Paint Price Index · August 15, 2026
The same wall costs 7.3x more to paint depending on which gallon you pick up
We recorded the publicly listed price of 50 interior and exterior wall-paint lines from 6 brands on August 15, 2026 — from $17.98 to $130.99 a gallon, median $58.48. Every figure below links to the page it was read from. Sort it, filter it, and run your own square footage through it.
How much does a gallon of paint cost in August 2026?
Publicly listed retail prices for 50 interior and exterior wall-paint lines captured on August 15, 2026 ran from $17.98 to $130.99 per gallon — a 7.3x spread — with a median of $58.48. Paint-store lines from Sherwin-Williams and Benjamin Moore sit at the top of the range, big-box house brands like Glidden and Valspar at the bottom, and exterior paint runs higher than interior at every price level. These are list prices as shown online, not contractor pricing and not the price of a finished paint job.
- Range: $17.98 to $130.99 per gallon (7.3x spread)
- Median gallon: $58.48 across 50 lines
- Interior median $52.98 vs exterior median $67.74
- Coverage-adjusted spread is wider still: 8.4x per 100 sq ft
How this index was built
Data collected August 15, 2026. Every figure links to its public source. Prices are the list prices publicly shown on each brand's or retailer's own website on that date, at the page's default gallon configuration, with Charlotte-area store defaults where the site required a store: the Sherwin-Williams store on Pecan Avenue in Charlotte, and the Lowe's serving ZIP 28226 in Pineville.
Rules we held to
- List price, never promotional price. Where a sale price was displayed alongside a list price, the list price is what is recorded, and the sale figure is noted in the row.
- One gallon, one sheen. Sheen changes the price within a line, sometimes by several dollars, so each row states the sheen it documents. Sibling sheen prices are in the row notes.
- Nothing estimated. Where a coverage figure is not published anywhere we could find it, the row says so rather than carrying a guess.
Limitations, stated plainly
- The 15 Home Depot rows are not verifiable live. That retailer blocks automated access, and every route we tried returned the same frozen cached snapshot — one page's promotional countdown read identically on two separate fetches, which proves the copy was replayed, not read fresh. Those Behr and Glidden prices should be read as last-cached, not as listed today. They are kept in the index and flagged in every row.
- Four Benjamin Moore rows are dealer prices. Benjamin Moore publishes no price for its Ultra Spec and Aura Exterior lines, so those figures come from an authorized dealer and already include that dealer's standing 10% online discount.
- Coverage is missing for 18 of 50 lines. Sherwin-Williams publishes none of its coverage figures on the product pages themselves — all nine came from its own product data sheets. Home Depot published coverage for only two of its fifteen lines.
- Prices move. They vary by store, sheen, tint base, and whatever promotion is running. Contractor pricing is a different system entirely and is not represented here.
- This is not a quote. None of these figures are what Carolina Renew Painting & Finishes charges. On a professional repaint, materials are typically the minority of the total — labor, preparation, masking, repairs, and cleanup carry the larger share.
This edition is a snapshot. The index is built to be re-run quarterly against the same product pages so the same lines can be tracked over time.
All 50 lines, priced
Sort any column, filter by brand or interior/exterior, and enter your own wall area to see gallons and material cost for every line at once. Without JavaScript the full table still renders, pre-calculated for 400 square feet in 2 coats.
Material cost calculator
Gallons are rounded up to whole cans, because that is how paint is sold. Lines with no published coverage figure are calculated at 350 square feet per gallon and marked assumed in the coverage column.
Wall area means the area actually being painted, after subtracting large windows and doors. Material only — no primer, sundries, or labor.
