Office Fit-Out Cost Calculator
An office fit-out budget from floor area and the grade of fit-out — basic, mid or premium — with furniture, services, fees and contingency added the way a real budget adds them.
Fit-out is priced per square metre by grade, and the grades differ by a factor of three.
How the office fit-out cost calculator works
Fit-out is priced per square metre by grade, and the grades differ by a factor of three. The base rate covers walls, ceilings, floors and finishes; furniture, IT and audio-visual, and mechanical services alterations are separate lines that together often match the base.
The rates are inputs because they move with the market and the city. The structure of the budget — base plus furniture plus services plus fees plus contingency — is what this page contributes.
Formula: total = area × (base + furniture + services) × (1 + fees + contingency)
Worked examples
| Inputs | Fit-out budget | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 900 m² mid-range | 2,283,300 | about 2.3 million |
| Basic | 1,327,500 | about half |
| Premium | 4,141,800 | about double |
FAQFrequently asked questions
What does an office fit-out cost per square metre?
Roughly 800 to 1,200 for basic, 1,200 to 2,000 for mid-range and 2,000 to 3,500 for premium as base construction rates, before furniture, services, fees and contingency. Markets vary widely.
What is usually left out of a fit-out budget?
Furniture, IT cabling, audio-visual, mechanical alterations and the landlord's charges. Together they often equal the construction figure.
How much per person?
Divide the total by headcount; 15,000 to 35,000 per person is the range for most corporate fit-outs. It is the number the CFO asks for.
Does the landlord contribute?
Often, as an incentive on a new lease — sometimes a substantial share. Net it off the budget, not the cost.
What drives cost more than grade?
Cellular offices and meeting rooms. Walls, doors and the services to serve them cost far more than open-plan desks.
Where these figures come from
- Sabine (1922) — Collected Papers on Acoustics — the reverberation-time equation
- CIBSE Guide A — Environmental design — daylight, comfort and ventilation criteria
- Neufert — Architects' Data — the standard reference for space and dimension
- International Code Council — International Building Code — occupant load and egress factors
- Building Regulations — Approved Documents — the UK building regulations
Last checked: September 2026. Formulas are the standard building-science and code relationships; default thresholds are common international values and should be replaced with the ones in your code.