Rate bands by finish level
All rates are on carpet area. In a 3BHK the gap between carpet and saleable area is at its widest in absolute terms — 300 sq ft or more on a 1,200 sq ft flat — so quoting against the wrong basis can misprice the job by five lakh before anyone has chosen a laminate. The rates below are not market estimates: they come from three-bedroom homes Greenbox has completed and billed, audited line by line and held at October 2026.
| Finish level | ₹ / sq ft (carpet) | Specification that rate delivers |
|---|---|---|
| Essential | ₹1,610 – 2,070 | BWP below counter with MR above, laminate shutters, peripheral cove in the living room and master, standard soft-close, granite counters |
| Premium | ₹2,300 – 3,060 | BWP throughout, membrane or acrylic shutters, Hettich or Hafele, profile lighting across the flat, panelled TV wall, designed foyer |
| Luxury | ₹3,780 – 4,770+ | Veneer and PU, stone cladding, quartz, Blum tandem hardware, walk-in wardrobe in the master, automation, bespoke loose furniture |
Ex-GST. Covers design, joinery, ceiling, painting and electrical rework. Excludes civil work, flooring and appliances.
Totals by carpet area
| Carpet area | Essential | Premium | Luxury |
|---|---|---|---|
| 900 sq ft (compact 3BHK) | ₹14.5 – 18.6 L | ₹20.7 – 27.5 L | ₹34.0 – 42.9 L |
| 1,050 sq ft (standard 3BHK) | ₹16.9 – 21.7 L | ₹24.2 – 32.1 L | ₹39.7 – 50.1 L |
| 1,200 sq ft (large 3BHK) | ₹19.3 – 24.8 L | ₹27.6 – 36.7 L | ₹45.4 – 57.2 L |
| 1,400 sq ft (3BHK + study or servant) | ₹22.5 – 29.0 L | ₹32.2 – 42.8 L | ₹52.9 – 66.8 L |
Carpet area × the rate band above. Ex-GST.
Three bedrooms and the economics of scale
Component breakdown of a ₹29.4 lakh 3BHK
A 1,050 sq ft 3BHK at ₹2,800 per sq ft — the upper half of the premium band — broken into the lines a BOQ should carry:
| Line item | Cost | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Modular kitchen — 16 running feet, BWP carcass, membrane shutters | ₹6,46,800 | 22% |
| Living, dining and foyer — TV wall, crockery unit, console, shoe unit | ₹5,58,600 | 19% |
| Master bedroom — 9 rft wardrobe, bed unit, dresser, TV panel | ₹5,29,200 | 18% |
| Bedroom 2 — 7 rft wardrobe, headboard, side units | ₹3,52,800 | 12% |
| False ceiling and lighting across 1,050 sq ft | ₹2,94,000 | 10% |
| Bedroom 3 / study — 6 rft wardrobe, desk, overhead storage | ₹2,64,600 | 9% |
| Painting and electrical rework | ₹2,05,800 | 7% |
| Design, working drawings and project management | ₹88,200 | 3% |
| Total (ex-GST) | ₹29,40,000 | 100% |
The marginal cost of each room
Room count is a poor predictor of cost because the rooms are not equal and several large costs do not belong to any room at all. One kitchen serves a 2BHK and a 4BHK alike; one site mobilisation, one set of drawings and one project manager likewise. What actually varies is the running feet of joinery each room absorbs.
| Room | Marginal cost at premium finish | What drives it |
|---|---|---|
| Master bedroom | ₹4.2 – 6.4 L | 9–10 rft wardrobe, bed unit with side tables, dresser, sometimes a TV panel |
| Bedroom 2 | ₹2.9 – 4.4 L | 7 rft wardrobe, headboard, one side unit |
| Bedroom 3 | ₹2.1 – 3.3 L | 6 rft wardrobe and a headboard; usually the smallest room |
| Bedroom 3 converted to a study instead | ₹1.7 – 2.6 L | Desk, overhead storage and a shallow wardrobe rather than a full one |
| Foyer and passage joinery | ₹0.9 – 1.7 L | Shoe unit, console, partial panelling, sometimes a pooja niche |
- One kitchen, whether the flat has two bedrooms or four.
- One mobilisation — site setup, scaffolding, tool transport and protection sheets.
- One design process — measurement, layouts, 3D views and working drawings scale sub-linearly with area.
- One project manager for the duration, whose cost is time-based, not area-based.
City-by-city 3BHK comparison
Same specification, same 1,100 sq ft carpet area, priced across the markets we are asked about most:
| Market | Premium ₹ / sq ft | 1,100 sq ft total |
|---|---|---|
| Mumbai | ₹2,540 – 3,380 | ₹27.9 – 37.2 L |
| Delhi NCR | ₹2,290 – 3,030 | ₹25.2 – 33.3 L |
| Bengaluru | ₹2,230 – 2,960 | ₹24.5 – 32.6 L |
| Pune / Hyderabad | ₹2,050 – 2,700 | ₹22.6 – 29.7 L |
| Chennai / Kolkata | ₹1,980 – 2,620 | ₹21.8 – 28.8 L |
| Ahmedabad / Jaipur / Indore | ₹1,760 – 2,370 | ₹19.4 – 26.1 L |
Rate × 1,100 sq ft. Ex-GST.