Showing 50 of 50 lines · calculated for 400 sq ft in 2 coats
| Sherwin-Williams Sherwin-Williams | Emerald Interior Acrylic Latex Page default: 1 gal / Flat / Extra White. Coverage from the product data sheet, not the product page. | Interior | $101.49 $27.06 per 100 sq ft, one coat | 350–400 sq ft/gal | none printed | 3 gal · $304.47 |
| Sherwin-Williams Sherwin-Williams | Emerald Designer Edition Interior Highest listed price in this index. This page defaults to Gloss, not Flat, unlike the other lines. | Interior | $130.99 $34.93 per 100 sq ft, one coat | 350–400 sq ft/gal | premium Sherwin-Williams | 3 gal · $392.97 |
| Sherwin-Williams Sherwin-Williams | Duration Home Interior Acrylic Latex List price recorded. A site-wide 30% promotion running August 14–24 showed a sale price of $67.19 on the same page. | Interior | $95.99 $25.60 per 100 sq ft, one coat | 350–400 sq ft/gal | none printed | 3 gal · $287.97 |
| Sherwin-Williams Sherwin-Williams | SuperPaint Interior Acrylic Latex Priced identically to Cashmere Interior at this store. | Interior | $83.49 $22.26 per 100 sq ft, one coat | 350–400 sq ft/gal | none printed | 3 gal · $250.47 |
| Sherwin-Williams Sherwin-Williams | Cashmere Interior Acrylic Latex | Interior | $83.49 $22.26 per 100 sq ft, one coat | 350–400 sq ft/gal | none printed | 3 gal · $250.47 |
| Sherwin-Williams Sherwin-Williams | Emerald Exterior Acrylic Latex Spreads thinner than the interior lines, so the cost per square foot rises faster than the gallon price suggests. | Exterior | $117.99 $42.91 per 100 sq ft, one coat | 250–300 sq ft/gal | premium Sherwin-Williams | 3 gal · $353.97 |
| Sherwin-Williams Sherwin-Williams | Duration Exterior Acrylic Coating List price recorded; the August 14–24 promotion showed $78.04 on the same page. | Exterior | $111.49 $40.54 per 100 sq ft, one coat | 250–300 sq ft/gal | premium Sherwin-Williams | 3 gal · $334.47 |
| Sherwin-Williams Sherwin-Williams | SuperPaint Exterior Acrylic Latex | Exterior | $86.99 $23.20 per 100 sq ft, one coat | 350–400 sq ft/gal | none printed | 3 gal · $260.97 |
| Sherwin-Williams Sherwin-Williams | A-100 Exterior Acrylic Latex Cheapest Sherwin-Williams line in this index. | Exterior | $67.49 $18.00 per 100 sq ft, one coat | 350–400 sq ft/gal | value Sherwin-Williams (positioning wording, not a printed tier label) | 3 gal · $202.47 |
| Benjamin Moore Benjamin Moore | Aura Interior (Eggshell) Price and coverage both published on the manufacturer's own product page. | Interior | $108.99 $29.06 per 100 sq ft, one coat | 350–400 sq ft/gal | ultra premium Benjamin Moore | 3 gal · $326.97 |
| Benjamin Moore Benjamin Moore | Aura Bath & Spa (Matte) Same gallon price as standard Aura Interior. Matte is the only sheen offered in the line. | Interior | $108.99 $29.06 per 100 sq ft, one coat | 350–400 sq ft/gal | premium Benjamin Moore | 3 gal · $326.97 |
| Benjamin Moore Benjamin Moore | Regal Select Interior (Eggshell) Price varies slightly by sheen within the line; only the eggshell page was verified. | Interior | $84.99 $20.00 per 100 sq ft, one coat | 400–450 sq ft/gal | none printed | 2 gal · $169.98 |
| Benjamin Moore Benjamin Moore | ben Interior (Eggshell) Lowest-priced Benjamin Moore consumer interior wall line with a price published on the brand's own site. | Interior | $60.99 $14.35 per 100 sq ft, one coat | 400–450 sq ft/gal | none printed | 2 gal · $121.98 |
| Benjamin Moore JC Licht (authorized Benjamin Moore dealer) | Ultra Spec SCUFF-X Interior (Eggshell) Benjamin Moore's own page shows no price. Dealer figure, already reduced by a standing 10% online discount from a $76.74–$81.94 range. | Interior | $71.05 $16.72 per 100 sq ft, one coat | 400–450 sq ft/gal | none printed | 2 gal · $142.10 |
