Quick answer: A startup office of 2,000 to 5,000 sq ft costs about ₹36 lakh to ₹1.1 crore to fit out in Delhi NCR in 2026 at Officea’s Basic and Medium rates (₹1,800 and ₹2,200 per sq ft, GST extra, furniture included), or roughly ₹1.4 to ₹2.2 lakh per seat. Plan 15 to 20% spare seats for growth, use modular furniture you can move, and compare the total against a managed office before you sign a lease. A small office can be ready in weeks: we delivered a 3,000 sq ft Gurgaon office in 28 days.
Own fit-out or managed office?
Before spending on interiors, decide whether you need your own office at all. A managed or flex office suits teams under about 30 people, uncertain headcount or a lease shorter than three years. Your own fit-out usually wins on cost per seat beyond that, gives you your brand and layout, and avoids paying an operator's margin every month. Our guide to flex office versus your own fit-out sets out the numbers, and our managed offices page explains the middle route where we build and run the space for you.
What a startup office costs in 2026
Officea publishes its rates. For Delhi, Gurgaon and Noida they are ₹1,800 per sq ft (Basic), ₹2,200 (Medium), ₹2,600 (Good) and ₹4,500 (High end), GST extra, with civil, MEP, furniture and finishes included. Most startups choose Basic or Medium.
| Office size | Typical seats | Basic (₹1,800) | Medium (₹2,200) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2,000 sq ft | 20 to 25 | ₹36 lakh | ₹44 lakh |
| 3,000 sq ft | 30 to 37 | ₹54 lakh | ₹66 lakh |
| 5,000 sq ft | 50 to 62 | ₹90 lakh | ₹1.1 crore |
Seats assume 80 to 100 sq ft per person, counting cabins, meeting rooms, pantry and circulation. Bangalore, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, Chennai and Goa run about 10% higher. Try your own layout in the office layout planner.
A startup layout that leaves room to grow
- 15 to 20% spare seats. Hiring rarely matches the plan; empty desks are cheaper than a second move.
- Open seating first, few cabins. One founder cabin that doubles as a meeting room is often enough at this size.
- Phone booths and a small meeting room for every 15 to 20 people. Video calls are the biggest noise complaint in small offices.
- Modular workstations that can be re-arranged or extended without new electrical work. Plan floor or ceiling power points on a grid.
- A pantry people want to use. In a small team it is the meeting room, the lunch room and the town-hall space.
- Server and storage kept small. Most startups run on cloud services; a network rack in a ventilated cupboard is often all you need.
Our office space calculator guide helps size the floor before you sign.
Where startups save, and where they should not
| Save on | Do not cut |
|---|---|
| Decorative ceilings and feature walls | Air-conditioning capacity and fresh air |
| Imported furniture brands | Chairs people sit in all day |
| Large reception areas | Acoustic treatment for meeting rooms and booths |
| Stone and premium flooring | Electrical and data points for growth |
How long a startup fit-out takes
A small office can move fast when one team designs and builds. Officea delivered a 3,000 sq ft office in Gurgaon in 28 days against a quoted 60, including space planning, civil work and move-in-ready finishes. Plan for landlord drawing approval and long-lead items such as chairs and AC units, and try to finish within your rent-free period. See how to finish within your rent-free period.
Checklist before you sign the lease
- Check the floor plan fits your seat count with growth. A complimentary floor plan audit does this in a day.
- Ask what the landlord hands over: bare shell, warm shell or a previously fitted floor. See bare shell versus warm shell.
- Negotiate a rent-free fit-out period that matches a realistic schedule.
- Get an itemised BOQ, not just a per sq ft price.
- Confirm who handles landlord and fire approvals.