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$/sq-ft construction cost

The bid-vs-budget napkin math. Enter any two of (total cost / area / $-per-sq-ft) and Forward derives the third.

Total cost
$2,000,000
Typical 2026 commercial $/sf ranges
  • Shell only (cold shell): $90-180/sf
  • Office TI (standard finish): $80-200/sf
  • Office TI (high-end finish): $200-400/sf
  • Healthcare clinic fit-out: $250-450/sf
  • Hospital construction: $400-1,000/sf
  • Restaurant fit-out: $250-500/sf
  • Retail TI (standard mall): $80-200/sf
  • Multifamily mid-rise (Type V): $200-350/sf
  • Multifamily high-rise (Type I): $350-600/sf

Ranges vary heavily by market + project complexity. Always confirm against current market data; numbers above are directional 2026 estimates.

Built by Forward

Forward runs napkin-math + the full NEC/IBC/IMC/IPC catalog + Procore + Autodesk + OneDrive project lookups over text. PMs run portfolio cost-per-sf comparisons by text against their connected projects.