| Benjamin Moore JC Licht (authorized Benjamin Moore dealer) | Ultra Spec 500 Interior (Eggshell) Contractor line; no price on Benjamin Moore's own page. Same 10% dealer discount caveat. | Interior | $42.97 $10.11 per 100 sq ft, one coat | 400–450 sq ft/gal | none printed | 2 gal · $85.94 |
| Benjamin Moore JC Licht (authorized Benjamin Moore dealer) | Aura Exterior (Low Lustre) No price on Benjamin Moore's own page. Dealer now labels this figure a sale price against a struck-through $94.60. | Exterior | $84.14 $21.04 per 100 sq ft, one coat | 350–450 sq ft/gal | ultra-premium Benjamin Moore | 2 gal · $168.28 |
| Benjamin Moore Benjamin Moore | Regal Select Exterior (Low Lustre) No coverage figure published on the product page; the linked data sheet returned a 404. | Exterior | $82.99 $23.71 per 100 sq ft, one coat | Not published — assumed 350 sq ft/gal | none printed | 3 gal · $248.97 |
| Benjamin Moore Benjamin Moore | Element Guard Exterior (Low Lustre) Positioned on moisture performance rather than a price tier. | Exterior | $73.99 $21.14 per 100 sq ft, one coat | 300–400 sq ft/gal | none printed | 3 gal · $221.97 |
| Benjamin Moore JC Licht (authorized Benjamin Moore dealer) | Ultra Spec Exterior (Low Lustre) Contractor line; no price on Benjamin Moore's own page. Same 10% dealer discount caveat. | Exterior | $44.14 $11.04 per 100 sq ft, one coat | 350–450 sq ft/gal | none printed | 2 gal · $88.28 |
| Behr Home Depot (cached page — not verifiable live) | Premium Plus Interior (Flat, Ultra Pure White) Bulk price shown: $26.13 at five or more. | Interior | $29.98 $8.57 per 100 sq ft, one coat | Not published — assumed 350 sq ft/gal | none printed | 3 gal · $89.94 |
| Behr Home Depot (cached page — not verifiable live) | Premium Plus Exterior (Satin, Ultra Pure White) Bulk price shown: $42.10 at five or more. | Exterior | $46.98 $13.42 per 100 sq ft, one coat | Not published — assumed 350 sq ft/gal | none printed | 3 gal · $140.94 |
| Behr Home Depot (cached page — not verifiable live) | Ultra Interior (Eggshell, Ultra Pure White) Bulk price shown: $41.00 at five or more. | Interior | $42.98 $12.28 per 100 sq ft, one coat | Not published — assumed 350 sq ft/gal | none printed | 3 gal · $128.94 |
| Behr Home Depot (cached page — not verifiable live) | Ultra Exterior (Satin, #N520-1) Tinted colorway, not an Ultra Pure White base — no white-base gallon page was found for this line. | Exterior | $54.98 $15.71 per 100 sq ft, one coat | Not published — assumed 350 sq ft/gal | none printed | 3 gal · $164.94 |
| Behr Home Depot (cached page — not verifiable live) | Dynasty Interior (Eggshell, Ultra Pure White) Bulk price shown: $59.40 at five or more. | Interior | $62.98 $17.99 per 100 sq ft, one coat | Not published — assumed 350 sq ft/gal | none printed | 3 gal · $188.94 |
| Behr Home Depot (cached page — not verifiable live) | Dynasty Exterior (Satin, Ultra Pure White) Most expensive Behr line in this index. Bulk price shown: $73.60 at five or more. | Exterior | $78.98 $22.57 per 100 sq ft, one coat | Not published — assumed 350 sq ft/gal | none printed | 3 gal · $236.94 |
| Behr Home Depot (cached page — not verifiable live) | Marquee Interior (Satin, Ultra Pure White) The cached page carried a frozen promotional countdown, so this figure may itself be a promotional price. | Interior | $55.98 $15.99 per 100 sq ft, one coat | Not published — assumed 350 sq ft/gal | none printed | 3 gal · $167.94 |
