What a fitout costs and how long it takes are the two questions every client asks first. This page gives realistic 2026 planning bands for Sydney, the area adjustments that move those numbers, and the site conditions that change a project’s price by tens of thousands before a single wall goes up. The figures are planning bands, not quotes — an actual price depends on the standard of finish, the amount of joinery, the state of the base building and the services work required.
Quick reference: indicative cost per m²
| Project type | Indicative rate per m² |
|---|---|
| Retail / shop — local brand, standard specification | $2,000 – $4,500 |
| Retail / shop — international or luxury brand | $4,000 – $8,000 |
| Hospitality — with commercial kitchen, local standard | $2,500 – $5,000 |
| Hospitality — high-end or luxury | $4,500 – $8,000 |
| Office / workplace — basic | from $1,000 |
| Office / workplace — premium | to ~$3,000 |
Basis: rates apply to tenancies of 80m² and above. Includes fitout works and the supply and installation of fixtures. Excludes loose furniture, loose finishes, and kitchen or hospitality equipment.
Smaller or larger spaces change the rate
| Tenancy area | Adjustment | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Under 50m² | ×2.0 | Trades carry a daily minimum charge. A half-day job costs nearly the same as a full day. |
| 50 – 80m² | ×1.5 | Same fixed costs spread over less area. |
| 80 – 250m² | baseline ×1.0 | Reference band. |
| Above 250m² | approx −10% | Larger areas allow better crew and trade sequencing efficiency. |
| Above 500m² | approx −20% | Efficiency gains compound on bigger floors. |
A smaller shop is not a cheaper shop. Per-square-metre, a 40m² tenancy can cost twice what a 200m² tenancy costs. The fixed cost of mobilising a team, getting approvals and running a site does not shrink with the floor area.
What pushes a hospitality project above the band
Before you sign a lease on a food site, five questions decide whether the project is even possible — and all five cost money if the answer is no.
Hospitality: the five site questions that decide feasibility
- Can a kitchen exhaust be installed at all? Exhaust must discharge above the roof. On a multi-storey building that means a long vertical riser, and on a high-rise it is usually impossible — the alternative is horizontal discharge through an electrostatic filter, which needs mechanical engineer approval and council consent.
- Is there a grease trap? Any premises producing hot food and fats needs one. If the building does not have it, budget roughly $30,000 – $40,000.
- Gas and electrical capacity. Is natural gas available? Is there enough electrical capacity to run the kitchen equipment?
- Exhaust volume and return air. The make-up air and return path must be able to support the kitchen, not just the hood.
- Toilets and accessibility. Are the existing amenities compliant? Are there enough of them for the proposed occupancy? Is there an accessible path and an accessible WC, or does a ramp and new amenities have to be built?
On top of those, the shopfront may need full replacement or redesign, which can move the total substantially. Where a site already has a grease trap, an existing exhaust system, compliant amenities and accessible entry, the interior fitout proceeds far more smoothly — every missing item is an addition.
Extra costs not included in the per-square-metre rate
| Item | Indicative cost |
|---|---|
| Grease trap (where required and not existing) | $30,000 – $40,000 |
| Kitchen exhaust system — typical full installation | approx $45,000 |
| Kitchen exhaust — simplest case including hood | from $15,000 |
| Electrostatic filter (required for horizontal discharge) | $25,000 – $40,000 per unit |
| Shopfront replacement or redesign | Site specific |
| Upgrading gas, electrical or hydraulic services | Site specific |
Exhaust cost rises with building height, duct length, the number of fans and whether variable speed drives are required.
Street shop versus shopping centre: the total often lands in the same place
| Shopping centre | Street shop | |
|---|---|---|
| Services | Usually complete — grease trap, exhaust, gas, power, amenities | Frequently missing — upgrade is a significant cost |
| Design requirements | Medium to high — centre design manual governs materials, finishes and workmanship | No design manual, more freedom |
| Shopfront and access | Usually already compliant | Often non-compliant — new shopfront and accessible ramp required |
| Amenities | Basic amenities usually exist | Often none — build new, including accessible WC |
| Condition on handover | Generally handed over clean | Previous make-good often incomplete — demolition at your cost |
| Net effect | Design cost higher | Services cost higher |
A centre charges you in compliance and specification. A street shop charges you in remediation. The totals frequently end up comparable.
Typical on-site programme
| Scope | On-site duration | Pre-construction |
|---|---|---|
| Single room or small joinery package | 1 – 3 weeks | 2 – 4 weeks |
| Apartment refurbishment | 6 – 10 weeks | 4 – 6 weeks |
| Cafe or small retail tenancy | 6 – 10 weeks | 6 – 10 weeks |
| Restaurant with commercial kitchen | 10 – 16 weeks | 8 – 12 weeks |
| Office floor | 8 – 14 weeks | 6 – 10 weeks |
| Medical or dental suite | 8 – 12 weeks | 8 – 12 weeks |
| Strata common areas (staged) | 4 – 10 weeks per stage | 6 – 8 weeks |
Pre-construction is almost always the part that gets underestimated. Design, documentation, certifier review, council assessment, strata approval and long-lead procurement all sit before the first trade walks on site, and they account for more schedule variance than construction itself.
Read the detail behind the numbers
These guides go deeper into the items that decide whether a project is straightforward or expensive:
- Kitchen exhaust systems in Sydney: what is required, what it costs, and when a site cannot support one
- Grease traps and trade waste: who needs one, who is exempt
- Street shop versus shopping centre: where the money actually goes
- Choosing a restaurant site: why a second-hand kitchen usually beats a new one
- Approvals: CDC versus DA, how long each takes, and the lease clause that protects you
Talk to us about your project
Send whatever you have — a sketch, a lease plan, an architect’s set, or just a description of the space. We will tell you what we need to give you a fixed price, and if the idea is not feasible in that space we will say so before you spend money on design.
Send your plans through the contact page or call (02) 8068 1755.
Figures are 2026 Sydney planning bands based on our own delivered projects. They are indicative only and are not a quotation. Actual cost depends on site conditions, documentation, scope and specification.