Decorator day rate calculator, Cheltenham 2026, after tax
Typical: £202 a day. Work out yours below.
Tell us the take home pay you want.
We show you the day rate to charge in Cheltenham.
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Hiring a decorator in Cheltenham? See what a fair quote looks like.
A painter and decorator in Cheltenham typically charges £202 a day.
To take home £35,500 a year after real costs you need £256 a day.
Both are labour only, from the rate model and the calculator's default assumptions.
Change the inputs and your own number takes over. Quote that one.
Quotable
According to the Office for National Statistics, local pay differs enough by area to move a day rate.
Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings
Data from HM Land Registry's UK House Price Index sets the second local input, per the October 2026 review.
Reviewed on .
These figures use the same sums as the free calculator. The two always agree.
Where these figures come from
Rate estimates blend the national median decorator day rate from five UK directories.
Those five are Checkatrade, HaMuch, MyBuilder, CostEstimator, MyJobQuote.
To that we add official ONS regional earnings and local house price data.
Sources: ONS ASHE 2025, UK House Price Index April 2026.
Rates reviewed October 2026.
Where does Cheltenham sit among the 31 modelled towns?
Each dot is one modelled town, stacked where towns share a rate.
Cheltenham is number 10 of 31, with 9 above it and 20 below.
The shaded band is the local range decorators here quote inside.
Quotable
What is decorating work like in Cheltenham?
Cheltenham is a Regency spa town.
Its painted stucco terraces and listed frontages are specialist exterior work.
That is not a standard repaint.
Inside, high ceilings, ornate cornices and original joinery reward careful preparation.
Owners of these houses tend to pay for finish quality rather than hunt the cheapest quote.
In our South West dataset only Bath at £212 and Bristol at £206 model above Cheltenham's £202.
The festival calendar and the surrounding Cotswold villages add a steady stream of premium work.
All of it is within easy reach.
Why do tradespeople undercharge?
Pricing off the going rate.
Pricing off what everyone else charges feels safe.
But the going rate says what customers are used to paying, not what your business needs.
The calculator on this page starts from the take home you want and adds your real costs.
The number it gives is the one to quote.
There is a longer piece on what decorators should be charging per day.
What do decorators in Cheltenham ask about rates?
How much should a decorator charge in Cheltenham?
Cheltenham sits at £202 a day on the model, and quotes around the town range from £152 to £263.
Aim at £256 a day on the calculator's default assumptions.
That is what £35,500 in your pocket costs after tax.
Period and listed property work in the town regularly supports the top of the local range.
Do period properties in Cheltenham justify a higher day rate?
Yes. Regency stucco, lime based surfaces and listed building consent conditions all add preparation time.
They need skill that ordinary repaints never do.
That work belongs at the top of the £152 to £263 local range or above it.
Quote every preparation day. On these houses, preparation is most of the job.
How do Cheltenham decorator rates compare with Bath and Bristol?
Cheltenham models at £202, with Bath at £212 and Bristol at £206.
All three carry period housing that supports premium work.
The gaps reflect local earnings and house prices in the model.
Your own needed rate barely changes between them, so the higher priced towns simply leave more margin.
What do decorators charge in other towns?
The homepage carries the tool to work out a day rate for yourself, plus all 31 town benchmarks.