| Behr Home Depot (cached page — not verifiable live) | Marquee Exterior (Satin, Ultra Pure White) The only Behr page whose specifications block rendered — and it listed container size only, no coverage. | Exterior | $67.98 $19.42 per 100 sq ft, one coat | Not published — assumed 350 sq ft/gal | none printed | 3 gal · $203.94 |
| Glidden Home Depot (cached page — not verifiable live) | Essentials Interior (Eggshell, White) Second-cheapest gallon in the index. Bulk price shown: $19.72 at five or more. | Interior | $20.98 $5.99 per 100 sq ft, one coat | Not published — assumed 350 sq ft/gal | none printed | 3 gal · $62.94 |
| Glidden Home Depot (cached page — not verifiable live) | Essentials Exterior (Satin, PPG1208-1) Coverage is first-party product copy rendered on the page. Tinted colorway; no white-base gallon page was found. | Exterior | $28.98 $8.28 per 100 sq ft, one coat | 300–400 sq ft/gal | none printed | 3 gal · $86.94 |
| Glidden Home Depot (cached page — not verifiable live) | Premium Interior (Eggshell, PPG1020-1) | Interior | $23.98 $6.85 per 100 sq ft, one coat | Not published — assumed 350 sq ft/gal | none printed | 3 gal · $71.94 |
| Glidden Home Depot (cached page — not verifiable live) | Premium Exterior (Satin, Pure White Base 1) Sibling tint bases rendered at $38.98, so base choice moved the gallon price by a dollar. | Exterior | $37.98 $10.85 per 100 sq ft, one coat | Not published — assumed 350 sq ft/gal | none printed | 3 gal · $113.94 |
| Glidden Home Depot (cached page — not verifiable live) | Diamond Interior (Satin, Pure White) Coverage did not render on this sheen's page, though the semi-gloss sibling publishes it. | Interior | $35.98 $10.28 per 100 sq ft, one coat | Not published — assumed 350 sq ft/gal | none printed | 3 gal · $107.94 |
| Glidden Home Depot (cached page — not verifiable live) | Diamond Interior (Semi-Gloss, Pure White) Coverage is first-party product copy: smooth, nonporous surfaces. | Interior | $37.98 $10.85 per 100 sq ft, one coat | 300–400 sq ft/gal | none printed | 3 gal · $113.94 |
| Glidden Home Depot (cached page — not verifiable live) | Diamond Interior (Ultra-Flat, PPG1013-1) Least trustworthy figure in the index: cached, promo-countdown flagged, and priced off the retailer's usual .98 convention. | Interior | $30.91 $8.83 per 100 sq ft, one coat | Not published — assumed 350 sq ft/gal | none printed | 3 gal · $92.73 |
| Valspar Lowe's | Reserve Interior + Primer (Satin) Eggshell of the same line: $54.98. Coverage is manufacturer-stated, not on the retailer page. | Interior | $58.98 $14.75 per 100 sq ft, one coat | 400 sq ft/gal | none printed | 2 gal · $117.96 |
| Valspar Lowe's | Signature Interior + Primer (Satin) Eggshell of the same line: $46.98. The widest published coverage range in the index. | Interior | $50.98 $16.99 per 100 sq ft, one coat | 200–400 sq ft/gal | Best Seller Lowe's badge | 3 gal · $152.94 |
| Valspar Lowe's | Ultra Interior + Primer (Satin) Eggshell of the same line: $35.98. | Interior | $39.98 $11.42 per 100 sq ft, one coat | 300–400 sq ft/gal | none printed | 3 gal · $119.94 |
| Valspar Lowe's | Valspar 2000 Interior + Primer (Satin) Eggshell $25.98, semi-gloss $29.98. A separate $26.58 figure on the page is a member or card price, not the shelf price. | Interior | $27.98 $7.00 per 100 sq ft, one coat | 350–450 sq ft/gal | none printed | 2 gal · $55.96 |
| Valspar Lowe's | Valspar 4000 Interior (Eggshell) Contractor line. Not offered in satin; the same card reads $21.98 when the module is viewed at satin. | Interior | $23.98 $6.00 per 100 sq ft, one coat | 350–450 sq ft/gal | none printed | 2 gal · $47.96 |
