Mumbai rates by grade
| Grade | National ₹/sq ft | Mumbai ₹/sq ft | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acrylic distemper | ₹16 | ₹18 | Rarely worth it in this climate; it chalks |
| Economy emulsion | ₹23 | ₹26 | Acceptable in a dry internal room |
| Premium emulsion | ₹32 | ₹37 | The Mumbai default; wipeable, five to six years |
| Luxury washable emulsion | ₹43 | ₹50 | Worth it in kitchens, passages and children’s rooms |
| Anti-fungal or damp-resistant emulsion | — | ₹44 – 58 | For external walls and bathroom-adjacent surfaces |
| Texture and designer finish | ₹170 – 260 | ₹138 | Feature walls only; not in the monsoon |
| Wall putty, single coat | ₹12 | ₹14 | — |
| Wall putty, two coats | ₹20 | ₹23 | Required over fresh plaster |
Ex-GST, per square foot of paintable surface. The 15% uplift is labour and access, not material.
Worked totals for Mumbai flats
| Home | Paintable surface | Economy | Premium | Luxury washable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1BHK, 400 sq ft carpet | 1,680 sq ft | ₹51,000 – 62,000 | ₹69,000 – 81,000 | ₹92,000 – 1,08,000 |
| 2BHK, 700 sq ft carpet | 2,940 sq ft | ₹90,000 – 1,08,000 | ₹1.22 – 1.43 L | ₹1.62 – 1.90 L |
| 3BHK, 1,000 sq ft carpet | 4,200 sq ft | ₹1.28 – 1.54 L | ₹1.74 – 2.04 L | ₹2.31 – 2.71 L |
| 4BHK, 1,600 sq ft carpet | 6,700 sq ft | ₹2.04 – 2.46 L | ₹2.78 – 3.25 L | ₹3.69 – 4.32 L |
| Bungalow, 2,800 sq ft carpet | 11,800 sq ft | ₹3.60 – 4.33 L | ₹4.89 – 5.73 L | ₹6.49 – 7.61 L |
Surface at roughly 4.2× carpet area including ceilings. Ranges cover one to two putty coats. Ex-GST; add 18%.
Painting a flat that spends four months at eighty per cent humidity
Damp, which comes before the paint
- Test before you quote. A protimeter reading on every external wall at 150 mm, 900 mm and 1,800 mm. Above 18% and painting is a waste of money until the source is dealt with.
- Find the source, not the stain. In Mumbai flats it is usually one of four things: a leaking terrace or chajja above, a failed external plaster band, a neighbouring bathroom, or a blocked AC condensate drain. Three of those are not in your flat.
- Repair, then wait. A treated or repaired wall needs six to eight weeks of dry-down before painting. Painting early is the commonest cause of a repeat failure and the painter will not warrant it.
- Use a breathable system on a previously damp wall. A high-build plastic emulsion traps residual moisture and blisters; a breathable mineral or acrylic system lets it out.
- Anti-fungal additive is not a damp cure. It suppresses surface growth on a wall that is otherwise dry. On a genuinely wet wall it delays the failure by one season.
- Budget ₹900–₹1,700 per running metre for an injected damp course where rising damp is the diagnosis, plus the external repair where the source is outside.
Timing, and why the monsoon matters
| Month | Conditions | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| October to February | 45–65% relative humidity, dry | The best window. Fast cure, clean finish |
| March to mid-May | 55–70%, hot | Good; paint dries fast, so work in smaller sections to avoid lap marks |
| Late May to early June | Rising humidity, pre-monsoon showers | Acceptable with care; watch external walls |
| Mid-June to September | 75–85%, wet | Avoid. Slow cure, poor adhesion, mould risk on fresh film |
| Immediately after the monsoon | Falling humidity, walls still wet inside | Wait. A wall can read dry on the surface and hold moisture behind it |
Every October we are asked to paint a flat that was painted the previous October and has failed. Nine times in ten the wall was never dry, and the second coat of paint was never the problem.
Greenbox site team
Society rules for a painting job
- An NOC is required in most buildings, even for painting only, with a written scope and contractor details.
- A deposit of ₹10,000–₹40,000 for a painting-only scope, refundable on clean handover.
- 10am to 6pm, no Sundays. Painting is not noisy but the sanding is, and the lift and lobby use is the same as any other job.
- Lift and lobby protection, plus a lift charge of ₹500–₹1,500 a day in many buildings.
- Debris and waste — scraped putty, masking, empty containers — removed daily and not left on the landing.
- No external painting without society approval. Balcony walls, grilles and anything visible from outside are governed by the building’s uniform elevation.
