Exterior House Painting cost: Medford vs Portland (2026)
Budget-wise, exterior house painting in Medford ($3,300) runs 5% less than in Portland ($3,450), a roughly $150 spread.
Medford OR
Lower costTypically around $3,300
Portland OR
Typically around $3,450
Medford vs Portland: full breakdown
| Factor | Medford | Portland |
|---|---|---|
| Typical 2026 cost | $3,300 | $3,450 |
| Estimated range | $1,900–$4,700 | $1,950–$4,900 |
| Labor index (vs US) | ×1.04 | ×1.09 |
| Climate zone | Mixed | Mixed |
| Climate factor | ×1 | ×1 |
| Local permit | None | None |
| Labor share | $2,300 | $2,400 |
| Materials/equipment | $1,000 | $1,050 |
These are 2026 planning figures for exterior house painting, localized to each city — not formal quotes.
How much should this gap actually matter?
That 5% gap is small — for exterior house painting it's usually less than the spread between two local contractors' quotes, so the metro matters far less than who you hire and when you buy.
Exterior house painting by type: Medford vs Portland
Every exterior house painting type gets its own localized price for each metro, using the same labor, climate and permit adjustments — a true apples-to-apples comparison.
| Type | Medford | Portland |
|---|---|---|
| Vinyl siding | $1,750–$4,150 | $1,850–$4,350 |
| Wood siding | $2,000–$4,700 | $2,050–$4,900 |
| Fiber-cement | $2,300–$5,300 | $2,400–$5,550 |
| Stucco | $2,300–$5,200 | $2,400–$5,450 |
| Brick | $2,600–$5,750 | $2,700–$5,950 |
Localized 2026 planning estimates — not quotes. Each city adjusts the national exterior house painting range for local labor, climate and permits.
Exterior house painting by home size: Medford vs Portland
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 | Medford | Portland |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 sq ft home (1 story) | $1,550–$3,650 | $1,650–$3,800 |
| 1,500 sq ft home | $1,900–$4,700 | $1,950–$4,900 |
| 2,000 sq ft home | $2,300–$5,750 | $2,400–$5,950 |
| 2,500 sq ft home (2 story) | $3,150–$7,300 | $3,250–$7,600 |
| 3,000 sq ft home | $3,950–$8,850 | $4,100–$9,250 |
| 3,500+ sq ft home | $4,700–$10,400 | $4,900–$10,850 |
All figures are 2026 localized planning estimates for exterior house painting — get an actual quote before you commit.
What painting pros earn in each metro
With labor making up about 70% of a exterior house painting job, wage differences between metros do most of the work here. These figures are real BLS OEWS installer wages, not modeled estimates.
No BLS metro wage series for Medford; we use Oregon regional price parity instead.
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro metro · about 12% 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
Exterior paint only cures properly in dry, 50-85°F weather, which makes summer both the only real option and the most expensive one. Interior work has no such limit, so booking it in winter — the trade's slow season — is the cheaper play.
What are you really paying for in a paint job?
The paint can is almost beside the point. Our editors on what actually drives a painting budget — and where corners get cut.
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.
The timing case
Book interior rooms during the slow winter stretch and you get first-string crews without the summer premium. Outside work can't be pushed against the weather: wait until the siding is dry and temperatures hold, or the coat fails to bond and the whole wall comes back around.
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.
Judge a paint quote by prep and coats, not the headline number. Good prep, two coats over primer and the right season beat a cheap bid every time.
Medford vs Portland
Is exterior house painting cheaper in Medford or Portland?
Medford comes out ahead here, at roughly $3,300 for exterior house painting compared with $3,450 in Portland — a 5% ($150) gap as of 2026.
Why does exterior house painting cost more in Portland than Medford?
Labor rates explain most of it — 1.09 in Portland vs 1.04 in Medford. A mixed climate versus mixed accounts for the rest.
How much is exterior house painting in Medford, OR?
In Medford, exterior house painting typically runs $1,900–$4,700 in 2026, with most homeowners paying around $3,300.
When is the cheapest time to buy exterior house painting — and does it differ by city?
The best window is the same in both Medford and Portland: Winter for interior; dry spring/fall for exterior, when demand drops and installers discount to keep crews busy — typically 10–20% (interior, off-season) off peak pricing. The most expensive time anywhere is an emergency replacement during mid-summer (exterior peak).
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 Portland 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