Office Interior Cost Guide: Bangalore 2026

01.The four cost bands that actually exist

Most clients ask "what does it cost per sqft" and get an answer between ₹1,200 and ₹8,000. That is technically correct and operationally useless. The reality is four discrete bands, each with its own material grade, MEP load, and execution depth.

Band 1 — Basic (₹1,500-2,500/sqft)

Standard partitions, vitrified tile flooring, basic acoustic ceiling, LED tube-light grid, standard pantry, basic toilet fit-out. Furniture is modular standard. AC is split or basic VRV. Suits startups in early stages, support floors for IT services, back-of-house industrial admin.

Band 2 — Standard (₹2,500-4,000/sqft)

The most common band. Glass partitions in collaboration zones, engineered wood or laminate flooring, mineral fibre acoustic ceiling, layered lighting (ambient + task), branded pantry, mid-spec toilet. Better workstations, ergonomic chairs. VRV/VRF AC. Suits standard corporate offices, IT product floors, mid-sized BFSI branches.

Band 3 — Premium (₹4,000-6,000/sqft)

Premium finishes across boardroom and executive floor — real veneer joinery, acoustic ceiling, layered lighting design, premium sanitary in visitor toilets. AAA-grade fittings (Hafele, Hettich). Tier-2 power redundancy where the brief warrants. Suits BFSI corporate offices, fintech HQs, listed-company regional offices.

Band 4 — Signature (₹6,000+/sqft)

Custom-fabricated joinery, FSC-certified hardwood throughout, integrated AV in boardrooms, premium acoustic spec, stone or specialised flooring, signature lighting design. Tier-3 power. Suits listed-company HQs, BFSI dealing rooms, brand-flagship corporate offices, signature founder-floor projects.

02.What each sector typically lands in

The patterns across our 300+ projects, by sector:

• Startups (Series A-C) — Band 1 for the open bay, Band 3 for the investor-facing 5% (reception, demo zone, founder cabin). Blended average ~₹2,500/sqft.
• IT services / product engineering — Band 2 across the floor, Band 3 for the executive floor. Blended ~₹3,200/sqft.
• BFSI corporate — Band 3 minimum, Band 4 in the boardroom and dealing rooms. Blended ~₹4,800/sqft.
• Healthcare clinics (NABH-ready) — Band 2-3, medical-grade flooring + MEP loaded on top. Blended ~₹3,800/sqft. Day-care surgical units push higher.
• F&B (restaurants, cafés) — Band 2-3 front-of-house, kitchen priced separately on chef spec. Blended for FOH ~₹4,000/sqft.
• Retail showrooms — Band 3 standard, Band 4 for brand flagships. VM fixtures priced separately. Blended ~₹4,500/sqft.
• Education (schools, coaching) — Band 1-2 across classrooms, Band 3 for reception and admin. Blended ~₹2,800/sqft.
• Industrial admin blocks — Band 1-2 with IS-code overlay. Blended ~₹2,400/sqft.

03.What's in a real line-item BOQ

A line-item BOQ on letterhead has 80-200 lines for a standard 6,000 sqft fit-out. A vague quote has 4-8 line items grouped under "civil work" / "MEP" / "furniture." The difference shows up in the final invoice.

Here is the standard structure we use:

Civil & partitions

• Demolition (per cum) — broken out by area
• Partition framing (per running ft, MS or aluminum)
• Gypsum boarding (per sqft, brand + grade)
• Glass partitions (per sqft, single/double glazing, brand)
• Ceiling — mineral fibre / gypsum / wood slat (per sqft, brand)
• Flooring — by zone (vinyl / vitrified / wood / carpet, brand + SKU)
• Paint — by surface area + finish (brand, VOC level)

MEP (the often-skipped lines)

• Electrical — power layout, switchgear, cabling (by run-length and rating)
• Lighting — fixtures by location, brand SKU, lumens
• AC — VRV/VRF units, indoor units, ducting (by tonnage and brand)
• Networking — cabling, racks, switches (by point count)
• UPS / backup — sizing and battery capacity
• Fire fighting — sprinklers, hose reels, fire NOC compliance items
• Plumbing — pantry, toilets, water purification

Furniture & fittings

• Workstations — count × type × brand
• Chairs — ergonomic spec by zone
• Cabin furniture — desks, credenzas, side tables
• Conference tables — per location
• Lounge / café seating
• Storage — built-in + freestanding

Branding, signage, finishes

• Brand wall fabrication
• Reception desk fabrication (custom or modular)
• Signage — internal wayfinding, external fascia
• Wallpaper / texture paint / fluted panels (by sqft)

Project management & defect liability

• PM fee (usually 6-10% of project value)
• Site supervision
• Snagging week
• 12-month defect liability provision (built into contingency)
• Contingency band (typically 5-8%)

If your quote doesn't break out at least 80% of these lines, you don't have a real quote. You have a guess that will quietly become a different number at month four.

