Commercial fit out costs Dubai: 2026 AED rates by segment
A tenant ready Cat B commercial fit out in Dubai runs from about AED 2,500 to AED 4,500 per m² for an office, AED 3,000 to AED 6,500 per m² for retail and AED 4,000 to AED 8,000 per m² for a café or restaurant in 2026. What lands on your desk depends on specification, MEP scope and how much the landlord hands over.
Why work with Monde
- Own workforce of more than 50 fit out and renovation specialists
- Operating under its own UAE contracting licence
- A full time project manager on every commercial site
- Commercial only: offices, retail, F&B and hospitality
- BOQ pricing fixed before mobilisation
- Google rating 5 from 3 reviews
What a commercial fit out costs in Dubai in 2026
Budget AED 2,500 to AED 5,500 per m² for a Cat B fit out you can occupy, which is roughly AED 230 to AED 510 per square foot. Shell and core handover and landlord Cat A work sit well below that, because tenant partitions, ceilings, joinery and MEP distribution are not in the price.
These are indicative 2026 ranges, not a fixed quote:
| Scope level | AED per m² | AED per sq ft |
|---|---|---|
| Shell and core handover | 1,200 to 2,000 | 110 to 190 |
| Cat A base fit out | 1,600 to 2,800 | 150 to 260 |
| Cat B office | 2,500 to 4,500 | 230 to 420 |
| Cat B retail | 3,000 to 6,500 | 280 to 600 |
| Cat B café or restaurant | 4,000 to 8,000 | 370 to 745 |
To convert, divide the AED per m² figure by 10.764. That is how AED 3,000 per m² becomes AED 279 per sq ft, the number most leasing teams ask for.
Cost per segment
Office fit out
Cat B office space prices between AED 2,200 and AED 4,500 per m². Open plan with one meeting room sits at the lower end. A reception, boardroom, server room and acoustic treatment push it up.
Retail fit out
AED 3,000 to AED 6,500 per m². Mall units cost more because of design guidelines, sprinkler relocation and after hours working. A community retail unit in Sharjah or Abu Dhabi usually prices 15 to 20 percent below a Dubai mall.
F&B fit out
AED 4,000 to AED 8,000 per m² for a café or restaurant, and up to AED 9,000 per m² where there is a full commercial kitchen, roof extraction, grease trap and cold room.
Hospitality
AED 5,000 to AED 12,000 per m² depending on the FF&E package and whether bathrooms are being rebuilt.
Warehouse and light industrial
AED 600 to AED 1,800 per m², with a fitted office pod inside the shed at AED 2,000 to AED 3,500 per m².
Two worked examples. First, a 150 m² office in Business Bay handed over as shell and core, finished to Cat B at AED 3,200 per m²:
- Partitions, ceilings and doors: AED 120,000
- MEP, HVAC and electrical: AED 130,000
- Flooring: AED 45,000
- Reception and joinery: AED 85,000
- Lighting and AV: AED 40,000
- Painting and finishes: AED 25,000
- Preliminaries and site management: AED 20,000
- Snagging and handover: AED 15,000
Total AED 480,000, which is AED 297 per sq ft across 1,615 sq ft.
Second, a 120 m² café in a Dubai community mall at AED 6,000 per m² comes to AED 720,000, or AED 557 per sq ft. Kitchen and extraction take about AED 180,000, MEP and drainage AED 150,000, and the balance covers joinery, counters, flooring, lighting, shopfront and approvals.
Joinery, accent lighting and built in storage completed by Monde's own finishing team.
Cat A vs Cat B: why the same floor plate quotes 40 to 60 percent apart
Cat A is the landlord base fit out: screed or raised floor, a basic ceiling, capped services and core toilets. Cat B is what makes the space occupiable for your brand, and it carries partitions, ceilings, joinery, lighting design, HVAC zoning, sprinkler and smoke detection changes and signage.
A 200 m² plate handed over as Cat A might be finished for AED 400,000. The same plate as Cat B with a reception, two meeting rooms and a pantry quotes AED 650,000 to AED 700,000. Comparing a Cat A quote against a Cat B quote compares two different products.
What drives the number up or down
MEP scope, joinery, finishes, ceiling height, the landlord base build condition and programme length move a quote more than anything else.
- MEP: extra fan coil units, sprinkler relocation, power and data, kitchen drainage. Often 25 to 35 percent of contract value.
- Joinery: a bespoke reception desk runs AED 25,000 to AED 60,000. Modular units can halve that.
- Finishes: porcelain from AED 90 per m², engineered timber around AED 350 per m², stone cladding from AED 500 per m².
- Ceiling height: atriums and double height retail need scaffolding, access platforms and longer lifts.
- Base build: a bare shell with no capped services adds AED 300 to AED 600 per m².
- Programme: after hours mall working adds 15 to 25 percent.
