How Much Does an Office Fitout Cost in Sydney?

Most Sydney businesses spend between $35,000 and $400,000+ on a full office fitout, depending on office size, finish level, and scope of works. For a typical 300 sqm office at a mid-range specification, expect a total project cost of roughly $390,000 to $540,000 including design, construction, furniture, and project management. So how much does an office fitout cost in Sydney really comes down to three numbers: your floor area, your desk count, and the quality tier you choose.

This guide breaks the answer down by office size, fitout tier, and line-item cost, so you can budget a real project rather than guess from a single per-square-metre figure. Office Fitouts Sydney has priced and delivered fitouts across the CBD, North Sydney, Parramatta, and the Inner West at every one of these tiers, and the numbers below reflect 2026 market rates.

Office Fitout Cost in Sydney: Quick Reference by Office Size

The fastest way to answer how much an office fitout costs in Sydney is to look at total project cost by floor area, not just the per-sqm rate, because most business owners think in terms of “what will this cost me overall” rather than abstract square-metre pricing.

• Small office (100 to 150 sqm, 10 to 15 desks): $130,000 to $270,000 total project cost
• Medium office (250 to 350 sqm, 25 to 40 desks): $325,000 to $630,000 total project cost
• Large office (500 to 800 sqm, 50 to 90 desks): $650,000 to $1.44 million total project cost
• Enterprise floor (1,000+ sqm, 100+ desks): $1.3 million upward, often with staged delivery

These ranges assume a mid-range to high-specification fitout inclusive of construction, joinery, furniture, mechanical and electrical services, and design fees. Basic Cat A-plus fitouts sit below these figures, while premium bespoke projects with executive boardrooms, full kitchens, and feature staircases can exceed them substantially.

Sydney Office Fitout Cost Per Square Metre by Tier

Per-square-metre pricing is the building block behind every total project figure, and Sydney’s 2026 rates span a wide range because specification level drives cost more than location does.

• Basic / Cat A-plus fitout: $800 to $1,200 per m² — carpet tiles, basic partitioning, standard lighting, minimal joinery
• Mid-range fitout: $1,200 to $1,800 per m² — custom joinery, acoustic treatments, feature lighting, upgraded data and AV provisions
• High-specification fitout: $2,000 to $3,200+ per m² — bespoke joinery, full mechanical redesign, premium finishes, branded environments
• Premium / trophy fitout: up to $7,200+ per m² — the top end reported by Turner & Townsend’s 2026 Global Office Fit-Out Cost Guide, which ranks Sydney the most expensive fitout market in the Asia-Pacific region for high-specification work

JLL’s 2026 Australia and New Zealand Fit-Out Cost Guide puts Sydney’s average fitout cost at roughly $2,963 per m² across all specification levels, broadly in line with Melbourne and Brisbane but trailing Perth’s $3,118 per m² average, which reflects that resources-sector demand is currently pushing WA construction costs higher than the eastern seaboard.

What Drives the Total Office Fitout Cost in Sydney

Five factors explain almost all of the variation between a $900 per m² job and a $3,000 per m² job for the same floor area.

1. Base Building Condition (Cat A vs Shell and Core)

A shell-and-core floor with no ceiling, no raised access flooring, and no mechanical services distribution costs significantly more to fit out than a floor already delivered to Cat A standard by the landlord. Always confirm the base building condition before budgeting, because it can shift total cost by 20 to 40 percent.

2. Services Scope: Mechanical, Electrical, and Fire

M&E services typically consume 20 to 35 percent of a Sydney fitout budget. Older CBD towers with dated mechanical plant often require supplementary air conditioning zones or upgraded fire services to meet current Building Code of Australia requirements, which adds cost that isn’t visible until a services audit is done.

3. Joinery and Furniture Selection

Furniture and joinery generally represent 15 to 25 percent of total spend. A basic workstation and task chair package might land around $800 to $1,500 per person, while ergonomic sit-stand desks, premium seating, and custom joinery for reception and boardroom areas can push this to $3,000 to $5,000 per person.

