City benchmarks
| City | Hybrid workplace ₹ / sq ft | Relative to Mumbai |
|---|---|---|
| Mumbai | ₹6,567 | Highest in India |
| Delhi NCR | ₹6,207 | −5.5% |
| Bengaluru | ₹6,027 | −8.2% |
| Chennai / Hyderabad / Pune / Kolkata / Ahmedabad | ₹5,847 | −11.0% |
Source: Cushman & Wakefield India Office Fit-Out Cost Guide 2026.
Rates by specification grade
The city benchmark describes one configuration — a fully collaborative hybrid workplace. Most offices are not that. These are the grades we are actually asked to price, and the rates against them are our own: each band is drawn from commercial fit-outs Greenbox has billed and completed, audited line by line and held at October 2026 prices.
| Specification | ₹ / sq ft | Programme | What it delivers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic warm-shell office | ₹1,100 – 1,650 | 6 – 9 wks | Open plan, gypsum cabins, basic lighting and power, carpet tile or vinyl |
| Mid-specification | ₹1,920 – 2,880 | 9 – 14 wks | Glass cabins, VRV zoning, acoustic ceiling, branded workstations, pantry and a meeting suite |
| High-specification | ₹2,830 – 4,240 | 14 – 18 wks | Full acoustic treatment, VC-enabled rooms, raised access floor, feature ceilings, breakout zones |
| Collaborative hybrid workplace — published benchmark, not a Greenbox rate | ₹5,800 – 6,600 | 16 – 22 wks | Cushman & Wakefield's benchmark configuration — agile settings, quiet rooms, town hall, full AV, wellness and F&B |
| Bare-shell premium | +₹600 – 1,200 | +2 – 4 wks | HVAC plant and distribution, washrooms, floor screed, ceiling grid, fire systems from scratch |
Ex-GST. Warm shell assumed unless the bare-shell premium is added. The first three grades are Greenbox rates; the hybrid-workplace line is Cushman & Wakefield's published benchmark, carried here only for comparison.
Fit-out benchmarks across Indian cities
Total cost by floor plate
Rate multiplied by area, using the mid-point of each grade — ₹1,380, ₹2,400 and ₹3,540 per sq ft:
| Floor plate | Basic ₹1,380/sq ft | Mid-spec ₹2,400/sq ft | High-spec ₹3,540/sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5,000 sq ft | ₹0.69 Cr | ₹1.20 Cr | ₹1.77 Cr |
| 10,000 sq ft | ₹1.38 Cr | ₹2.40 Cr | ₹3.54 Cr |
| 20,000 sq ft | ₹2.76 Cr | ₹4.80 Cr | ₹7.08 Cr |
| 40,000 sq ft | ₹5.52 Cr | ₹9.60 Cr | ₹14.16 Cr |
Area × rate. Ex-GST. Warm shell.
Where the budget goes
Cost-head shares hold remarkably steady across grades. The rupee column below is set against the mid-specification rate of ₹2,400 per sq ft:
| Cost head | Share | ₹ / sq ft at ₹2,400 | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| MEP services | 25 – 32% | ₹600 – 768 | HVAC, electrical, fire detection and suppression, data — the most under-quoted line in any tender |
| Joinery and furniture | 20 – 28% | ₹480 – 672 | Workstations, cabins, reception, pantry, storage |
| Civil and partitions | 18 – 24% | ₹432 – 576 | Gypsum, glass, blockwork, floor levelling |
| Finishes | 12 – 18% | ₹288 – 432 | Flooring, ceiling, paint, glazing film, acoustics |
| AV and IT infrastructure | 5 – 10% | ₹120 – 240 | VC rooms, displays, structured cabling, access control |
| Contingency | 5 – 10% | ₹120 – 240 | Landlord conditions, site discoveries, client variations |
Cost per seat, not per sq ft
Per-sq-ft rates hide the decision that actually sets your budget: how densely you plan. Two offices at the identical rate can differ by more than twice per person.
| Planning density | Sq ft per seat | Cost per seat at ₹2,400/sq ft | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dense sales or support floor | 55 sq ft | ₹1.32 L | Inside sales, BPO, back office |
| Standard corporate | 75 sq ft | ₹1.80 L | Most professional-services offices |
| Hybrid with collaboration settings | 95 sq ft | ₹2.28 L | Post-pandemic norm for knowledge work |
| Premium headquarters | 125 sq ft | ₹3.00 L | Flagship offices with generous breakout and client space |
Sq ft per seat × ₹2,400. Cross-check your own headcount with the office space per employee calculator.
Bare shell against warm shell
- Warm shell gives you HVAC plant and primary distribution, finished washrooms, a floor screed, a ceiling grid and base fire detection. You fit out on top of it.
- Bare shell gives you a slab, a core and a power point. Everything else is yours.
