Commercial Cost Guide

How much does a commercial fit-out cost in Sydney?

By The WTD Editorial Team · Last reviewed November 2026 · Methodology

Updated November 2026·Independently researched·12 min read

A commercial fit-out in Sydney is priced $400-$4,000/m2

per m² by specification - cat A, cat B, shopfitting and make-good priced separately

Sydney fit-outs start at $400–$700 per m² for a cat A base-building finish in a Pyrmont or St Leonards tower and climb to $2,500–$4,000 per m² for full premium cat B. Services upgrades to the existing base build run $200–$450 per m², with $300 typical, on top of the fit-out rate.

+4.4% Commercial fitout costs in Sydney are up around 4.4% over the past year, re-verified against 90+ sources in November 2026. Year on year

Typical Office Fit-Out in Sydney

$2,000/m2

cat B, per m² supplied & installed

Cat A (base)

$400-$700/m2

Cat B (full)

$2,500-$4,000/m2

Premium / hospitality

$2,800-$4,500/m2

$400/m2$2,000/m2$4,000/m2

In Sydney, commercial fit-out pricing runs $400–$4,000 per m², from Cat A base-building work up to a premium Cat B office. The category drives most of that range, and building grade, access rules and the length of the program drive much of the rest.

Office work spreads well beyond the CBD and North Sydney, to Parramatta, Macquarie Park, Norwest and Chatswood, with creative studios in Surry Hills and Alexandria, and retail and hospitality from Bondi and Manly to suburban centres. Many tenants move between buildings at lease end, so a single project can involve make-good of the old office as well as the new fit-out.

Workstation modules at $1,200–$5,100 per workstation and glazed partitioning at $500–$1,400 per metre are often the biggest lines inside an office budget. All prices include GST.

Quick answerA commercial fit-out in Sydney is priced per square metre and varies widely by cat A vs cat B specification, services scope and finishes. Verified bands are $400-$4,000/m2. Get free Sydney quotes →

Commercial Fitout Prices in Sydney 2026: Cost Table and Price List

Service	Low	Typical	High
Fit-out feasibility / concept design	$3,000per report	$8,000	$19,950
Cat A fit-out (base building)	$400/m²	$525	$700
Cat B fit-out (tenant, standard)	$1,500/m²	$2,000	$2,500
Cat B fit-out (full / premium)	$2,500/m²	$3,000	$4,000
Retail shopfitting	$1,000/m²	$2,000	$2,750
Hospitality fit-out (cafe / restaurant)	$2,800/m²	$3,700	$4,500
Office partitioning (plasterboard)	$120/m²	$175	$225
Glazed office partitioning	$500/m	$800	$1,400
Suspended ceiling (supply + install)	$50/m²	$100	$150
Office joinery package (kitchenette + reception counter + storage)	$10,000per job	$19,950	$29,950
Services upgrade to existing base build (mechanical adjustment, power, data)	$200/m²	$300	$450
End-of-lease make-good	$80/m²	$150	$350
Workstation furniture module (desk, screen + storage, supply & install)	$1,200per workstation	$2,500	$5,100
Office strip-out to base building (incl. disposal)	$30/m²	$50	$150
Medical / healthcare suite fit-out (GP, specialist rooms, dental)	$1,800/m²	$2,650	$3,500

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Prices include GST. Sydney metro, November 2026.

Commercial Fitout Costs by Sector in Sydney

Offices in Parramatta and Macquarie Park

$1,500–$2,500/m²

Floors in Parramatta's commercial core and the Macquarie Park business district are mostly fitted to the standard tenant row at $1,500–$2,500 per m²: open desks, a handful of meeting rooms, a kitchen and reuse of the building's ceiling grid wherever the layout allows it.

Hospitality from Surry Hills to Manly

$2,800–$4,500/m²

Small bars in Surry Hills, beachfront cafes at Bondi and Manly and restaurants along Church Street in Parramatta are priced on the hospitality row at $2,800–$4,500 per m². Salt air at the beaches tea-stains standard stainless and corrodes outdoor fixings, so marine-grade (316) hardware is worth including.

