Pricing by neighborhood — Painter · San Francisco, CA
| Neighborhood | Low | High | Why the price moves |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pacific Heights / Russian Hill / Marina | $75 | $130 | Luxury Victorian and Edwardian repaints, 3-5 color schemes, full scaffolding, period-correct prep |
| Mission / Castro / Noe Valley | $65 | $110 | Gentrified Victorian stock, period 3-color schemes, EPA RRP lead-safe work near-universal |
| SOMA / South Beach / Mission Bay | $60 | $95 | Loft conversions, modern condo towers, commercial-style interiors, spray-friendly access |
| Sunset / Richmond | $55 | $85 | 1920s-1940s stucco row houses, simpler scope, fog and salt air drive 5-7yr exterior cycle |
| Bernal Heights / Glen Park | $55 | $90 | Mid-century cottages and Victorians, steep grades drive scaffolding cost on hillside lots |
| Western Addition / Hayes Valley | $60 | $100 | Painted Ladies Victorian tradition, HPC color review possible on visible exteriors |
| Excelsior / Outer Mission | $50 | $80 | Post-war stucco, budget-tier neighborhoods, single-coat interior repaints common |
| Bayview / Hunters Point | $49 | $75 | Lowest district median, basic exterior work, slab access, fewer historic constraints |
Painter hourly rate by neighborhood in San Francisco, CA. Ranges reflect typical contractor pricing including travel time, building-type access, and local labor density.
How much does a painter cost in San Francisco?
San Francisco painters charge $49-$82 per hour for scheduled work, with an average of $66/hr. Full exterior repaints on Victorian and Edwardian homes typically run $15,000-$60,000 depending on color count and scaffolding scope. Neighborhood matters: Pacific Heights, Russian Hill, and the Marina sit at the top of the range because of luxury Victorian restorations, full scaffolding, steep grades, and period-correct prep. Bayview, the Excelsior, and Outer Mission sit at the bottom.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the median hourly wage for painters in the San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward metro at $32.89. The gap between that and the $66/hr you actually pay is real and explainable, and the rest of this article walks through where every dollar goes, what licensing and EPA rules actually apply, and what to ask when comparing quotes.
San Francisco Painter Rates by Neighborhood
The city’s 36 named neighborhoods are not one market. A Pacific Heights Edwardian with a 5-color Painted Ladies scheme, scaffolding on a 22% grade, and Historic Preservation Commission review is a different job than an Outer Sunset stucco row house with a 2-color refresh on a flat lot. The full per-neighborhood breakdown sits at the top of this page; this section explains the why behind the numbers.
The premium for Pacific Heights, Russian Hill, the Marina, and the inner Western Addition is not arbitrary. A typical luxury Victorian repaint includes 3-5 colors (body, trim, sash, accent, sometimes gilding), full scaffolding on a 3-4 story facade, lead-safe prep under EPA RRP, and code-compliant disposal of lead waste. Sunset, Richmond, and Bayview work skips most of that.
Comparable cities for cross-reference:
- Los Angeles painter costs — $45-$80/hr
- San Diego painter costs — $42-$75/hr
- San Jose painter costs — $48-$80/hr
- Seattle painter costs — $45-$78/hr
San Francisco sits roughly 8-15% above the West Coast metro average for painting labor, mostly explained by Victorian building stock and the near-universal EPA RRP requirement.
San Francisco Painter Pricing by Building Type
Neighborhood is one axis. Building type is the other, and it often matters more than the zip code. A 1905 Pacific Heights Edwardian with original lead-painted clapboard costs noticeably more to work on than a 2015 SOMA loft conversion three miles away, because the prep work is slower, the colors are more numerous, and the disposal rules are stricter.
