The best way to estimate exterior painting costs is to first measure the total square footage of the surface you are painting. You can use a tape measurer or a laser measuring tool to determine the length and width of a surface.
As an easy reference, each story of a home is approximately 10 feet high. So for a two-story house, you would use 20 feet as the width or height. Next, multiply length x width to get the total square footage.
After finding the total square footage, multiply that amount by the exterior painting cost per sqft average in the U.S. of $3.03. Doing this will give you an approximate total cost to paint the exterior of a home.