| Valspar Lowe's | ExpressCoat Interior (Eggshell) Cheapest gallon in the index. Flat sheen: $15.98. The manufacturer's product page returns a 404, so no coverage figure exists to cite. | Interior | $17.98 $5.14 per 100 sq ft, one coat | Not published — assumed 350 sq ft/gal | none printed | 3 gal · $53.94 |
| Valspar Lowe's | Defense Exterior + Primer (Satin) Flat sheen: $64.98. | Exterior | $67.98 $20.92 per 100 sq ft, one coat | 250–400 sq ft/gal | Best Value Lowe's badge | 3 gal · $203.94 |
| Valspar Lowe's | Duramax Exterior + Primer (Satin) Flat sheen: $54.98. | Exterior | $57.98 $16.57 per 100 sq ft, one coat | 300–400 sq ft/gal | Best Seller Lowe's badge | 3 gal · $173.94 |
| Valspar Lowe's | SeasonFlex Exterior + Primer (Satin) Flat sheen: $44.98. | Exterior | $47.98 $13.71 per 100 sq ft, one coat | 300–400 sq ft/gal | none printed | 3 gal · $143.94 |
| Valspar Lowe's | Storm Coat Exterior (Satin) Paint only, no primer in the name. Cheapest general exterior wall paint on the retailer's comparison module. Flat sheen: $34.98. | Exterior | $37.98 $9.50 per 100 sq ft, one coat | 350–450 sq ft/gal | none printed | 2 gal · $75.96 |
| HGTV HOME by Sherwin-Williams Lowe's | Infinity Interior + Primer (Satin) Most expensive interior wall paint on the retailer's module. Eggshell: $66.98. | Interior | $70.98 $20.28 per 100 sq ft, one coat | 300–400 sq ft/gal | Our Best Lowe's badge | 3 gal · $212.94 |
| HGTV HOME by Sherwin-Williams Lowe's | Showcase One-Coat Interior + Primer (Satin) Eggshell: $50.98. | Interior | $54.98 $15.71 per 100 sq ft, one coat | 300–400 sq ft/gal | Best Value Lowe's badge | 3 gal · $164.94 |
| HGTV HOME by Sherwin-Williams Lowe's | Ovation Plus Interior + Primer (Satin) Eggshell: $41.98. No coverage figure found on the manufacturer page. | Interior | $45.98 $13.14 per 100 sq ft, one coat | Not published — assumed 350 sq ft/gal | none printed | 3 gal · $137.94 |
| HGTV HOME by Sherwin-Williams Lowe's | Spec Right Interior (Eggshell) Contractor line. Price renders only on the comparison module — the item's own page says it is unavailable to buy online. At satin the same card reads $28.98. | Interior | $23.97 $6.85 per 100 sq ft, one coat | Not published — assumed 350 sq ft/gal | none printed | 3 gal · $71.91 |
| HGTV HOME by Sherwin-Williams Lowe's | Everlast Exterior + Primer (Satin) Most expensive exterior wall paint on the retailer's module. Flat sheen: $75.98. | Exterior | $78.98 $24.30 per 100 sq ft, one coat | 250–400 sq ft/gal | Our Best Lowe's badge | 3 gal · $236.94 |
| HGTV HOME by Sherwin-Williams Lowe's | WeatherShield Exterior + Primer (Satin) Flat sheen: $59.98. Coverage figure not captured from the manufacturer page. | Exterior | $63.98 $18.28 per 100 sq ft, one coat | Not published — assumed 350 sq ft/gal | none printed | 3 gal · $191.94 |
Bars are scaled to the most expensive gallon in the index ($130.99). Sheen, tint base, and store all move these numbers — check the row notes before treating any figure as the price you will pay.
One line we looked for and could not price
PPG launched a PPG-branded retail paint line at Home Depot in 2017, per PPG's own investor release. In August 2026 we found no live Home Depot product page for any PPG-branded wall paint. Every PPG-coded product on that retailer's site sells under a Glidden brand header with a PPG color code, which identifies a color rather than a separate retail line. We are recording that absence rather than estimating a price for it.
