Our minimum project engagement is $7,500. Every mural is quoted as a project, not by the square foot, because two walls of identical size can be completely different jobs. This guide explains what moves a quote up or down, what is included, and how to get a real number for your own wall.
How we price
One number for the whole project, agreed before anything is painted. It covers the design, the materials, the preparation, the painting and the finish, and it does not change unless you change the scope.
We do not quote by the square foot. A rate per foot describes how much wall gets covered, which is the one thing that has almost nothing to do with the work. A small portrait at eye level in an occupied lobby can take longer than a large graphic on an empty exterior. The quote is built from the actual job: the design you approve, the surface, the access and the schedule.
It also means several walls can be bundled for less than each would cost alone. Once the design is done and we are on site with the equipment, the second and third wall are far cheaper than the first.
If your budget is below $7,500, we will tell you straight away rather than take the project and cut corners on preparation and coating, which is where a cheap mural goes wrong.
What actually drives the price
Scale. A lobby feature wall and the side of a building are different orders of work, not just different amounts of paint. Bigger walls need access equipment, more days and more material.
Surface and preparation. Smooth drywall takes paint immediately. Brick, stucco, block and corrugated metal drink material and slow everything down, and an old or flaking wall needs cleaning, patching and priming first. Preparation is invisible in the photos and it is the main reason two quotes for the same wall can differ by thousands.
Access and height. Anything above roughly twelve feet needs a lift or scaffolding, which brings rental, delivery and slower painting. A wall you can walk up to is always the cheaper wall.
Detail. Bold graphic work and lettering move fast. Photorealistic portraits, fine gradients and dense scenes take days longer on the same wall. This is where two quotes for one wall separate the most.
Logistics. Parking, loading, security, painting overnight, working around a business that stays open. A restaurant that can only give us the hours after closing costs more than an empty construction site.
Timeline. A normal schedule is the cheapest schedule. Compressing two weeks of painting into four days before an opening means a bigger crew and longer days.
What is included
A Pezer97 quote is all in. Nothing on this list appears later as a separate line:
- Concept and design development, including a preview of the artwork on a photograph of your actual wall before painting starts
- Revisions to that design until you approve it
- All paint and materials, using UV-resistant exterior product on outdoor work
- Surface cleaning, patching and priming
- Protective anti-graffiti or UV clear coat on exteriors
- Lifts, scaffolding and access equipment
- Site protection, masking and full cleanup
- Professional photography of the finished mural
Interior murals and exterior murals
Exteriors cost more, and it is not the paint. An outdoor wall has to be washed and primed, painted with product that holds its color under Southern California sun, then sealed so it survives weather and can be cleaned if it is ever tagged. Add a lift and a city registration and the same artwork costs noticeably more outside than in.
What you get back is scale and public visibility. An exterior mural is seen by everyone who passes the building, every day, for years. See how that plays out on real walls in commercial murals and brand activations.
Why the cheapest quote usually costs the most
You can find someone to paint a wall in Los Angeles for a few thousand dollars. What is missing from that number is preparation, the right paint and the clear coat. Interior work painted with standard wall paint scuffs and cannot be cleaned properly. Exterior work without UV-resistant product fades visibly within a couple of summers, and without a protective coating a tag has to be painted over rather than washed off, which usually means repainting that part of the artwork.
A mural done properly is a decade-long asset. Done cheaply it is a two-year one, and the repaint costs more than the difference did. Our guide to how long a mural lasts covers the specification, and if you are weighing paint against a printed wrap, read the comparison with vinyl first.
Where the price gets set
It is decided in the first two steps, not the last. The consultation fixes the scope: which walls, what size, how much detail, what surface, and whether an exterior needs registering with the city. The rendering on a photograph of your actual wall then locks the design, and the quote is priced against that rendering. Everything after that, the agreement, the deposit, the preparation and the painting, runs on a fixed number. If the scope changes mid-project the price changes with it, which is why we push for decisions before the first coat rather than during it. The full commission process is on our FAQ page.
Getting a number for your wall
Send a photo of the wall, a rough measurement and what you want it to do for the space. That is enough for a real quote, usually within a couple of days, with no obligation.
Questions about mural cost
How much does a mural cost in Los Angeles?
Our minimum project engagement is $7,500. Every mural is quoted individually after a free consultation.
Do you charge by the square foot?
No. We quote the project, because the size of a wall says very little about the work it takes. A small, highly detailed piece in an occupied space can take longer than a large graphic on an empty exterior. You get one number for the whole job, agreed before anything is painted.
Why do mural quotes vary so much for the same wall?
Almost always because of what is not in the cheaper quote: surface preparation, exterior-grade UV-resistant paint, a protective anti-graffiti coating, and lift or scaffolding costs. Design detail is the other big variable, since fine work takes days longer than bold graphic work on the same wall.
Is an exterior mural more expensive than an interior one?
Yes. Exterior walls need washing and priming, weather and UV-resistant materials, a protective clear coat, and usually access equipment. The same artwork costs noticeably more outside than inside.
Can several walls be done together for less?
Yes. Because we quote per project rather than per wall, several murals painted in one visit cost less than each would separately. The design work, site setup, equipment and travel are already covered.
What is included in the price?
Design and revisions, all paint and materials, surface preparation, the protective coating on exteriors, access equipment, site protection and cleanup, and professional photography of the finished wall. There are no separate line items appearing later.
What areas do you cover?
Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego and the rest of Southern California, and we travel nationally for larger commissions. Recent walls include Irvine, Riverside and Abilene, Texas.
More detail on process, materials and timelines is on our mural FAQ page. To see the kind of work these budgets produce, browse our projects.
Painting a workplace? See office and corporate murals. Based in Orange County? See commercial murals in Orange County, including the Omen AI headquarters in Irvine.