What moves a 3BHK budget
The deltas below are measured against the ₹29.4 lakh baseline. In a 3BHK the ceiling and the living room carry more weight than they do in a smaller flat, which changes which levers matter.
| Decision | Delta | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Designed ceiling across the flat instead of coves | +6 – 9% | 1,050 sq ft of multi-level gypsum, more framing, more circuits and more painting area |
| Walk-in wardrobe in place of a fitted master wardrobe | +5 – 8% | Open internals, drawer banks, mirror and lighting — and it eats floor area |
| Veneer with PU on the living-room wall and master | +9 – 13% | ₹8,500–14,000 a sheet plus multi-coat polishing and a longer curing window |
| Full wall panelling in living and dining | +4 – 7% | Fluted or upholstered panelling over 200–300 sq ft of wall |
| Converting bedroom 3 into an open study | −2 to −4% | Less joinery, no full wardrobe; one of the few decisions that reduces cost |
| Replacing the flooring | +10 – 18% | ₹85–₹350 per sq ft over 1,050 sq ft, plus debris, levelling and three extra weeks |
| Adding a pooja room with joinery and cladding | +2 – 4% | Marble or Corian cladding, carved shutters, dedicated lighting |
| Doing the home in two phases instead of one | +15 – 25% | Repeat mobilisation, repeat permissions, price escalation and a second round of disruption |
Clients budget by bedroom and are always surprised. The dining area usually costs more than the third bedroom, and the ceiling costs more than both.
Greenbox principal designer
Reading a 3BHK quotation
- Check the ceiling area in square feet. On a 3BHK this is the line that moves most between bids, and ‘false ceiling as per design’ is not a quantity.
- Look for the running-foot totals. A real 3BHK quote adds up to 28–34 running feet of wardrobe plus 14–18 running feet of kitchen counter. If those totals are missing, nothing else in the quote is comparable.
- Confirm the living-room scope. TV unit, crockery unit, console, shoe unit, panelling and a partition each need to appear as separate lines with sizes.
- Ask where the painting area came from. Wall area in a 3BHK is roughly 3.2 to 3.6 times the carpet area; a quote using carpet area for paint is under by two-thirds.
- Check the electrical line for new points. A 3BHK renovation typically adds 30–50 points; quoting a lump sum hides whether that was counted.
- Match the programme to the payment plan. Fourteen to eighteen weeks with four milestone payments is normal; a three-payment plan front-loaded at 50% is a financing request.
What sits outside the figures
- 18% GST — ₹5,29,200 on the ₹29.4 lakh example, taking it to ₹34,69,200. Check yours with the GST on interior work calculator.
- Civil work — demolition, blockwork, plaster, waterproofing and floor levelling.
- Flooring replacement — ₹85–₹350 per sq ft supplied and laid across 1,000 sq ft or more.
- Air conditioning — three to four units with copper runs and drains: ₹2–₹5 lakh.
- Appliances — chimney, hob, oven, dishwasher, refrigerator and washing machine.
- Loose furniture and soft goods — sofa, dining set, beds, mattresses, curtains and rugs, commonly ₹4–₹10 lakh on a 3BHK.
- Consultant fees — structural certificate wherever any opening is proposed.
Run your own carpet area through the 3BHK interior cost calculator. If your flat is in Mumbai, the local band runs about 10% above these figures for reasons that are specific rather than general — the detail is on 3BHK interior design cost in Mumbai.
Selected work by Greenbox Design Studio. Tap any image to enlarge.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a 3BHK interior cost in India?+
₹1,610–₹2,070 per sq ft of carpet area for an essential finish, ₹2,300–₹3,060 premium and ₹3,780–₹4,770+ luxury, excluding 18% GST. A standard 1,050 sq ft 3BHK therefore comes to ₹16.9–21.7 lakh essential and ₹24.2–32.1 lakh premium.
Is a 3BHK 1.5 times the cost of a 2BHK?+
Close, but not by room count. The kitchen, the mobilisation, the drawings and the project management do not scale with bedrooms, so the third bedroom's marginal cost is only ₹2.1–3.3 lakh at premium finish. Where a 3BHK budget actually grows is the living, dining and foyer zone and the extra ceiling area.
Which room costs the most in a 3BHK?+
The modular kitchen at about 22% of the budget, followed by the living, dining and foyer zone at 19% once the TV wall, crockery unit, console and shoe unit are included. The master bedroom is third at 18%. Bedroom 3 is the cheapest room in the house at roughly 9%.
How long does a 3BHK interior take?+
Fourteen to eighteen weeks from design sign-off with no civil work, and eighteen to twenty-two with flooring replacement or plumbing changes. Carcass fabrication runs off-site in parallel; the critical path is ceiling, then electrical, then installation, then painting and snagging.
Should I do all three bedrooms at once?+
Almost always. Phasing means repeat mobilisation, repeat permissions, repeat dust protection and a second round of disruption, and material prices move between phases. Splitting a 3BHK into two programmes typically costs 15–25% more in total than completing it in one run.
Why is the per-sq-ft rate lower than a 2BHK?+
Because the fixed costs — one kitchen, one design process, one site setup, one project manager — spread across 30–50% more carpet area. That pulls the rate down by roughly 4–8%. It does not make the flat cheaper; it makes each square foot cheaper.