- The difference is ₹600–₹1,200 per sq ft — on a 20,000 sq ft floor that is ₹1.2 to ₹2.4 crore, which is large enough to change which building you should lease.
- Bare shell adds two to four weeks because HVAC and fire systems must be installed, tested and certified before any finish work can start.
- Read the lease definition, not the broker's description. ‘Semi-furnished’ and ‘warm shell’ mean different things to different landlords; ask for the fit-out condition schedule in the lease annexure.
If a fit-out quote comes in thirty per cent under the others, open the MEP section first. That is always where it went.
Greenbox commercial team
How to read a fit-out BOQ
- Check the HVAC tonnage against the area. A rule of thumb is one tonne per 150–180 sq ft of conditioned space; a BOQ well under that has under-sized the plant, and you will pay for it in summer.
- Count the light fittings and confirm the lux design. ‘Lighting as per design’ with no fitting schedule is not a priced line.
- Look for fire detection, suppression and the NOC scope. Smoke detectors, sprinkler modifications and the fire consultant's drawings are frequently omitted and are never optional.
- Check the data and electrical point counts per seat. Two data and four power points per workstation is the normal minimum; a BOQ with a lump sum has not counted.
- Confirm the partition specification by type. Single-glazed, double-glazed with blinds, and full-height acoustic partitions differ by more than double per running metre.
- Find the contingency line. A tender showing zero contingency is not cheaper — it is less complete, and the variation orders will arrive anyway.
- Check who carries landlord-mandated vendor costs. Fire, HVAC and sometimes facade vendors are often specified by the building, at rates the contractor does not control.
What the rate excludes
- 18% GST on the contract value — on a ₹2.40 crore mid-spec fit-out that is ₹43.2 lakh.
- IT hardware — servers, switches, laptops, displays and licences.
- Loose seating — task chairs, lounge and cafeteria furniture, commonly ₹12,000–₹45,000 a seat.
- Landlord deposits and fit-out charges — security deposit, fit-out deposit, supervision fees and after-hours power.
- Statutory approvals — fire NOC, occupancy-related certification and any consultant's fees.
- Signage, plants and art, and the branding package that usually arrives late in the programme.
- Relocation — packing, moving, storage and the IT cutover weekend.
Sources: Cushman & Wakefield India Office Fit-Out Cost Guide 2026; and Greenbox project records — rates audited from fit-outs we have billed and completed, restated at October 2026. All figures exclude 18% GST unless stated.
Benchmark your own floor plate with the office interior cost calculator, or check density first with the office space per employee calculator. Mumbai sits at the top of every band in this guide, with micro-market variation that matters more than the city average — see office interior cost in Mumbai.
Selected work by Greenbox Design Studio. Tap any image to enlarge.
Frequently asked questions
What does an office fit-out cost per sq ft in India?+
Greenbox builds a basic warm-shell office at ₹1,100–₹1,650 per sq ft, mid-specification at ₹1,920–₹2,880 and high-specification at ₹2,830–₹4,240, excluding GST. Cushman & Wakefield's 2026 guide is a separate published benchmark for a fully collaborative hybrid workplace and puts that one configuration at ₹5,847–₹6,567 depending on city. Bare shell adds ₹600–₹1,200 per sq ft.
Which Indian city is most expensive for office fit-out?+
Mumbai, at ₹6,567 per sq ft for a collaborative hybrid workplace, ahead of Delhi NCR at ₹6,207 and Bengaluru at ₹6,027. Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune, Kolkata and Ahmedabad sit together at ₹5,847 — about 11% below Mumbai. These are Cushman & Wakefield's published 2026 benchmarks for one configuration, not Greenbox rates.
What is the biggest cost head in an office fit-out?+
MEP services — HVAC, electrical, lighting, fire detection and suppression, and data — at 25–32% of total, or ₹600–₹768 per sq ft on a mid-specification fit-out. It is also the head most frequently under-scoped in competitive tenders.
How much cheaper is a warm shell than a bare shell?+
₹600–₹1,200 per sq ft, because the landlord has already provided HVAC plant and distribution, washrooms, a floor screed and usually a ceiling grid. On a 20,000 sq ft floor that is ₹1.2 to ₹2.4 crore of difference, plus two to four weeks of programme.
What does an office fit-out cost per seat?+
₹1.32 lakh a seat on a dense floor at 55 sq ft per person, ₹1.80 lakh at a standard 75 sq ft, ₹2.28 lakh for a hybrid layout at 95 sq ft and ₹3.00 lakh for a premium headquarters at 125 sq ft — all at a mid-specification rate of ₹2,400 per sq ft.
How much contingency should an office fit-out carry?+
Five to ten per cent. It is consumed by landlord-mandated conditions discovered at drawing approval, site conditions that differ from the as-built drawings, and client variations during construction. A tender showing zero contingency is simply less complete than one that shows it.