| Building type | Hourly rate | Why the price moves |
|---|---|---|
| Victorian / Edwardian (pre-1915, Pacific Heights, Mission, Western Addition) | $75-$130 | Lead-paint prep under EPA RRP, multi-color period schemes, full scaffolding, hand-detail trim, slow drying in fog belt |
| 1920s-1940s stucco row house (Sunset, Richmond, Bernal) | $60-$95 | Stucco patching, single or 2-color schemes, ladder access, simpler prep |
| Mid-century stucco / ranch (1940s-1960s, outer neighborhoods) | $55-$90 | Larger spans, fewer details, mostly roller-friendly surfaces, EPA RRP still applies pre-1978 |
| Modern condo / loft conversion (SOMA, Mission Bay, post-2000) | $55-$85 | Drywall interiors, no lead concerns post-1978, spray-friendly access in newer buildings |
| Painted Ladies / HPC-reviewed exterior (Alamo Square area, Western Addition) | $85-$140 | HPC color approval, period-correct paint systems, multi-color schemes, color consultant fees often layered on top |
The pre-1978 premium is real and not arbitrary. EPA RRP rules require lead-safe practices on any project disturbing more than six square feet of interior or twenty square feet of exterior painted surface in a pre-1978 building, and 95%+ of San Francisco housing predates 1978. Lead-safe work adds 15-30% to labor hours because of containment, HEPA vacuuming, and waste disposal. Ask any contractor for the EPA RRP firm number and the assigned Certified Renovator’s name.
What Your Billed Hour Actually Covers
The $32.89 BLS wage is take-home pay for the painter, not what the customer pays. The customer rate of $49-$82/hr covers everything the business needs to legally operate in San Francisco.
Roughly: 50% labor, 12% commercial liability and bonding insurance ($8,000-$15,000/yr per crew because California workers’ comp rates for painting carry elevated claim factors), 11% vehicle and specialty tools (40ft extension ladders, scaffolding for hillside lots, airless and HVLP sprayers, HEPA vacs), 10% San Francisco-specific licensing and overhead (CSLB C-33, $25,000 bond, EPA RRP firm cert, parking, dispatch), and 17% contractor profit margin. Strip any of those out and the business cannot stay open.
This is why the cheapest quote is not always the right one. A painter bidding $35/hr is either operating without insurance, without a CSLB C-33 license (illegal over $500), or without EPA RRP firm certification (which exposes you to $37,500-per-day federal fines if lead dust is released).
San Francisco Painter Permits and What They Cost
San Francisco does not require a building permit for most repaint work, but two regulatory layers sit on top of every meaningful exterior job: the Historic Preservation Commission for visible color changes on landmark or Article 10/11 buildings, and EPA RRP for pre-1978 lead-safe practices. Skipping either step is the most common way homeowners turn a $25,000 repaint into a $40,000 problem.
| Work | Required filing | Typical cost | Lead time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interior repaint, post-1978 building | None | $0 | None |
| Interior repaint, pre-1978 building | EPA RRP firm certified work (no permit, but documented) | Included in contractor overhead | None |
| Exterior repaint, same colors, non-landmark | None | $0 | None |
| Exterior color change, visible from public right-of-way, landmark or Article 10/11 | Historic Preservation Commission Certificate of Appropriateness | $475-$1,800 | 4-12 weeks |
| Exterior color change, Painted Ladies / Alamo Square HPC review | HPC color review + Planning Department sign-off | $475-$2,500 | 6-16 weeks |
| Lead-paint disturbance, any pre-1978 building | EPA RRP firm cert + Cal/OSHA notification if 1+ crew | Included in bid | None |
Your painter handles the EPA RRP paperwork as part of the bid. HPC applications are typically handled by the homeowner or by a San Francisco general contractor acting as project manager, because the timeline reaches into months. The Painted Ladies tradition in the Western Addition and around Alamo Square draws specific HPC attention; a Victorian-palette color consultant bills $1,500-$4,000 and pays for itself by getting approval on the first cycle.
Common Painter Job Pricing in San Francisco
These are typical all-in prices, including labor, mid-grade acrylic paint (Sherwin-Williams Duration, Benjamin Moore Regal, or Dunn-Edwards Evershield), EPA RRP compliance where applicable, and 2-3 year workmanship warranty. Pacific Heights and the Marina sit at the high end of each range; the Excelsior and Bayview at the low end.
