How much does a commercial fit-out cost in Melbourne?
Commercial fit-out in Melbourne is priced per square metre by specification. A cat A base fit-out (services, ceilings, basic finishes) sits below a cat B tenant fit-out (workstations, meeting rooms, joinery and branding). Shopfitting, partitioning and services upgrades are scoped on top, and end-of-lease make-good is a separate cost many tenants overlook. Exact figures on this page are $800-$3,500/m2.
Pricing below is being compiled from Melbourne commercial fit-out and shopfitting contractors, joinery suppliers and published commercial rate guides. All prices will include GST.
Detailed Commercial Pricing - Melbourne 2026
| Service | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fit-out feasibility / concept design | POAper report | POA | POA |
| Cat A fit-out (base building) | $800/m² | $1,150 | $1,500 |
| Cat B fit-out (tenant, standard) | $1,500/m² | $2,000 | $2,500 |
| Cat B fit-out (full / premium) | $2,500/m² | $3,000 | $3,500 |
| Retail shopfitting | $1,000/m² | $1,500 | $2,000 |
| Hospitality fit-out (cafe / restaurant) | $2,800/m² | $3,700 | $4,500 |
| Office partitioning (plasterboard) | $60/m | $75 | $90 |
| Glazed office partitioning | $300/m | $450 | $600 |
| Suspended ceiling (supply + install) | $50/m² | $100 | $150 |
| Joinery / custom cabinetry | POAper job | POA | POA |
| Services upgrade (mechanical / electrical / data) | POAper job | POA | POA |
| End-of-lease make-good | POA/m² | POA | POA |
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Get Melbourne quotes →Prices include GST. Melbourne metro, June 2026. Figures pending verification.
Commercial Fitout Costs by Sector in Melbourne
Offices & Corporate
Open-plan workstations, meeting rooms, breakout and end-of-trip facilities across multi-tenant towers and owner-occupied buildings in Melbourne. Cat A vs cat B scope and the services upgrade drive the rate far more than floor area.
Retail & Shopfronts
Shopfitting for strip shops and shopping-centre tenancies in Melbourne - shopfront glazing, joinery, display, lighting and POS. Centre trading hours force after-hours work and landlord design approvals that lengthen the programme.
Hospitality
Cafes, restaurants, bars and venues, where commercial kitchens, exhaust, grease arrest and hydraulic and mechanical services dominate the cost. Melbourne council and health approvals run in parallel with the build.
Medical, Healthcare & Professional Suites
Consult rooms, treatment areas and reception with heavier compliance - infection control, accessibility, lead-lining for imaging and specialised services - and strict certification before Melbourne occupancy.
What Melbourne Commercial Fitout Jobs Actually Cost
Small office cat B fit-out
A standard tenant fit-out of a Melbourne suite - workstations, a couple of meeting rooms, a kitchenette, ceilings, lighting and data. Priced per m² on the cat B specification, with services reuse from the base building where possible.
Cafe / restaurant fit-out
A Melbourne hospitality fit-out built around the commercial kitchen, exhaust canopy, grease arrestor and mechanical services, plus joinery, seating and shopfront. Health and council approvals run alongside the build.
Retail shop fit-out
A strip or centre tenancy in Melbourne - shopfront, joinery, display, lighting and flooring - staged after-hours around centre trading and signed off against the landlord design guidelines.
Medical / dental suite fit-out
Consult and treatment rooms with infection-control finishes, accessibility, specialised plumbing and certification, delivered to a strict Melbourne occupancy and compliance program.
Open-plan office refurbishment + make-good
Refreshing an occupied Melbourne floor - new finishes, partitions and services tweaks - plus the end-of-lease make-good obligation on the outgoing tenancy, which is a separate cost line.
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What Affects Commercial Fitout Costs in Melbourne
Commercial fit-out quotes in Melbourne swing on the specification level, the services scope and the base-building condition far more than on floor area alone. Here are the main drivers.
Specification level (cat A vs cat B)
A cat A base fit-out and a full cat B tenant fit-out sit at very different price points. Premium finishes, bespoke joinery and branding push the rate up sharply.
Services scope
Mechanical (HVAC), electrical, data and hydraulic works are often the largest single driver. Reusing sound base-building services is far cheaper than new or relocated services.
Base-building condition & make-good
A raw shell, asbestos in an older Melbourne building, or a heavy end-of-lease make-good obligation all add cost beyond the visible fit-out.
Programme & after-hours access
Occupied buildings and centre trading hours force night and weekend shifts and staged handover - a real multiplier over a vacant tenancy.
Compliance & certification
BCA/NCC, accessibility (DDA), fire and essential-services compliance and formal certification add documentation, time and cost, especially for healthcare and hospitality.
Joinery, finishes & branding
Custom cabinetry, stone, glazing, feature lighting and branded elements are where budgets blow out. Standardised finishes keep the rate predictable.
How to Control Commercial Fitout Costs in Melbourne
Commercial fit-out cost by floor area in Melbourne
Commercial fit-out costs in Melbourne scale with floor area first, then specification. A small suite and a full-floor tenancy are quoted on the same per-square-metre logic, but the cat A vs cat B specification, the services scope and the finishes move the rate more than the size does.
Several factors push a Melbourne fit-out above the typical band: a raw shell needing full services, premium joinery and finishes, healthcare or hospitality compliance, asbestos in an older building, and after-hours staging in an occupied tower. End-of-lease make-good is a separate obligation that should be budgeted from the start.
Our Methodology
Commercial pricing on this page is compiled from Melbourne commercial contractors, suppliers, published commercial rate guides and peak industry data. We cross-reference ranges from multiple sources and adjust for Melbourne-specific factors. Our guides are produced independently; no contractor can influence a published figure. All prices are GST-inclusive estimates and will vary with your specific site. Always get multiple written quotes. Figures on this staging draft are pending verification. Read our full methodology →