What Mumbai flats need beyond ordinary emulsion
| Location in the flat | Specify | Why |
|---|---|---|
| External-facing walls | Anti-fungal or damp-resistant emulsion, ₹44–58 per sq ft | These take four months of driven rain from the other side |
| Bathroom and adjacent walls | Washable luxury emulsion or an acrylic enamel | Constant humidity; ordinary emulsion grows surface mould at the ceiling line |
| Kitchen | Washable luxury emulsion, matte | Grease film has to be wiped off, and a matte economy paint will not survive it |
| Passage and stair walls | Washable, mid tone | The highest-contact surface in any Mumbai flat |
| Ceilings | Economy emulsion | Never touched and barely seen; the one place to save |
| Children’s rooms | Washable low-VOC emulsion | Washability matters more than colour |
| Balcony soffit and walls | Exterior-grade, with society approval | Anything visible from outside is the building’s elevation, not yours |
Programme
Five to nine working days for a 2BHK at 10am to 6pm: one day of masking and protection, one to two of scraping and putty, one of primer, two of topcoats with a full cure between them, and one of cleaning and touch-up. A 3BHK is eight to twelve days. Add two days if furniture has to be moved room by room rather than the flat being vacated, which is the usual arrangement and is the main reason a painting job takes longer than people expect.
Rates by suburb, roughly
Painting varies less across the city than joinery does, because the material is the same everywhere and only the labour and access change. The spread is about 15% end to end rather than the 60% you see in a full interior fit-out.
| Area | Premium emulsion ₹/sq ft of surface | A 700 sq ft 2BHK |
|---|---|---|
| Bandra West, Juhu, Worli | ₹40 – 46 | ₹1.38 – 1.58 L |
| South Mumbai — Colaba, Malabar Hill | ₹40 – 46 | ₹1.38 – 1.58 L |
| Powai, Chembur, Ghatkopar | ₹36 – 41 | ₹1.24 – 1.41 L |
| Andheri West, Goregaon, Malad | ₹36 – 41 | ₹1.24 – 1.41 L |
| Borivali, Kandivali, Mulund | ₹34 – 39 | ₹1.17 – 1.34 L |
| Thane and Navi Mumbai | ₹33 – 38 | ₹1.14 – 1.31 L |
Ex-GST. Composite rate including paint, putty, primer and labour on a 2,940 sq ft surface.
The national rates and the tools
For the national rate card, how to measure paintable surface and how to compare two quotes, see house painting cost in India. To price your own flat use the painting cost calculator, which applies this city uplift automatically. For monsoon preparation generally, see monsoon-proofing your interiors.
Selected work by Greenbox Design Studio. Tap any image to enlarge.
Frequently asked questions
What does painting a 2BHK cost in Mumbai?+
A 700 sq ft carpet 2BHK has about 2,940 sq ft of paintable surface. In premium emulsion with putty that is ₹1.22–₹1.43 lakh, in economy emulsion ₹90,000–₹1.08 lakh and in luxury washable emulsion ₹1.62–₹1.90 lakh, all ex-GST. Add 18% GST on top.
Why is painting 15% more expensive in Mumbai?+
Labour and access, not material. Paint costs the same here as anywhere; painters cost more, society working hours of 10am to 6pm cut the productive day, lift bookings and lobby protection add time, and a painting-only job still needs an NOC and a deposit.
When should I paint in Mumbai?+
October to February is the best window, at 45–65% relative humidity. March to mid-May works if you paint in smaller sections because it dries fast. Avoid mid-June to September at 75–85% humidity, where the film cures slowly, adheres poorly and can grow mould, and do not paint immediately after the monsoon because walls hold moisture behind a dry-looking surface.
My walls have damp patches. Can I just paint over them?+
No. Painting a damp wall wastes the paint and the painter will not warrant it. Find the source — usually a leaking terrace or chajja above, failed external plaster, a neighbouring bathroom or a blocked AC drain — repair it, allow six to eight weeks of dry-down, and use a breathable system rather than a high-build plastic emulsion.
Do I need a society NOC just to paint?+
In most Mumbai buildings, yes, with a written scope, contractor details and a refundable deposit of ₹10,000–₹40,000. Working hours are 10am to 6pm with no Sunday work, the lift and lobby need protection and there is often a lift charge of ₹500–₹1,500 a day. External painting including balcony walls and grilles needs separate approval.
How long does it take to paint a flat?+
Five to nine working days for a 2BHK and eight to twelve for a 3BHK under 10am–6pm hours: one day masking, one to two scraping and putty, one primer, two topcoats with a cure between, one cleaning and touch-up. Add about two days if furniture is being moved room by room rather than the flat being vacated.