Seven things the data actually says
1. The cheapest paint-store gallon costs more than the most expensive big-box gallon
This is the finding that reframes everything else. Sherwin-Williams' least expensive interior line listed at $83.49. The single most expensive gallon at either Home Depot or Lowe's — a tie between Behr's top exterior line and the HGTV HOME top exterior line — listed at $78.98. There is no overlap. Whatever a homeowner thinks they are choosing between when they compare a "premium" big-box paint to a paint-store paint, on price alone the two ranges do not touch at the interior end. The channels are not competing on the same shelf.
2. Coverage widens the gap instead of closing it
The intuitive defense of expensive paint is that it covers further, so the cost per square foot evens out. In this dataset it does the opposite. Gallon prices span 7.3x. Cost per 100 square feet of one coat, using each product's own published coverage, spans 8.4x — from about $5.14 on the cheapest line to about $42.91 on Sherwin-Williams' Emerald Exterior. The reason is that the most expensive lines are exterior products that publish the thinnest coverage, 250 to 300 square feet a gallon, precisely because they are built to go on thick. You pay more per gallon and you get fewer square feet from it.
3. Exterior paint carries roughly a 28% median premium
Median interior gallon: $52.98. Median exterior gallon: $67.74. That gap holds across brands, and it understates the real difference once coverage is applied, for the reason above. Anyone budgeting an exterior repaint from interior-paint intuition is starting low twice over.
4. A single promotion can be worth more than an entire cheap gallon
On the capture date, Sherwin-Williams was running a 30% site-wide promotion on selected paints and stains, August 14 to 24. On Duration Home Interior that discount was $28.80, taking a $95.99 gallon to $67.19. The discount alone is larger than the entire list price of the two cheapest gallons in this index. It also means the promotional price of a Sherwin-Williams mid-tier interior paint lands within thirty cents of the list price of that brand's cheapest exterior line. Timing a purchase to a promotion window changes the answer to "which paint can I afford" more than switching brands does — which is exactly why this index records list prices and notes promotions separately.
5. Contractor lines quietly undercut the consumer shelf
Benjamin Moore's Ultra Spec 500, a professional line, listed at a dealer for $42.97. Behr's mid-tier consumer line at Home Depot came in at $42.98 — one cent apart. The contractor product also publishes 400 to 450 square feet per gallon of coverage, against no published coverage at all for the Behr line. Both of Lowe's contractor lines behave the same way, sitting at the bottom of the price ladder while their consumer siblings sit near the top. Professional-channel paint is not premium-priced paint; it is priced for volume and marketed without the tier language.
6. Nobody agrees on what a "tier" is, and the retailer usually names it
The two manufacturer-owned brands describe quality in their own product copy — "ultra premium," "premium paint and primer in one" — and print no positioning word at all on most lines. Lowe's does the opposite: it stamps its own badges, "Our Best," "Best Value," "Best Seller," onto the comparison module, so the tier is the retailer's claim rather than the manufacturer's. Home Depot prints no tier language whatsoever; "Premium Plus" and "Marquee" are line names, not grades. That means a shopper comparing "the best" paint at two stores is comparing two different companies' marketing vocabularies, not a common standard.
7. Coverage data is missing far more often than price data
Every one of these 50 lines has a price you can read. Only 32 publish a coverage figure we could find, and Sherwin-Williams publishes none of its nine on the product pages themselves — every figure came from the brand's separate product data sheets. Home Depot published coverage on two of fifteen pages. The one number a buyer needs in order to compare paints honestly is the number hardest to find, which is a large part of why gallon price remains the default comparison even though it is the wrong one.
And one caution about all of it
A gallon price is a poor proxy for the cost of a paint job. On a professional repaint the material is the minority of the bill; preparation, repairs, masking, application, and cleanup carry the larger share, and the labor hours barely change whether the can costs $17.98 or $130.99. The practical reading of this table is that upgrading the paint is usually the cheapest upgrade available on a project — and that a cheap gallon is a poor place to economize, because the expensive part of the job is applying it. If you want the difference between the coatings themselves rather than their prices, our paint brands comparison covers how the major lines behave on real surfaces, and our guide to water-based versus oil-based paint covers the chemistry choice that sits underneath the brand choice.
Fast quote path
Send room photos. Get a cleaner interior estimate.
