This guide is for businesses, office managers and tenant reps budgeting a fit-out in Dubai — DIFC, Business Bay, JLT, Internet City or a free-zone tower. The bands below are indicative planning figures from current UAE commercial work, not a quote. Office fit-out is priced per square foot and driven by specification, MEP load and landlord/authority requirements, so a real number always follows a measured BOQ.
Indicative per-sqft bands
| Fit-out type | What it covers | Indicative AED / sqft |
|---|---|---|
| Cat-A (base build) | Raised floor, ceiling grid, basic MEP, finishes to shell | AED 300–500 |
| Cat-B — standard | Partitions, workstations zoning, MEP distribution, basic joinery | AED 500–800 |
| Cat-B — premium | Bespoke joinery, feature ceilings, AV, glazing, branded spaces | AED 800–1,500+ |
| Warehouse / industrial | Epoxy floor, racking-ready, basic office pod, services | AED 150–350 |
Cost by office size (Cat-B standard)
| Office | Indicative area | Indicative range |
|---|---|---|
| Small suite | ~1,500 sqft | AED 750,000–1,200,000 |
| Floor plate | ~5,000 sqft | AED 2,500,000–4,000,000 |
| Multi-floor HQ | 10,000 sqft+ | AED 5,000,000+ |
What swings a fit-out budget
- Cat-A vs Cat-B. Whether the landlord delivers a serviced base build or you fit out from shell changes the per-sqft figure substantially.
- MEP load. Server rooms, dense meeting suites and kitchens drive HVAC, power and drainage well beyond an open-plan baseline.
- Specification. Acoustic glazing, bespoke joinery, feature ceilings and AV are the biggest swing items.
- Landlord & authority requirements. Free-zone, DDA, Trakhees or DM/DCD sign-off, plus landlord licence-for-alterations, add programme and cost.
- Reinstatement obligations. Lease make-good clauses are easy to forget at budget stage and real at exit.
- Phasing & access. After-hours work to keep a tower operational carries a premium.
- Density. Headcount per floor sets partitioning, services and furniture intensity.
What a fit-out BOQ covers
In the BOQ: a free site visit, a measured itemised BOQ, RAMS and programme, single-PM delivery, MEP, joinery, flooring and finishes coordinated in-house, DM/DCD/DEWA and landlord NOC handling where the scope requires it, and a written workmanship guarantee with the period stated in handover documents.
Outside the BOQ: loose furniture and IT/AV hardware unless specified, statutory and authority fees paid directly, and lease reinstatement unless scoped — we price it explicitly rather than leave it implied.
A delivery note from experience: on occupied towers we sequence noisy and wet trades into after-hours windows agreed with building management before mobilising, so the BOQ reflects the access reality, not an empty-shell assumption. We deliver fit-out as a managed contract under one project manager — not piecemeal trades.
Need a measured BOQ for your space? See our commercial renovation & office fit-out services or book a free site visit.