Short answer
A consultant benchmark and a contractor rate card measure different things. Cushman & Wakefield's 2026 guide, as reported, puts India fit-out cost at US$65 to 73 per sq ft for collaborative, experience-led workplaces. Officea's published rate card is ₹1,800 to ₹5,000 per sq ft before GST, by finish tier. Compare scope, specification and tax before comparing numbers.
If you search for what an office fit-out costs in India, you will see two very different kinds of number: a consultant's benchmark, usually in dollars, and a contractor's rate in rupees. Neither is wrong. They describe different things, and this article sets out how to tell them apart.
Why is a consultant's fit-out cost per sq ft higher than a contractor's rate?
Because they price different things. A benchmark prices a defined workplace; a rate card prices a finish tier before GST.
Benchmark guides price a defined, high-specification workplace, often a collaborative or experience-led office for a large occupier, and may include furniture, technology and fees. A contractor rate card prices a finish tier, such as Basic or High end, for a stated scope and quotes it before GST. The two numbers answer different questions. Treat the gap as a prompt to check scope, not as proof that one source is inflated or the other is cheap.
What does Cushman & Wakefield's 2026 guide say about India?
US$65 to 73 per sq ft across India's major markets, as reported, with Mumbai highest.
As reported by IANS in March 2026, the Cushman & Wakefield guide puts fit-out cost across India's major office markets at US$65 to 73 per sq ft, with Mumbai the highest at about US$73. The report describes collaborative and experience-led workplaces. Read the guide itself for what each figure includes. At any recent exchange rate, that is above the top of Officea's published range, which is why it surprises people who have just read a contractor's quote. Officea has not seen the guide's full inclusions and does not claim its rate card is like for like with it.
What is Officea's rate card per sq ft?
₹1,800 to ₹4,500 per sq ft in the Delhi NCR group and ₹2,000 to ₹5,000 in the other cities, before GST.
| Finish tier | Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida, Chandigarh | Bangalore, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, Chennai, Goa |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | ₹1,800 | ₹2,000 |
| Medium | ₹2,200 | ₹2,400 |
| Good | ₹2,600 | ₹2,900 |
| High end | ₹4,500 | ₹5,000 |
Per sq ft, GST extra. Rates last updated 11 October 2026. Full detail and worked budgets are in the India office fit-out cost index.
What explains the difference between the two numbers?
Mostly scope, specification and tax. Four things to check on any figure you see.
- Specification. A benchmark for a collaborative, experience-led workplace assumes more meeting, breakout and technology provision than a functional floor. Compare it with the finish tier you actually need.
- Inclusions. Furniture, IT, AV, HVAC upgrades and professional fees are sometimes in and sometimes out. The same brief can produce very different quotes for this reason.
- Tax. Officea's rate card is before GST. Check whether any other figure is.
- Currency and area basis. A dollar benchmark needs converting, and carpet area and built-up area give different per sq ft figures for the same floor.
Want a number for your own floor? Tell us the city, the area and the move-in date and Officea will prepare a costed proposal.
How do I compare a benchmark with a contractor quote?
Put both on the same basis: area, inclusions, specification and tax. Then price your own plan.
Put both on the same basis: the same area measure, the same list of inclusions (furniture, IT, AV, HVAC, fees), the same specification tier and the same tax treatment. Ask the contractor for a bill of quantities against your own floor plan, because that is the only number you can actually be held to. The cost by office size article turns the rate card into totals for 2,000 to 20,000 sq ft.
Common questions
Why is a consultant's fit-out cost per sq ft higher than a contractor's rate?
Benchmark guides price a defined, high-specification workplace, often a collaborative or experience-led office for a large occupier, and may include furniture, technology and fees. A contractor rate card prices a finish tier, such as Basic or High end, for a stated scope and quotes it before GST. The two numbers answer different questions.
What does Cushman & Wakefield's 2026 guide say about India?
As reported by IANS in March 2026, the Cushman & Wakefield guide puts fit-out cost across India's major office markets at US$65 to 73 per sq ft, with Mumbai the highest at about US$73. The report describes collaborative and experience-led workplaces. Read the guide itself for what each figure includes.
What is Officea's rate card per sq ft?
For Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida and Chandigarh: Basic ₹1,800, Medium ₹2,200, Good ₹2,600 and High end ₹4,500 per sq ft, GST extra. Bangalore, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, Chennai and Goa run about 10% higher, rounded to the nearest ₹100: Basic ₹2,000, Medium ₹2,400, Good ₹2,900 and High end ₹5,000.
How do I compare a benchmark with a contractor quote?
Put both on the same basis: the same area measure, the same list of inclusions (furniture, IT, AV, HVAC, fees), the same specification tier and the same tax treatment. Ask the contractor for a bill of quantities against your own floor plan, because that is the only number you can actually be held to.
Which number should I use for my budget?
Use a benchmark to sense-check the order of magnitude for a large, high-specification workplace, and use a bill of quantities on your own plan for the budget you commit to. For a first estimate by size and city group, see Officea's cost index and the worked budgets by office size.