What should a painter charge per day?

What a painter should charge per day in United States in 2025 to 2026 depends on experience, location, and whether solo or crew, but typical day rates are as follows. For solo independent house painter, fair day rate is 250 to 500 dollars per day for 8 hours labor only, which equals 30 to 60 dollars per hour. Beginners may charge 200 to 300 dollars per day, experienced 400 to 600 dollars per day. For specialty painter like cabinet sprayer, faux finisher, or muralist, day rate should be 400 to 1000 dollars per day due to skill. For painting contractor crew, charge should be 600 to 1500 dollars per day for crew of 2 to 3 painters, which is 200 to 500 per painter per day, covering labor, overhead, insurance. In high cost areas like San Francisco, New York, day rates should be 20 to 40 percent higher. If materials included, add 50 to 200 dollars per day. Day rate should include prep, painting, and cleanup for that day. Be wary of painter charging less than 200 dollars per day, may indicate lack of insurance or experience, or more than 700 dollars per day solo without specialty, may be overcharging unless high end market. So reasonable day charge is 300 to 500 dollars per day per skilled house painter labor only, or 500 to 700 with basic materials for small jobs.