Short answer
How much does an office fit-out cost per sq ft in London?
An office fit-out in London typically costs £60–£95 per sq ft for Cat A, £120–£200 for a standard Cat B fit-out and £220–£380 or more for premium Cat B, according to a Q1 2026 London cost index, excluding VAT and fees. A 5,000 sq ft standard Cat B fit-out is roughly £600,000 to £1 million.
Cost per sq ft is the total fit-out cost divided by the floor area being fitted out. It is the usual way London fit-out budgets are benchmarked and compared.
Budgeting for an office fit-out is difficult when contractors rarely publish prices. The useful starting point is cost per square foot, which lets you scale a benchmark to your own floor area and specification. This guide sets out current London benchmarks, shows example budgets, and explains what pushes costs up or down.
Key takeaways
- A Q1 2026 London index puts Cat A at £60–£95 per sq ft, Cat A+ at £95–£140, standard Cat B at £120–£200 and premium Cat B at £220–£380+.
- A 5,000 sq ft standard Cat B fit-out is roughly £600k–£1m before VAT and fees.
- The City and Canary Wharf carry premiums of around 15–22% over inner-London fringe areas.
- Reusing sound existing elements can reduce cost significantly.
How much does each fit-out category cost per sq ft?
| Specification | Cost per sq ft (London, Q1 2026) | Typically includes |
|---|---|---|
| Cat A | £60–£95 | Landlord base-build finish: raised floors, ceiling grid, air conditioning, emergency lighting |
| Cat A+ (“plug and play”) | £95–£140 | Cat A plus meeting rooms, kitchen, carpet, paint and basic furniture |
| Cat B standard | £120–£200 | Full tenant fit-out: partitioning, M&E, joinery and finishes |
| Cat B premium / HQ | £220–£380+ | Bespoke design, premium finishes, AV, stone, architectural commission |
Source: Hampstead Renovations, London Office Fit-Out Cost Index Q1 2026, published 15 April 2026 (hampsteadrenovations.co.uk), checked 4 October 2026. Ranges are per sq ft of net internal area and exclude VAT; they are benchmarks, not quotes.
The same index reports that standard Cat B costs were broadly flat over the four quarters to Q1 2026, rising by about 3% year on year on the midpoint, below general construction inflation. It attributes this to a competitive contractor market and muted occupier demand in late 2025.
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Planning an office fit-out?
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Request fit-out quotesWhat drives fit-out cost?
Specification. The biggest variable. A Cat B office with standard finishes and modest meeting rooms costs a fraction of an HQ with bespoke joinery, stone, extensive glazing and broadcast-quality AV.
The building. Older buildings may need more work to services. Listed buildings and heritage areas add constraints. Good existing Cat A reduces what you need to spend.
Location and logistics. Estates in the City, Canary Wharf and around Broadgate often have strict loading windows, waste rules and out-of-hours working requirements, all of which add labour cost. The index reports zone premiums of about 15–20% for the City of London, 18–22% for Canary Wharf, 12–18% around Liverpool Street and Bishopsgate, 10–15% in Westminster, and up to 10% lower in Hammersmith, compared with a Farringdon, King’s Cross and Paddington baseline.
Programme. A compressed timetable means more out-of-hours work and premium rates.
Mechanical and electrical work. Changing air conditioning, ventilation, power and data for new layouts is often the most expensive single package. The index notes that electrical and M&E trade wages have been rising faster than other trades.
Example budgets by office size
| Office size | Cat A (£60–£95) | Cat B standard (£120–£200) | Cat B premium (£220–£380) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2,000 sq ft | £120k–£190k | £240k–£400k | £440k–£760k |
| 5,000 sq ft | £300k–£475k | £600k–£1m | £1.1m–£1.9m |
| 10,000 sq ft | £600k–£950k | £1.2m–£2m | £2.2m–£3.8m |
Illustrative arithmetic: floor area multiplied by the per sq ft ranges above. Excludes VAT, professional fees, furniture beyond the stated spec, IT and moving costs.
These are not quotes. They show how quickly costs scale with floor area and specification, and they help you sense-check proposals.
What hidden costs should you plan for?
- Professional fees: project managers, cost consultants, designers and M&E engineers on traditionally procured projects.
- Furniture: unless included in a Cat A+ or design & build package, desks, chairs and meeting furniture are often a separate budget.
- IT and AV: cabling, Wi-Fi, meeting-room technology and security systems.
- Landlord costs: legal and surveyor fees for the licence for alterations, which tenants usually pay.
- Dilapidations: the cost of reinstating your old office, and the reinstatement liability you create in the new one.
- Moving costs, temporary space and downtime.
- Contingency: most clients hold a contingency for unforeseen issues, especially in older buildings.
- VAT, which benchmarks normally exclude.
How to reduce fit-out cost
The index highlights several approaches occupiers are using: choosing locations with lower premiums, taking Cat A+ space to avoid a full Cat B programme, phasing the fit-out so you move into a ready Phase 1 and enhance later, and reusing existing partitioning, ceilings and M&E where they are sound, which it says can cut fit-out cost by 25–40%. Agreeing your brief early and avoiding late design changes also helps.
Cost per sq ft or per desk?
Some occupiers prefer to think in cost per desk or per person. To convert, divide the total budget by the number of workstations. The result depends heavily on how densely you plan the space and how much room you give to meeting and collaboration areas, so use it as a cross-check rather than a primary benchmark.
Is a below-benchmark quote a bargain?
Be careful. Pricing well below the ranges above can mean missing scope, thin preliminaries or no contingency, which tend to reappear as variations later. Compare quotes line by line, check what is excluded, and ask how provisional sums have been calculated.
Refurbishment vs full fit-out costs
If you are staying in your current office, a refurbishment may not need the full Cat B scope. Redecorating, new flooring, upgraded lighting and reconfiguring a few meeting rooms can cost much less per sq ft than a complete fit-out, especially when existing ceilings, raised floors and air conditioning are in good condition. On the other hand, working in occupation can add cost for phasing and out-of-hours work. Ask contractors to price options, such as a light refresh against a deeper refurbishment, so you can see the trade-offs.
Get a quote
A contractor needs to survey your space and understand your brief before giving a reliable price. You can send your brief to a vetted London fit-out contractor, or read more about office refurbishment in London and Cat A vs Cat B.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average cost per square foot for office renovations in London?
How much does a Cat A fit-out cost?
Do fit-out costs include VAT?
Why is Canary Wharf more expensive to fit out?
Sources
Facts and prices in this guide come from the following sources (checked 4 October 2026):
- hampsteadrenovations.co.uk (hampsteadrenovations.co.uk)
Related guides
Next step
Planning an office fit-out?
Send us your brief and one vetted London fit-out contractor will contact you to arrange a survey and quote.
Request fit-out quotesThis guide is general information for office occupiers, not professional cost, legal or construction advice. Costs are published benchmarks and will vary with your building, specification and programme. Always get a detailed quote and take professional advice on your lease and statutory duties.