Medical and specialist suites near Westmead

$1,800–$3,500/m²

Specialist rooms near the Westmead hospital precinct and GP and dental suites on the lower North Shore sit on the medical and healthcare suite row at $1,800–$3,500 per m². Plumbing to each room, a sterilising bay and hard-wearing, cleanable surfaces set them apart from plain offices.

Village retail in Mosman and Bondi

$1,000–$2,750/m²

Boutiques along Military Road in Mosman and the Bondi village strips sit on the retail shopfitting row at $1,000–$2,750 per m². Older Sydney shopfronts often need the floor levelled and a new switchboard before display joinery and lighting go in, and tight parking slows delivery runs.

What Sydney Commercial Fitout Jobs Actually Cost

Premium floor near Martin Place

$2,750,000–$4,400,000 total

A full 1,100 m² floor near Martin Place for a professional services firm, with a client suite, glazed boardroom, quiet rooms and a barista-style kitchen. At the premium cat B rate of $2,500–$4,000 per m², finishes and joinery choices decide where the job ends up.

Surry Hills warehouse studio with 30 desks

$636,000–$1,153,000 total

A 400 m² brick warehouse in Surry Hills fitted out for a 30-person design studio. The building work runs $1,500–$2,500 per m² on the standard cat B row, and desks, screens and storage are priced separately at $1,200–$5,100 per workstation.

Manly corner cafe

$266,000–$427,500 total

A 95 m² corner tenancy near the Manly Corso turned into a breakfast cafe with an open kitchen and a bi-fold frontage, priced at $2,800–$4,500 per m². Routing exhaust through the apartments above is often the slowest part to settle.

North Sydney office returned to the landlord

$40,000–$175,000 total

Reinstating a 500 m² North Sydney office when the lease ends: partitions demolished, redundant cabling pulled, carpet replaced and walls repainted. Priced on the make-good row at $80–$350 per m²; the lease's reinstatement clause decides how far back the floor must go.

New reception and kitchen joinery only

$10,000–$29,950 per package

Replacing only the reception desk, staff kitchenette and storage walls in a tired Parramatta office, leaving the rest of the floor alone. The table prices this as one joinery package at $10,000–$29,950, with stone benchtops and integrated appliances pushing toward the upper figure.

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What Affects Commercial Fitout Costs in Sydney

Office fit-out costs in Sydney depend on building grade, location and the level of finish. CBD and North Sydney towers, the Parramatta business district, creative offices in Surry Hills, and retail and hospitality in Bondi, Manly and Mosman all price differently. Access, building rules and night work add significantly to labour.

Cost per square metre by level

Base-building Cat A work typically runs $400–$700 per m². A tenant-standard Cat B fit-out typically runs $1,500–$2,500 per m², and a premium fit-out $2,500–$4,000 per m².

Tower logistics

CBD and North Sydney towers require dock and lift bookings, inductions and night shifts for noisy works such as core drilling and demolition. These add a meaningful labour premium to every trade.

Workstations and furniture

Furniture is a large line item on office projects. Workstation modules typically run $1,200–$5,100 per workstation, so reusing existing desks can save a substantial part of the budget.

Strip-out and make-good

Removing the previous fit-out to base building typically costs $30–$150 per m², and lease-end make-good obligations are often negotiated as part of the new lease.

Warehouse creative offices

Surry Hills, Alexandria and Redfern warehouses offer character but need acoustic treatment, insulation and new services, and exposed ceilings require neater, more visible services runs.

Beachside retail and hospitality

Shops and venues at Bondi and Manly need salt-resistant hardware and hard-wearing finishes, and late trading hours limit when noisy work can be done.

How to Control Commercial Fitout Costs in Sydney

Ask every Sydney quote to show parking, tolls and delivery time for inner-city sites, where trades pay to park and lose hours in traffic.

