollywood and St. Petersburg, 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?
Not really — the $150 gap is one-time, and smart timing and tighter quotes in Hollywood can shrink it. Factors that compound over time, like energy prices and home condition, deserve more weight than a single upfront difference.
Compare exterior house painting in other cities
Updated June 2026 · By Serhat Özçelik