Decorator day rate calculator, Coventry 2026, after tax
Typical: £182 a day. Work out yours below.
Tell us the take home pay you want.
We show you the day rate to charge in Coventry.
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Hiring a decorator in Coventry? See what a fair quote looks like.
A painter and decorator in Coventry typically charges £182 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.
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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 Coventry sit among the 31 modelled towns?
Each dot is one modelled town, stacked where towns share a rate.
Coventry is number 22 of 31, with 21 above it and 8 below.
The shaded band is the local range decorators here quote inside.
Quotable
What is decorating work like in Coventry?
Large parts of Coventry were rebuilt after wartime bombing, so much of its housing is post war.
Newer plaster and plainer surfaces mean more straightforward emulsion work.
There is less of the heavy preparation that period homes demand.
The typical Coventry rate is £182, just under Birmingham at £186.
Many Coventry decorators work both markets.
The Warwickshire towns on the doorstep are Kenilworth, Leamington and Warwick.
They bring period property work where budgets stretch further than the city typical.
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.
The whole working is in the sum behind the day rate.
What do decorators in Coventry ask about rates?
How much should a decorator charge in Coventry?
The model puts Coventry at £182 a day, with local quotes spread across £137 to £237.
Typical is not a target.
The calculator's default assumptions put the rate you actually need at £256 a day.
That covers £35,500 of take home pay, your costs and your tax.
Run your own numbers in the calculator above before you quote your next job.
Should Coventry decorators price against Birmingham rates?
For Birmingham jobs, yes.
Birmingham's typical rate is £186 against Coventry's £182, a small gap for a short commute.
If you already travel for work, quoting Birmingham jobs at Birmingham rates is straightforward extra margin.
Just price the travel time into the job through the days you cannot bill field.
Does newer housing in Coventry mean lower decorating prices?
Lower bills, same rate.
Newer walls need less repair and preparation, so jobs finish faster than in period stock.
Faster jobs cut the customer's total bill without cutting your day rate.
Your day rate is set by your costs and your take home target, not by the age of the walls.
What do decorators charge in other towns?
The homepage lists decorator day rates by town, all 31 of them.