What an office fit-out actually costs per sq ft in India
A per-sq-ft rate is a starting point, not a price. Here is what sits inside the number, and which four decisions move it most.
Almost every fit-out conversation opens with the same question: what does it cost per square foot? It is a fair question and a bad unit. The rate is an output of scope, specification and site condition, quote it before those are known and you are quoting a guess with a decimal point.
What follows is the structure we use to answer it honestly: bands rather than a figure, and the four decisions that move a project between bands.
The bands we work in
Read these as carpet-area rates for a warm-shell commercial office, inclusive of civil, ceiling, flooring, partitions, electrical, HVAC distribution, fire and loose furniture.
| Level | Indicative rate | What it buys |
|---|---|---|
| Functional | ₹1,600–2,200 / sq ft | Laminate finishes, standard grid ceiling, basic acoustics, entry-level workstations. |
| Mid | ₹2,200–3,000 / sq ft | Veneer and glass in front-of-house, part-height acoustic treatment, brand furniture, better lighting. |
| Premium | ₹3,000–4,500+ / sq ft | Bespoke joinery, stone, integrated AV, high-spec HVAC, designer furniture programmes. |
* Figures illustrative, confirm against the current rate library before publishing or budgeting.
The four decisions that move the number
Between two offices of the same size and city, the spread comes mostly from four places.
- Density. Seats per 1,000 sq ft drives furniture, power, data and cooling load together. Going from 8 seats to 12 changes far more than the chair count.
- Cabin-to-open ratio. Every enclosed room adds partition, door, light fitting, sensor, VRV indoor unit and a return-air path. Cabins are the most expensive square feet in the plan.
- Building condition. A warm shell with landlord HVAC and a functioning fire loop is a different project from a bare shell. Read the fit-out guidelines before you accept a rate.
- Front-of-house share. Reception, boardroom and cafeteria typically run 1.6–2.2× the general office rate. Their share of the plan tells you more than the headline rate does.
Where quotes are usually thin
When two quotes differ by 20% on the same drawing set, the difference is rarely craftsmanship. It is usually in the lines nobody reads: HVAC capacity assumed rather than calculated, fire and sprinkler modifications excluded, electrical stated as a lump sum, furniture listed without brand or model, and a contingency buried in overheads instead of shown.
A quote you can defend has a rate against every line item, a quantity that matches the drawing, and an exclusion list you can actually read.
How to use a rate responsibly
Take the band, apply it to carpet area, add 6–8% for the front-of-house skew, and treat the result as a budget to be tested, not a commitment. Then get the BOQ built and reconcile the two. If the BOQ lands more than 10% away from the band, something in the scope was not understood.
Have a quote or a BOQ in front of you? Send it across and we will read it line by line.
