Most Melbourne businesses start a fitout by asking the same question: how much per square metre?
The honest answer is that office fitout cost in Melbourne varies a lot depending on what you need, but the ranges below are based on real project pricing we see across basic refurbishments, mid-range fitouts, and premium builds. If you are budgeting a fitout for 2026, these numbers give you a starting point that is grounded in actual costs rather than round figures pulled from a Google snippet.
Per-square-metre ranges for Melbourne in 2026
Three broad tiers cover most commercial office fitouts in Melbourne:
Basic refurbishment: $450 to $800 per sqm. Paint, carpet, minor partition changes, reusing most existing furniture and services. Typical for short-lease spaces or businesses that need a presentable office without structural work.
Mid-range fitout: $800 to $1,500 per sqm. New flooring, partitions, workstations, lighting upgrades, some joinery (kitchen, reception counter), electrical and data cabling to suit the new layout. This is where most 50 to 300 sqm Melbourne office fitouts land.
Premium build: $1,500 to $2,800+ per sqm. Custom joinery throughout, glass-fronted meeting rooms, acoustic treatment, feature ceilings, branded elements, AV integration, and high-end finishes. Common in CBD tenancies, legal and financial offices, and businesses with client-facing spaces.
Those ranges are ex-GST and exclude landlord contributions, make-good obligations, and furniture if purchased separately.
What pushes the cost up
The gap between a $600 sqm fitout and a $2,000 sqm fitout usually comes down to six things.
Partitioning and glazing. A fully open plan with no meeting rooms is cheap. Every enclosed room adds framing, plasterboard, fire rating, and often glazing. Glass-fronted rooms cost roughly double a standard plasterboard partition per lineal metre.
Mechanical and electrical. If the base building HVAC does not suit the new layout, you need supplementary air conditioning or ductwork modifications. Electrical is similar: older buildings with insufficient power boards or outdated distribution need rewiring, and that is not a small line item.
Joinery. A laminate kitchen with standard cabinetry is a fraction of the cost of a stone-top breakout kitchen with integrated appliances. Reception desks, storage walls, and built-in shelving are the same story. Custom joinery is one of the biggest cost variables in any Melbourne fitout.
Floor condition. Laying carpet tiles on a flat concrete slab is straightforward. Grinding, levelling, or removing old adhesive residue from a previous tenancy adds $20 to $50 per sqm before new flooring even starts.
Compliance and permits. Heritage overlays, building permits for structural changes, fire engineer reports, and DDA compliance work all add cost and time. In Melbourne CBD, permit lead times alone can stretch a project by weeks.
Furniture specification. If you are buying new workstations, the range is enormous. A basic commercial desk with a task chair can be $800 per position. An ergonomic sit-stand desk with a quality mesh chair, monitor arms, and cable management is $2,500 to $3,500 per position.
What keeps the cost down
Some of the cheapest fitouts we see are businesses that reuse good existing furniture, limit enclosed rooms to what they actually need, choose durable commercial-grade finishes over premium ones, and plan the layout to minimise changes to existing services.
Hiring furniture instead of buying is another way to reduce the upfront capital outlay, especially for businesses on shorter leases or uncertain growth timelines. We cover that in more detail on our office furniture hire page.
How Melbourne compares to Geelong
Geelong fitout costs tend to run 10 to 20 percent lower than Melbourne for comparable projects, mostly because trade rates and site access costs are lower outside the CBD. We published a separate Geelong fitout cost guide earlier this year if you are comparing both locations.
For Melbourne CBD specifically, expect higher costs for after-hours access, loading dock booking fees, and lift protection requirements. These are not huge individually, but on a mid-size fitout they can add $5,000 to $15,000 to the project cost.
A realistic example: 200 sqm mid-range Melbourne fitout
Here is roughly how a 200 sqm mid-range office fitout breaks down:
- Demolition and make-good of previous tenancy: $8,000 to $12,000
- Partitions (two meeting rooms, one quiet room): $15,000 to $22,000
- Electrical and data: $12,000 to $18,000
- Flooring (carpet tile throughout): $8,000 to $14,000
- Painting: $4,000 to $6,000
- Joinery (kitchen, reception desk): $12,000 to $20,000
- Ceiling repairs and lighting: $6,000 to $10,000
- Furniture (15 workstations, chairs, meeting table): $25,000 to $45,000
- Project management, design, compliance: $8,000 to $15,000
Total: roughly $98,000 to $162,000 ex-GST, or $490 to $810 per sqm before furniture. With furniture included, $610 to $1,035 per sqm.
Your numbers will differ. But this gives you a sense of where the money actually goes.
When to get a proper quote
Per-square-metre guides are useful for early budgeting. They are not a substitute for a site-specific quote once you know the space, the lease terms, and what you need the office to do.
The most common mistake we see is businesses locking in a lease before getting fitout pricing. The landlord contribution, the base building condition, and the make-good clause all affect your real cost. Getting a fitout provider involved early, ideally before you sign, saves money more often than it costs.
If you are planning a Melbourne office fitout and want pricing based on your actual space, we do free initial consultations. No obligation, no pitch deck, just a conversation about what the project would realistically cost.
FAQ
How much does a basic office fitout cost in Melbourne? A basic refurbishment with paint, carpet, and minor layout changes typically runs $450 to $800 per sqm ex-GST. If you are reusing most of your existing furniture and keeping the current services, you will be at the lower end.
What is included in a per-square-metre fitout quote? It depends on the provider. Some quote construction only (partitions, flooring, painting, electrical), while others include design, project management, and furniture. Always ask what is included and what is excluded before comparing quotes.
Can I reduce fitout costs by reusing furniture? Yes. Furniture is often 15 to 25 percent of a mid-range fitout budget. Reusing desks and chairs that are in good condition, or hiring furniture for the short term, can cut the upfront spend significantly.
How long does a Melbourne office fitout take? Most fitouts between 100 and 300 sqm take four to eight weeks on site, plus two to four weeks of design and planning beforehand. We wrote a more detailed fitout timeline guide if you need to plan around a move date.
Should I get a fitout quote before signing a lease? Ideally yes. The base building condition, landlord contribution, and make-good clause all affect your total cost. Getting a fitout provider to do a quick assessment of the space before you commit can save you from an expensive surprise.