If the team is moving to Norwest, Macquarie Park or Rhodes, ask for daytime works and ground-level deliveries to be priced, avoiding the night shifts noisy work needs in CBD towers.

In strata buildings in Surry Hills, Darlinghurst or Newtown, get the owners corporation's position on exhaust, noise and work hours in writing before signing the lease.

In a Wetherill Park, Smithfield or Eastern Creek warehouse, price the office from Cat A base-building rates of $400–$700 per m² and add rooms only as the business needs them.

For a venue at Bondi or Manly, build through winter so it is ready before the summer crowds, when deliveries and parking near the beach are hardest.

Commercial fit-out cost by floor area in Sydney

Quick answerIn Sydney, a standard tenant office fit-out is priced at $1,500–$2,500 per m², and a premium floor with client suites and feature joinery at $2,500–$4,000 per m².

Sydney office space spans CBD and North Sydney towers, Parramatta's commercial core and business parks at Macquarie Park and Norwest, so one job can be a 150 m² suite and the next a full floor. A 700 m² North Sydney floor at $1,500–$2,500 per m² comes to $1,050,000–$1,750,000. A small suite still needs its own kitchen, comms cupboard and reception, so its rate per m² runs higher.

Tower work in the CBD and North Sydney carries inductions, booked lifts and after-hours shifts for drilling and demolition, and older Surry Hills warehouses need acoustic and services work. Reusing a sound ceiling grid and reworking the existing services at $200–$450 per m² keeps costs down, while clearing a previous fit-out adds $30–$150 per m².

Our Methodology

These are independent, GST-inclusive estimates from commercial contractors, suppliers and rate guides, and no contractor can influence them, so always get several written quotes. Read our full methodology →

Office fitout cost in Sydney per square metre

Office fitout cost in Sydney is quoted per square metre. A standard Cat B tenant fit-out costs $1,500–$2,500 per m², with a typical office fitout around $2,000 per m². A full or premium Cat B fit-out, with more meeting rooms, feature joinery and higher-grade finishes, is $2,500–$4,000 per m². Cat A work, which delivers base-building ceilings, lighting and services, costs $400–$700 per m².

How much an office fitout costs depends on the building and the brief. Towers in the CBD, North Sydney and Parramatta add after-hours work, loading-dock bookings and lift access to the program, while smaller suites in Surry Hills or Mosman can be quicker to set up. Many tenants inherit a previous fit-out, and strip-out to base building, including disposal, costs $30–$150 per m². Workstation furniture modules, with desk, screen and storage supplied and installed, run $1,200–$5,100 per workstation.

Within the fit-out, suspended ceilings cost $50–$150 per m², plasterboard office partitioning is $120–$225 per m², and glazed office partitioning is $500–$1,400 per metre. A good Sydney office fit-out quote should state the net lettable area being fitted out, the Cat A or Cat B scope, the number of workstations and meeting rooms, partition and ceiling quantities, building access and after-hours arrangements, and make-good obligations at lease end.

What a Compliant Commercial Fitout Quote Includes — Cost in Sydney

In Sydney a fit-out quote for a CBD or North Sydney tower, a Parramatta floor or a Surry Hills warehouse carries very different access costs, so the quote should spell out the area, the category and the tolls, parking and dock arrangements it has assumed.

Floor area in m² and specification, standard Cat B at $1,500–$2,500 per m², with any interconnecting stair, custom joinery or services upgrade priced as separate premium lines.
Tower access in the Sydney CBD or North Sydney: induction hours, goods-lift and dock bookings, after-hours rates for noisy work and protection of common areas.
Trade parking, toll charges and time lost in traffic on inner-city jobs shown as a preliminaries line rather than buried in trade rates.
Workstations by count, with the desk, screen and storage specified, roughly $2,500 per workstation.
For a Surry Hills or Bondi shopfront, heritage or strata conditions, facade fixings and signage shown as included, excluded or subject to approval.
GST stated, lump sum or schedule of rates, payment stages, and the retention or defects arrangement.
Landlord approval of drawings, who signs practical completion, and the handover pack of electrical certificates, as-built drawings and keys.