4. Design Complexity and Branding

Bespoke branded environments, feature staircases connecting floors, and custom acoustic ceiling features all add design and construction cost. Design and construction management fees typically sit at 8 to 12 percent of the total project budget for a well-run fitout.

5. Program Length and Occupied vs Vacant Construction

Fitting out an occupied floor around live staff requires after-hours works, staged handovers, and additional site protection, which can add 10 to 15 percent to construction cost compared with a vacant floor program.

Office Fitout Cost Breakdown: Where the Budget Actually Goes

Understanding the line-item split helps you sense-check any quote you receive and spot where a builder’s number differs from market norms.

Budget Category	Typical Share	Includes
Construction and trades	35–45%	Walls, ceilings, flooring, partitions
Services (M&E, fire, data)	25–35%	Electrical, HVAC, fire services, structured cabling
Furniture and joinery	15–25%	Workstations, storage, reception and boardroom joinery
Design and project management	8–12%	Space planning, documentation, site supervision

A useful sense check: if a quoted project has construction and trades at less than 30 percent of total cost, ask what’s been excluded, because that usually signals a scope gap rather than genuine savings.

How Much Does an Office Fitout Cost in Sydney for a 10-Person Team?

For a lean 10 to 15-person team occupying 100 to 150 sqm, budget between $130,000 and $270,000 all-in. This typically includes an open-plan workstation area, one or two meeting rooms, a small kitchen and breakout zone, and standard mechanical and electrical upgrades. Businesses this size can often use a landlord’s existing Cat A base and avoid a full mechanical redesign, which keeps costs toward the lower end of that range.

How Much Does an Office Fitout Cost in Sydney for a 50-Person Team?

A 50-person office typically occupies 350 to 550 sqm and costs $450,000 to $950,000 depending on specification. At this scale, businesses usually want at least three to four meeting rooms, a larger breakout and wellness area, dedicated phone booths, and a more considered acoustic strategy, all of which push the per-person cost above a smaller fitout even at the same per-sqm rate.

How Much Does an Office Fitout Cost in Sydney for a 100-Person Team?

A 100-person office typically occupies 700 to 1,000 sqm and represents the point where economies of scale start to work in your favour on a per-person basis, even though total project cost rises to $950,000 to $1.8 million. At this scale, mechanical and electrical services usually require a dedicated design consultant, and most projects include multiple boardrooms, a larger all-hands or town-hall space, and a full commercial kitchen. Because services and design fees are partly fixed regardless of floor area, the effective cost per desk often drops compared with a 50-person fitout at the same specification tier.

Budgeting Timeline: When to Lock In Your Office Fitout Cost in Sydney

Cost certainty improves as a project moves through its planning stages, and locking in numbers too early is one of the most common budgeting mistakes Sydney tenants make.

• Concept stage (4 to 6 months before lease start): Expect a rough order-of-magnitude figure with a variance of plus or minus 20 to 30 percent, based on floor area and target specification tier alone.
• Design development (2 to 4 months before construction): Once a space plan and services scope are documented, quotes typically tighten to within 10 to 15 percent of final cost.
• Tender and contractor selection (immediately pre-construction): A fixed-price or guaranteed maximum price contract should lock in the final office fitout cost, subject only to client-initiated variations.
• Construction (program length varies by size): A 10 to 15-desk fitout typically runs 8 to 12 weeks, a 300 sqm mid-size project 12 to 18 weeks, and a 1,000 sqm-plus floor 20 to 30 weeks including services upgrades.

Locking budget too early, before the services scope is understood, is the single biggest driver of cost blowouts on Sydney office fitouts, because base building deficiencies are often not fully visible until a detailed services audit and space plan are complete.