04.Example: 6,000 sqft IT-corporate office

Sample BOQ for a typical Sarjapur Road IT-services office, 6,000 sqft, Standard band:

• Civil + partitions: ₹38 lakh (~₹633/sqft)
• Flooring + ceiling: ₹22 lakh (~₹367/sqft)
• Paint + finishes: ₹8 lakh (~₹133/sqft)
• MEP (electrical, AC, networking, fire, plumbing): ₹52 lakh (~₹867/sqft)
• Furniture (workstations, cabins, conference, lounge): ₹48 lakh (~₹800/sqft)
• Branding, signage, custom reception: ₹14 lakh (~₹233/sqft)
• Project management + supervision: ₹13 lakh (~₹217/sqft)
• Contingency (6%): ₹11 lakh
• Total: ₹206 lakh / ~₹3,430/sqft

That's a typical Standard-band Bangalore IT-office number for 2026. Premium would push to ₹4,200-4,800; Basic would compress to ₹2,000-2,400.

05.Costs that get left out of vague quotes

The lines that consistently show up as "surprise" invoices in the third or fourth month, when the quote was vague to start with:

• MEP coordination — Drawing prep, BBMP submissions, sign-offs. Often invoiced separately later.
• Fire NOC compliance items — Sprinkler upgrades, hose reels, escape signage. Costs ₹50K-₹3 lakh depending on building.
• Snagging beyond week one — Some firms charge extra for snags found in week three or four.
• Furniture freight + installation — Sometimes excluded from "furniture" line.
• Builder NOC fees — Building management fees, lift damage deposits, gate-pass admin.
• Power upgrades — If the building's existing power capacity is inadequate, the discom upgrade is on you.
• Late-stage design changes — Without a written change-order process, every late-stage tweak becomes a price negotiation.

A good BOQ either includes these lines or explicitly flags them as exclusions. A bad BOQ silently treats them as exclusions and invoices them when the project is committed.

06.What actually moves the per-sqft number

The biggest cost drivers across our projects:

1. Glass partitions vs gypsum. Glass is 2-3x the cost of gypsum. A floor with 50%+ glass partitions adds ₹300-600/sqft to the blended cost.
2. Premium veneer vs laminate. Real veneer on executive floors adds ₹400-1,200/sqft to those zones.
3. MEP density. Server rooms, dealing floors, clinical zones — all push MEP cost up. Standard office MEP is ~₹600-900/sqft; medical or trading-grade is ₹1,200-2,000/sqft.
4. Acoustic spec. STC-rated partitions and acoustic ceiling in boardrooms add ₹500-1,200/sqft to those zones.
5. Sample mock-ups. Building a sample cabin or sample bathroom before bulk procurement adds 3-5% to total but saves much more in avoided redos.
6. Brand-flagship reception. Custom-fabricated joinery, layered lighting, real materials — can take reception zone to ₹8,000-15,000/sqft.

07.How to compare quotes from three firms

You will likely get quotes from three firms. Most clients struggle because the quotes are structured differently. Here is how to normalise the comparison:

1. Ask all three for line-item BOQs in the same structure (Civil / MEP / Furniture / Branding / PM / Contingency).
2. For each line, ask for the material brand and grade. "AC" is not enough; "Daikin VRV-IV, 50 ton total" is enough.
3. Identify exclusions. The cheapest quote is usually cheapest because it excludes more.
4. Compare the contingency line. A quote with no contingency line is hiding overruns.
5. Compare PM fees. Some firms hide PM under "civil supervision" which inflates that line.
6. Ask each firm for two references in your sector at your scale. Call them. Ask specifically about the final-invoice-vs-BOQ variance and the post-handover responsiveness.

If you want our line-item BOQ template to use as the comparison sheet, request a free estimate — we share the template even if you don't engage us.