Frequently Asked Questions — Commercial Fitout Cost in Sydney

How much should I pay for a commercial fit-out in Sydney?

Sydney figures: a standard Cat B tenant fit-out $1,500–$2,500 a square metre; a Cat A fit-out (base building) $400–$700 a square metre; retail shopfitting $1,000–$2,750 a square metre.

What should I budget per square metre for a Sydney office fit-out?

For a Sydney office, budget around $2,000 per m² for a standard tenant fit-out, within a band of $1,500–$2,500 per m². Premium floors with feature stairs, bespoke joinery and upgraded services run $2,500–$4,000 per m². In CBD and North Sydney towers, after-hours work for noisy trades adds to labour. Furniture sits outside that rate, with desk, screen and storage modules at $1,200–$5,100 per workstation.

How much does a shop fit-out cost in Sydney?

Retail shopfitting is $1,000–$2,750 a square metre in our Sydney table, typically $2,000.

How much do workstations add to an office fitout cost in Sydney?

In Sydney, a workstation module, meaning the desk, screen and storage delivered and fitted, costs $1,200–$5,100 per workstation, typically about $2,500 per workstation. That line sits on top of the fit-out rate, so a dense open-plan floor in a CBD, North Sydney or Parramatta tower can spend heavily on furniture alone. Plain bench desks land near the low end and sit-stand desks with screens near the top. Reusing sound desks from a previous office trims the total.

What is the difference between Cat A and Cat B fit-out costs in Sydney?

Cat A work brings a Sydney office floor to base-building condition, with ceilings, lighting, air-conditioning and services in place, and costs $400–$700 per m², typically about $525 per m². Cat B is the tenant's own fit-out on top: partitions, meeting rooms, joinery, finishes and lighting changes, at $1,500–$2,500 per m² for a standard fit-out or $2,500–$4,000 per m² for premium. Where a CBD or Parramatta floor is handed over at Cat A, the tenant prices only the Cat B work.

How much does a cafe fit-out cost in Sydney?

A cafe fit-out in Sydney typically costs $2,800–$4,500 per m², with many landing near $3,700 per m². A small floor still carries a full kitchen, coffee machine plumbing, exhaust, servery joinery and seating, so the rate per square metre stays high even when the total is modest. Cafes in Surry Hills warehouses or near the beach at Bondi and Manly add costs for exposed services, corrosion-proof fittings and tougher surfaces.

What does a medical or dental suite fit-out cost in Sydney?

A medical or dental suite fit-out in Sydney is priced at $1,800–$3,500 per m², and most land around $2,650 per m². Each room carries plumbing, acoustic walls, sealed finishes and dedicated power and data, which is why a clinic costs by the room count as much as by the floor. A specialist practice in Mosman or a dental surgery in Parramatta with plumbed chairs, imaging and a sterilisation room sits toward the upper figure; a two-room physio in a Bondi shopfront keeps to the low end.

What does make-good cost when a Sydney office lease ends?

Sydney make-good is priced per square metre of the space handed back, at $80–$350 per m², typically about $150 per m². Tower leases in the city often ask for base-building condition, meaning partitions out, ceilings and lighting reinstated, services capped and floors made good, which runs toward the upper figure and usually happens after hours. A Surry Hills creative studio whose landlord wants only walls patched and carpet cleaned sits near the low end. A cash settlement instead of the works is common; price both before the lease runs out.

How much does upgrading services add to a Sydney office fit-out?

A services upgrade to the existing base build in Sydney is priced separately at $200–$450 per m², typically around $300 per m², and it sits outside the fit-out rate. It covers rezoning or boosting air-conditioning for new rooms, adding circuits and distribution boards and running data to every workpoint. Older B-grade floors in Parramatta or along the CBD fringe tend toward the upper figure, while a recently refurbished tower floor with capacity to spare needs small adjustments near the low figure. Ask for the mechanical scope as a separate line.