Pick your sector, tell us the existing condition of the tenancy, choose your scope and get a transparent line-item planning range in Australian dollars per square metre.
Only the items that actually apply to this sector are shown.
Base rates are published 2026 Australian fit-out ranges per square metre, split by sector and specification level. That base is then adjusted by a state multiplier (labour and trade rates differ across Australia), a size factor (small tenancies cost more per m² because fixed site costs spread over less area), and your existing-condition factor. Scope items are added as a percentage of the construction subtotal, because that is how they actually scale. Strip-out and make-good are priced per square metre and shown as their own line so you can see exactly what demolition is costing you. Contingency and GST are applied last.
Sources: Retail national tiers: goingrate.com.au, focusshopfit.com.au, accessprojects.com.au (2026 guides); WA 2026 tiers + hospitality: QuoteYard — basic 800-1500, mid 1500-2800, flagship 2800-5500, hosp 2500-6000; Office 2026: Cat A $400-700/m2, standard Cat B $1,500-2,500/m2, premium Cat B $2,500-4,000/m2 (2026 AU fitout cost guides; niche advisory, hub interiors, GTG Constructions, Cushman & Wakefield); Hospitality 2026: restaurantility.com.au ($1,800-7,000+/m2), whatsthedamage.com.au Melbourne ($1,500-3,400/m2), hospitalityhub.com.au; Medical / healthcare 2026: published medical-centre fitout guides — typical project range $250k-$1.2M; $1,200-6,500/m2 by tier; Strip-out / make-good: published 2026 AU make-good and demolition rate guides — $180-350/m2 strip-out, $120-260/m2 make-good; State multipliers: derived from shopfitter.com.au per-state published ranges (ame2 verified baseline)
It gives an indicative planning range based on published 2026 Australian rates per square metre. Real quotes commonly vary by 30-50% either way because site conditions, design documentation and trade availability differ between projects. Use it to sanity-check a budget, not to sign a lease.
Existing condition is usually the single biggest driver. A bare shell needs partitions, ceiling, floor and services built from nothing. A tenancy that already has services but a heavy old fit-out needs demolition and disposal first. Refurbishing your own fit-out cosmetically can cost less than half of a full new fit-out.
Cat A is the base-building work a landlord typically delivers - ceiling grid, lighting, floor slab, services to the tenancy. Cat B is what the tenant builds on top: partitions, joinery, finishes, data, signage and FF&E. If you are taking a bare shell you may be paying for Cat A and Cat B.
Published 2026 Australian rates sit around $180-350 per square metre for a full strip-out including disposal, and $120-260 per square metre for lease make-good works. Both are affected by whether the building has lift access, whether asbestos is present, and what the lease requires you to reinstate.
Hospitality and food is consistently the highest because of commercial kitchens, exhaust and grease systems, fire suppression, cool rooms and wet-area waterproofing. Healthcare is next because of clinical infrastructure such as medical gas, sterilisation and hand basins. Office and industrial office are typically the lowest per square metre.
Fit-out contracts in Australia almost always show GST separately. If you are registered for GST you generally claim it back, so compare quotes excluding GST and budget the cash flow for the GST portion.
Ready for a real number? Get itemised quotes from fit-out contractors who work in your sector and state.
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