| Job | Total cost | Labor hours | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single room repaint (10x12 bedroom, walls only) | $700-$1,500 | 8-14 | Add $300-$600 for ceiling and trim |
| Whole-house interior repaint (2,000-2,500 sq ft) | $7,000-$18,000 | 80-160 | EPA RRP adds 15-30% in pre-1978 homes |
| Kitchen cabinet refinishing | $3,500-$9,000 | 30-60 | HVLP spray, off-site shop work for doors common |
| Trim and door repaint, whole-house exterior | $2,500-$6,500 | 25-50 | Often bundled with full exterior |
| Stucco row-house exterior, 2 colors (Sunset, Richmond) | $8,000-$18,000 | 80-160 | Pressure wash, patching, 2 coats body + trim |
| Victorian exterior, 3-color period scheme (Mission, Noe) | $15,000-$35,000 | 150-300 | Scaffolding, lead-safe prep, hand-detail trim |
| Victorian exterior, 4-5 color luxury (Pacific Heights, Alamo Square) | $30,000-$80,000 | 300-700 | Full scaffolding, color consultant, HPC review |
| Garage door + entry repaint | $400-$1,200 | 4-10 | Common stand-alone refresh |
| Wallpaper removal + repaint, single room | $900-$2,200 | 10-20 | Steam removal, skim coat, prime, 2 paint coats |
Victorian exterior work deserves a callout. The Painted Ladies tradition from the 1970s Western Addition turned multi-color Victorian schemes into a San Francisco signature, and homeowners in Pacific Heights, Russian Hill, the Mission, and Noe Valley commission them at premium budgets. A 3-color period scheme on a 1900 Mission Victorian runs $15,000-$35,000. A 5-color luxury restoration on a Pacific Heights Edwardian with gilding and HPC review can reach $60,000-$80,000. Skipping the HPC cycle on a landmark property is the most expensive shortcut in San Francisco painting; the city can order a repaint at owner cost if the colors are not approved.
How to Get and Compare San Francisco Painter Quotes
Three things separate a useful quote from a useless one in San Francisco, and they all come down to specificity.
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Tell the painter the building age and type. “1905 Pacific Heights Edwardian, 3 stories, 22% grade, owner-occupied” gets a different number than “2012 SOMA loft, single-level.” Painters price partly off scaffolding logistics and lead-safe overhead, so generic “I want to paint my house” estimates are worth less than a detailed brief naming year of construction, square footage, and whether the exterior is failing or just due for a refresh.
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Ask for an itemized written estimate that breaks out labor hours, paint brands, scaffolding or ladder days, EPA RRP scope, and any HPC application fees. Verbal estimates are not enforceable in California and tend to grow on the day. Reputable San Francisco painting companies email itemized PDFs within 24-48 hours of the site visit. If a painter will not put it in writing, walk.
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Verify the license and insurance before you book. Pull the C-33 license number from the California CSLB public license search and request a current Certificate of Insurance showing $1M general liability and California workers’ comp. For any pre-1978 building, also request the EPA RRP firm certification number. All three checks take ten minutes and rule out 90% of contractors who later become problems.
How We Calculated These Prices
The San Francisco painter hourly rate of $49-$82 starts with the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics median hourly wage for painters in the San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward metro: $32.89 as of May 2024. We apply a 1.5x-2.5x consumer multiplier covering business overhead, insurance, CSLB licensing and the $25,000 bond, EPA RRP firm certification, vehicle and scaffolding costs, taxes, and contractor profit, calibrated against current quotes from CSLB C-33 painters across the city.
Neighborhood adjustments reflect scaffolding logistics (3-4 story facades, steep Russian Hill and Pacific Heights grades), building-stock differences (pre-1978 lead-paint near-universal, Victorian multi-color schemes), and HPC administrative overhead for landmark properties. The full formula and source list lives on our methodology page.
Other San Francisco Service Costs You Might Need
Painting rarely happens in isolation. An exterior restoration typically pulls in 2-3 trades, and getting quotes from all of them at the same time is faster than serial calls.
- San Francisco general contractor costs — when the project crosses 3+ trades or requires HPC coordination
- San Francisco handyman costs — for sub-$500 touch-ups and minor trim repairs
- San Francisco carpenter costs — for siding repair, trim replacement, and wood rot before paint
- San Francisco roofer costs — fascia and eave work often pairs with exterior repaints
- San Francisco electrician costs — for exterior fixture removal and reinstall on full repaints