Office fit out cost Dubai: AED per sq ft and hidden extras
An office fit out in Dubai typically costs AED 250 to 400 per sq ft for a Cat B workplace ready for staff, starts near AED 90 per sq ft for shell and core, and reaches AED 650 per sq ft for turnkey delivery with joinery, AV and furniture. The figures below are scope bands, not quotations, and they exclude the permit and landlord fees that rarely appear in a first estimate from an office fit out contractor in Dubai.
Why work with Monde
- Own workforce of 50+ fit out specialists working under Monde's own licence
- Dedicated project managers on every commercial fit out
- Workplace focus across offices, retail, F&B and hospitality
- Itemised BOQ and fixed pricing agreed before mobilisation
- UAE coverage, from Dubai towers to Abu Dhabi and Sharjah commercial buildings
- Google rating 5 from 3 reviews
What an office fit out costs in Dubai
Most Dubai office fit outs land between AED 250 and 400 per sq ft. The band depends on how much base build already exists.
- Shell and core with MEP distribution: AED 90 to 150 per sq ft
- Cat A base build, with ceilings, raised floor, sprinklers, core toilets and basic MEP: AED 150 to 250 per sq ft
- Cat B workplace built for occupation: AED 250 to 400 per sq ft
- Turnkey with joinery, AV, access control and loose furniture: AED 400 to 650 per sq ft
| Spec band | AED per sq ft | 5,000 sq ft total | Scope |
|---|---|---|---|
| Budget | 220 to 270 | AED 1.1M to 1.35M | Open plan, gypsum ceilings, vinyl flooring, basic MEP |
| Mid | 300 to 380 | AED 1.5M to 1.9M | Glass partitions, three meeting rooms, feature ceiling, joinery, Cat 6A |
| High | 420 to 520 | AED 2.1M to 2.6M | Acoustic pods, veneer joinery, smart lighting, AV, furniture, reception |
A worked example: a 5,000 sq ft Cat B office in Business Bay with 42 workstations, three meeting rooms and one pantry came in at AED 1.62M, about AED 324 per sq ft. Fewer glass partitions and simpler landlord rules in Sharjah pulled a similar brief closer to AED 275 per sq ft.
Cat A vs Cat B vs turnkey: how scope choice moves the number
Cat A is the landlord base build, Cat B is the workplace you actually occupy, and turnkey adds furniture, AV and everything else needed on day one.
- Cat A handover usually includes finished ceilings, raised floor, sprinklers, core toilets and capped MEP. It looks finished but has no workplace services.
- Cat B adds partitions, doors, pantry, meeting rooms, power and data outlets, lighting layout and HVAC adjustment. This is the AED 250 to 400 per sq ft band.
- Turnkey adds reception joinery, AV, access control, signage and loose furniture, which takes the number to AED 400 to 650 per sq ft.
Upgrading 5,000 sq ft from Cat B to full turnkey can add AED 800,000 to AED 1.2M. Cat A plus targeted Cat B remains the cheapest route that still passes landlord inspection. Our office fit out in Dubai hub covers scope, permits and programme.
Cost drivers that swing office fit out budgets
MEP, partitions and joinery move the number far more than paint and finishes. Indicative allowances for a 5,000 sq ft floor:
- HVAC, FCU relocation and chilled water connection: AED 40 to 90 per sq ft
- Partitions, doors and glazing: AED 25 to 70 per sq ft
- Ceilings and lighting: AED 15 to 35 per sq ft
- Joinery, reception and pantry: AED 30 to 120 per sq ft
- Flooring: AED 12 to 45 per sq ft
- AV, access control and data cabling: AED 15 to 40 per sq ft
- Workstations and loose furniture: AED 20 to 60 per sq ft
Two items catch owners out. Chilled water connection charges are set by the tower, not the contractor. Data cabling is often quoted as a provisional sum, then re-measured once the rack and floor box count is fixed. For retail and F&B units, our commercial fit out costs in Dubai guide shows where those numbers split from office work.
Bedroom joinery, marble panelling and layered lighting finished by the same in-house trades that deliver our office interiors in Dubai.
Approvals and fees that sit outside the contractor quote
Permits, landlord deposits and utility upgrades are normally paid by the tenant and sit outside the fit out contract.