Hidden Costs That Change the Final Number

Quotes that look competitive on paper sometimes exclude costs that arrive later in the project. Ask specifically about each of these before signing:

• Make good obligations on your existing lease, which can run $50 to $150 per m² and are often forgotten until moving-out time
• Council or private certifier approval fees for works triggering a Development Application or Complying Development Certificate
• Landlord building management fees for after-hours access, loading dock bookings, and base building sign-off
• IT and AV cabling beyond basic data points, particularly for video-conferencing-enabled meeting rooms
• Signage and wayfinding, which is frequently priced as a separate variation rather than included in the base fitout quote
• Escalation and contingency, typically 5 to 10 percent of the base construction cost, to cover price movement over a multi-month program

How to Reduce Office Fitout Cost Without Cutting Quality

There are legitimate ways to bring a Sydney office fitout budget down without producing a cheap-looking result.

1. Negotiate a landlord contribution. Many Sydney landlords offer an incentive or fitout contribution as part of a new lease, particularly on floors that have sat vacant, and this can offset 10 to 30 percent of total project cost.
2. Reuse existing joinery and furniture where the base building condition and current asset quality allow it, rather than replacing everything.
3. Choose Complying Development Certificate pathways where the scope qualifies, which is typically faster and cheaper to approve than a full Development Application.
4. Stage the fitout across financial years or growth phases if cash flow is a constraint, prioritising workstations and core services first.
5. Get one project manager accountable for the whole program rather than running trades separately, which reduces coordination costs and rework.

Getting an Accurate Office Fitout Quote in Sydney

A reliable quote should itemise construction, services, furniture, and design and management fees separately, reference the current base building condition, and state clearly whether council approval costs are included. Office Fitouts Sydney provides a detailed, line-item quote after a site walkthrough and space plan, so you know exactly what’s driving your number rather than receiving a single lump-sum figure. Visit the Office Fitouts Sydney homepage to start a project brief, or review our best office fitouts in Sydney comparison to see recent project outcomes across different budgets.

For a deeper look at per-square-metre pricing across specification tiers, see our guide to office fitout cost per square metre in Sydney, and for a full walkthrough of the planning process, see our office space planning guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does an office fitout cost in Sydney per square metre?

Sydney office fitout costs range from around $800 per m² for a basic Cat A-plus fitout to $3,200+ per m² for a high-specification project, with premium trophy fitouts reaching over $7,000 per m² according to Turner & Townsend’s 2026 Global Office Fit-Out Cost Guide. JLL’s 2026 data puts the citywide average at roughly $2,963 per m².

How much does a small office fitout cost in Sydney?

A small office of 100 to 150 sqm, suited to a 10 to 15-person team, typically costs $130,000 to $270,000 for a full fitout including construction, services, and furniture.

What is included in an office fitout cost estimate?

A complete estimate should cover construction and trades, mechanical and electrical services, furniture and joinery, and design and project management fees, plus allowances for council approvals, make good obligations, and contingency.

Is a Sydney office fitout more expensive than other Australian cities?

Sydney is consistently ranked among the most expensive Australian markets for high-specification fitouts, with JLL and Turner & Townsend both placing it near the top for premium projects, though its average across all tiers is broadly comparable to Melbourne and Brisbane.

Can I get a landlord contribution toward my office fitout cost in Sydney?

Yes. Many landlords offer an incentive or fitout contribution as part of lease negotiations, particularly on vacant or hard-to-lease floors, which can offset a meaningful share of total project cost.

How accurate are online office fitout cost calculators?

Online calculators are useful for a rough order-of-magnitude figure but cannot account for your building’s specific services condition, lease make-good terms, or council approval pathway. A site walkthrough and detailed quote remain the only reliable way to confirm your actual number.

Does office fitout cost in Sydney include furniture?

Furniture is usually quoted separately or as a distinct line item within the total project cost, typically representing 15 to 25 percent of the overall budget, so always confirm whether a quote is inclusive or exclusive of furniture before comparing prices.

How long does it take to get an accurate office fitout cost quote?

Most Sydney fitout companies, including Office Fitouts Sydney, can turn around a detailed quote within one to two weeks of a site walkthrough and initial space plan, though complex services audits on older buildings can extend this timeframe.