Exterior House Painting cost: Memphis vs Murfreesboro (2026)
Budget-wise, exterior house painting in Memphis ($3,000) runs 2% less than in Murfreesboro ($3,050), a roughly $50 spread.
Memphis TN
Lower costTypically around $3,000
Murfreesboro TN
Typically around $3,050
Memphis vs Murfreesboro: full breakdown
| Factor | Memphis | Murfreesboro |
|---|---|---|
| Typical 2026 cost | $3,000 | $3,050 |
| Estimated range | $1,700–$4,300 | $1,750–$4,300 |
| Labor index (vs US) | ×0.95 | ×0.96 |
| Climate zone | Mixed | Mixed |
| Climate factor | ×1 | ×1 |
| Local permit | None | None |
| Labor share | $2,100 | $2,150 |
| Materials/equipment | $900 | $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?
That 2% 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: Memphis vs Murfreesboro
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 | Memphis | Murfreesboro |
|---|---|---|
| Vinyl siding | $1,600–$3,800 | $1,650–$3,850 |
| Wood siding | $1,800–$4,300 | $1,850–$4,300 |
| Fiber-cement | $2,100–$4,850 | $2,100–$4,900 |
| Stucco | $2,100–$4,750 | $2,100–$4,800 |
| Brick | $2,400–$5,250 | $2,400–$5,300 |
These are 2026 planning figures for exterior house painting, localized to each city — not formal quotes.
Exterior house painting by home size: Memphis vs Murfreesboro
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 | Memphis | Murfreesboro |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 sq ft home (1 story) | $1,450–$3,350 | $1,450–$3,350 |
| 1,500 sq ft home | $1,700–$4,300 | $1,750–$4,300 |
| 2,000 sq ft home | $2,100–$5,250 | $2,100–$5,300 |
| 2,500 sq ft home (2 story) | $2,850–$6,650 | $2,900–$6,750 |
| 3,000 sq ft home | $3,600–$8,100 | $3,650–$8,150 |
| 3,500+ sq ft home | $4,300–$9,500 | $4,300–$9,600 |
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
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.
Memphis metro · about 7% below the US average installer wage.
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin metro · about 6% 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 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 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 coverage case
A quote that promises 'one coat, done' is usually promising a thin film that telegraphs whatever was underneath. Primer and two finish coats is what holds the color and buries the old wall. Put both in writing; otherwise the cheaper bid is just less product spread further.
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.
Memphis vs Murfreesboro
Is exterior house painting cheaper in Memphis or Murfreesboro?
Memphis wins on price: exterior house painting runs about $3,000 there versus $3,050 in Murfreesboro, a gap of roughly $50 (2%) as of 2026.
Why does exterior house painting cost more in Murfreesboro than Memphis?
It comes down to labor: Murfreesboro indexes at 0.96 against Memphis's 0.95. The mixed-vs-mixed climate difference adds to the gap.
How much is exterior house painting in Memphis, TN?
exterior house painting in Memphis runs $1,700–$4,300 as of 2026 — most jobs land near $3,000.
Do painting pros really charge more in one city?
It's not a myth — BLS data puts installer wages at about $29/hr in the Memphis area and $29.4/hr in Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin. Given labor is around 70% of a exterior house painting job's cost, that gap explains most of the price spread.
When is the cheapest time to buy exterior house painting — and does it differ by city?
No, the seasonal pattern is the same in Memphis and Murfreesboro: book during Winter for interior; dry spring/fall for exterior for about 10–20% (interior, off-season) in savings. Mid-summer (exterior peak) is the priciest stretch in both cities, mostly due to emergency replacements.
Should I choose where to live based on exterior house painting cost?
Rarely. The $50 difference is real but one-time, and you can often close most of it in Murfreesboro 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