Free calculator · Updated
Real Estate Photography Pricing Calculator
Price a listing shoot by market, home size and add-ons, whether you’re budgeting a listing or setting your packages.
Add-on deliverables
Estimated shoot price
$175–$350
Mid-size metro market, 2,200 sq ft, 25 photos and 1 add-on.
Breakdown
Planning ranges, not a quote. Rates vary with turnaround, travel and licensing terms; compare 2–3 local photographers. $150 is the floor for this size before add-ons.
How the calculator works
- Pick the market tier and enter the home size and number of photos.
- Tick the add-ons the listing needs; for virtual staging, enter how many photos.
- Read the low–high shoot price and each line that makes it up.
Assumptions to check
- Base shoot by market: small $110–$180, mid-size $150–$275, major or luxury $225–$425.
- Size multipliers: × 0.85 up to 1,500 sq ft, × 1 to 3,000, × 1.35 to 5,000, × 1.8 above.
- These are planning ranges assembled by SofaBrain, not a survey of photographers. Confirm with 2–3 local quotes.
What drives real estate photography pricing
Four inputs decide most of the quote, the same four this calculator uses:
- Market tier. The same shoot costs more in a major metro or luxury market than in a small or rural one: day rates, travel and client expectations scale with the market.
- Home size. Square footage drives shoot time and editing volume.
- Add-on deliverables. Drone, video, reels, twilight, floor plans and 3D tours are separate capture and editing work.
- Per-photo services. Virtual staging is billed per image, so the number of staged photos matters.
Comparing two photography quotes
Two quotes for the same house can differ by hundreds of dollars because one includes add-ons the other prices separately. Tick the same add-ons for both, check how many edited photos and how fast they’re delivered, and confirm the license lets you use the photos wherever the listing appears.
Frequently asked questions
How much does real estate photography cost?
This calculator’s planning ranges put a standard single-family shoot at about $150–$275 in a mid-size metro, $110–$180 in smaller markets and $225–$425 in major metros and luxury listings, before add-ons. Larger homes cost more: the calculator adds 35% for 3,001–5,000 sq ft and 80% above that. Drone, video, twilight, floor plans and 3D tours are usually priced separately.
What add-ons cost the most?
In the calculator’s ranges, video walkthroughs ($150–$500) and 3D tours ($125–$350) are the priciest, followed by drone photos ($100–$250) and vertical social reels ($75–$250). Twilight photos run $40–$150 and floor plans $40–$100. Virtual staging services are billed per photo.
How should I price my real estate photography packages?
Most photographers anchor a base shoot price on home size and market, then sell add-ons on their own or in tiered bundles. Build the base around your shoot and editing time at a target hourly rate, then layer add-ons. Bundling drone, video and twilight into a top tier is a common upsell.
What's included in a standard real estate photography package?
A base package typically covers the shoot, a set of edited photos for a standard home, basic retouching (lens correction, color balance, window pulls) and delivery sized for the MLS within a day or two. Drone, video, twilight, floor plans, 3D tours, virtual staging and rush delivery are usually extra, which is why this calculator prices them separately.
Is virtual staging cheaper than a full photo shoot?
Virtual staging is an add-on to photography, not a replacement: you still need photos of the empty rooms first. It generally costs less than physical staging, and self-serve AI tools can lower the per-photo cost compared with editing services. Photographers should price it to cover review time, revisions and the credits or fees used for each finished image.
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Estimates for planning and illustration only. Not financial, tax, legal or appraisal advice: confirm figures with the lender, title or escrow company, or other professional handling the transaction.