If you are close to hiring, do not wait for a perfect form. Share the basics and we can route the project into the right estimate path for Charlotte.
Best details to send
About 200 reviews across Google & Thumbtack · Owner-led team
Questions people ask
How much does a gallon of paint cost in 2026?
Across the 50 interior and exterior wall-paint lines in this index, publicly listed prices on August 15, 2026 ran from $17.98 to $130.99 per gallon, a 7.3x spread, with a median of $58.48. Paint-store brands cluster at the top of that range and big-box house brands at the bottom. These are retail list prices shown online, not contractor pricing and not what any painting company charges for a finished job.
Why is Sherwin-Williams paint more expensive than Behr or Valspar?
In this index the gap is real and large: the cheapest Sherwin-Williams interior line listed at $83.49 per gallon, which is more than every Behr, Glidden, Valspar and HGTV HOME line recorded here, the most expensive of which listed at $78.98. Part of the difference is formulation and part is channel — paint stores price for a contractor relationship and run frequent promotions, while big-box house brands compete on shelf price. Coverage narrows the gap only slightly, because the premium exterior lines spread thinner per gallon.
Is the cost per gallon the right way to compare paint?
No, because a gallon does not cover a fixed area. Published coverage in this index ranges from 250 to 450 square feet per gallon, so the cost per 100 square feet of one coat runs from about $5.14 to about $42.91 — a 8.4x spread, wider than the 7.3x spread in gallon prices. Comparing on coverage-adjusted cost is more honest, and the calculator on this page does that math for every line at once.
How much paint do I need for a room?
Divide the wall area by the coverage figure for the product, then multiply by the number of coats and round up to whole gallons. For 400 square feet of wall in two coats, that is 800 square feet of coverage — one to three gallons depending on the line. The calculator on this page runs that calculation against all 50 lines at once. Two coats is the normal planning assumption for a color change, and difficult color shifts or porous surfaces can need more.
Do these prices include labor?
No. These are material list prices only, exactly as shown on the retailers' own websites on the capture date. On a professional repaint, materials are typically the minority of the total, with labor, surface preparation, masking, repairs, and cleanup making up the larger share. A gallon price tells you almost nothing about the price of a finished job.
How often is this paint price index updated?
This edition captures publicly listed prices on August 15, 2026. The index is intended to be refreshed quarterly against the same product pages so the same lines can be tracked over time. Prices vary by store, by sheen, by tint base, and by whatever promotion happens to be running, so treat any single figure as a snapshot rather than a fixed price.
Free to cite, with a link
Journalists, trade publications, realtors, HOA newsletters, DIY forums, and other contractors are welcome to quote any figure, chart, or finding from this index, in full or in part, at no cost. The only thing we ask is a link back to this page so readers can check the capture date and the underlying sources for themselves. Every price here belongs to the retailer or manufacturer that published it; the index, the coverage-adjusted math, and the analysis are ours.
Suggested citation: Carolina Renew Painting & Finishes, "Paint Price Index: What a Gallon Actually Costs (August 2026)," https://carolinarenew.com/resources/paint-price-index/
Sources
Each product line in the table links directly to the page its price was read from. These are the source sites and documents behind the index as a whole.
- Sherwin-Williams — homeowner product catalog — prices for nine lines, store Charlotte-Pecan Ave.
- PaintDocs (Sherwin-Williams and Valspar product data sheets) — coverage figures not published on the product pages.
- Benjamin Moore — paints and stains — prices and coverage for six lines.
- JC Licht — authorized Benjamin Moore dealer — dealer prices for the four Benjamin Moore lines the manufacturer does not price publicly.
- Home Depot — paint department — Behr and Glidden prices, cached copies only, see limitations.
- Lowe's — paint department — Valspar and HGTV HOME prices, store Pineville NC, ZIP 28226.
- Valspar — product pages — manufacturer coverage figures.
- HGTV HOME by Sherwin-Williams — paints — manufacturer coverage figures.
- PPG — 2017 investor release on the PPG TIMELESS retail launch — background for the unpriced PPG line noted above. This is a press release, not a product page, and carries no retail price.