A Monde project manager walking a live retail fit out before handover. Text sits below the frame so the face stays fully visible.
Permits and authority fees that sit outside the fit out contract
Approval fees are normally excluded from a fit out contract and paid by the tenant. They go to the regulator, not the contractor.
- DET permits and inspections for mainland Dubai
- Trakhees for JAFZA, Nakheel and Dubai Maritime City communities
- Dubai Civil Defence for F&B, assembly and any space with cooking
- DEWA connection, meter and load charges
- District cooling connection and tariff activation
Typical 2026 figures: DET permit and processing AED 3,000 to AED 8,000 depending on area and scope, Civil Defence approval AED 2,500 to AED 6,000, developer or mall design review AED 2,000 to AED 10,000, district cooling connection and TA charge AED 8,000 to AED 25,000 based on load.
The approval path most commercial units follow:
- Landlord or developer design review and NOC.
- Appoint a licensed contractor and submit drawings.
- DET or Trakhees permit issued.
- Civil Defence approval for kitchens and assembly spaces.
- DEWA power and water connection.
- Inspection, snagging and completion certificate.
Our guide to commercial fit out permits in Dubai walks through the paperwork in detail.
How to read and compare commercial fit out quotes
Compare scope, not totals. A cheap lump sum with a thin scope is not a cheaper fit out, it is a bigger variation account later.
- Lump sum: only safe when a full BOQ sits behind it.
- BOQ: priced line by line with quantities, the easiest way to compare two contractors.
- Cost plus: open book with a management fee, usually 10 to 15 percent.
Check what is excluded: permits, Civil Defence, DEWA, chiller and TA charges, loose furniture, IT and AV, signage, landlord reinstatement and after hours access. VAT at 5 percent should be shown separately.
On payment, 30 percent mobilisation then stage payments against completed work is standard. Retention of 5 to 10 percent released after the completion certificate protects you.
Timeline and how it moves cost
A 150 m² Cat B office takes 6 to 10 weeks on site. A 120 m² café with a kitchen takes 10 to 16 weeks. DET and Civil Defence approvals add 3 to 5 weeks before mobilisation, so start the paperwork first. Compressing a programme by around 30 percent usually adds a 10 to 20 percent premium for a second shift and faster procurement. Long lead items are the usual cause of delay: imported joinery, bespoke lighting and commercial kitchen equipment run 4 to 8 weeks.
The site was clean when they left. We needed them fast on a running job. They finished the renovation on time. Good work from start to end. Davranbek Tashbayev, 5/5
Monde works as a commercial fit out contractor in Dubai across the UAE, with the same project managers running offices, retail units and F&B spaces in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. If your unit is an office, the office fit out in Dubai breakdown goes deeper on layout and cost, and for anything with a kitchen or extraction canopy see restaurant fit out in Dubai.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a commercial fit out cost per square foot in Dubai in 2026?
Expect AED 230 to 420 per sq ft for a Cat B office, AED 280 to 600 per sq ft for retail and AED 370 to 745 per sq ft for a café or restaurant. Those are indicative 2026 ranges across the UAE. A firm number needs a floor plan, a specification and the landlord's base build drawings.
What is the difference between Cat A and Cat B fit out cost in Dubai?
Cat A is the landlord's generic base fit out and typically costs AED 1,600 to AED 2,800 per m². Cat B is the tenant fit out you actually occupy and normally prices 40 to 60 percent higher at AED 2,500 to AED 5,500 per m², because it carries partitions, ceilings, joinery, lighting and MEP distribution.
What is usually excluded from a commercial fit out quote in Dubai?
Permits, DET or Trakhees and Civil Defence fees, DEWA connection, district cooling connection and TA charges, loose furniture, IT and AV, signage and landlord reinstatement. Ask for a written exclusions list and confirm who pays the DEWA account and the chiller charges before you sign.
Do I need a fit out permit to open an office or a shop in Dubai?
Yes. Mainland units go through DET, free zone and Nakheel communities through Trakhees, and Downtown Dubai through DDA. Any space with cooking or assembly also needs Civil Defence approval. Budget roughly AED 5,500 to AED 14,000 in total approvals for a typical office, and more for F&B.
How long does a commercial fit out take in Dubai?
Allow 6 to 10 weeks on site for a 150 m² Cat B office, and 10 to 16 weeks for a 120 m² café with a full kitchen. Add 3 to 5 weeks before mobilisation for DET, Trakhees or Civil Defence approvals. Fast track programmes that cut 30 percent off the schedule carry a 10 to 20 percent premium.
Can I phase a commercial fit out to spread the cost?
Yes. Phasing is common in offices and warehouses, 100 m² now and the rest later. Temporary partitions, separate permits and a second mobilisation usually add 8 to 15 percent to the total, so phasing helps cash flow more than it helps overall cost.