- DET fit out permit and drawing review: AED 2,500 to 8,000 for a typical office floor
- Landlord fit out guide, NOC and refundable security deposit: AED 3,000 to 20,000 depending on the tower
- DEWA power upgrade or new meter where the load increases: AED 15,000 to 60,000
- Civil Defence review where the layout touches means of escape: AED 3,000 to 12,000
- Consultant drawings and supervision: AED 8 to 20 per sq ft
Free zone towers differ. DIFC, DMCC and Dubai South each run their own submission route and contractor registration, so the same floor can clear two weeks faster in one tower than another. Our commercial fit out permit approvals article maps what each authority asks for.
Timeline and how it maps to cost
A 5,000 sq ft Cat B office runs 10 to 16 weeks from design start to handover. Compressing that programme costs money.
- Design, BOQ and value engineering, 2 to 3 weeks
- Permit submission, landlord NOC and contractor registration, 3 to 6 weeks
- Mobilisation, protection and site setup, 3 to 5 days
- Partitions, MEP first fix and HVAC works, weeks 1 to 4 on site
- Ceilings, joinery and flooring, weeks 5 to 8
- Finishes, AV, testing, snagging and handover, weeks 9 to 12
Phased handover costs more because trades work in smaller zones and out of hours, typically 10 to 20 percent on labour. It is still worth it when a trading floor cannot close.
Davranbek Tashbayev, 5/5 stars 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.
Reception-grade finishes in a completed Monde living space, the same standard we apply to office receptions and meeting rooms.
How to compare office fit out quotes like-for-like
Compare exclusions and preliminaries before you compare the rate per sq ft.
- Exclusions: check whether permits, DEWA works, furniture, AV and final cleaning are in or out
- Preliminaries: site management, protection, hoisting, welfare and after-hours permissions belong on their own line, not buried in rates
- Contingency: 5 to 10 percent is normal on a Cat B office. A quote with nothing held back usually means variations later
- BOQ depth: ask for quantities, brands and finishes rather than lump sums per room
- Provisional sums: get them marked so you can see what will be re-measured
hayat Berhe, 5/5 stars I have seen the work and site coordination of Monde Arabian Building Contracting LLC, and I can say their team is professional and well organized.
Budget-saving levers that do not compromise handover
- Keep the existing ceiling grid and light positions where the layout allows
- Reuse FCUs and diffusers if the capacity study supports it
- Use vinyl or carpet tile back of house and save the timber for client-facing areas
- Drywall partitions at the core instead of glazing
- Standardise meeting room sizes so doors, glazing and joinery repeat
- Split the fit out into two phases, move-in ready first, reception and meeting rooms later
Frequently asked questions
How much does an office fit out cost per sq ft in Dubai?
For a Cat B workplace ready for staff, expect AED 250 to 400 per sq ft. Shell and core work starts near AED 90 per sq ft, and turnkey delivery with furniture and AV reaches AED 400 to 650 per sq ft. On 5,000 sq ft that is roughly AED 1.25M to AED 3.25M depending on scope.
What is the cheapest way to fit out an office in Dubai?
Take the floor in Cat A condition and spend only on what staff use daily, which means partitions, pantry, cabling, lighting and HVAC adjustments. That usually lands at AED 220 to 270 per sq ft. Skipping the landlord NOC or the DET permit costs more later, because both can trigger stop-work notices or reinstatement at your cost.
How much does a DET fit out permit cost in Dubai?
Budget AED 2,500 to 8,000 for the permit and drawing review on a typical office floor. Consultant fees for drawings and supervision run AED 8 to 20 per sq ft. Landlord NOC and security deposits of AED 3,000 to 20,000 sit separately and are usually refundable.
How long does an office fit out take in Dubai?
A 5,000 sq ft Cat B office takes 10 to 16 weeks from design start to handover, and 3 to 6 of those weeks go to permits and landlord approvals. Site works alone usually run 8 to 12 weeks. Phased handover while staff keep working adds roughly two weeks and 10 to 20 percent on labour.
Why do office fit out quotes in Dubai differ so much?
Mostly because of MEP assumptions, exclusions, preliminaries and contingency. One quote may keep the existing FCUs while another prices relocation and new chilled water connections. Ask for quantities, brands and a separate preliminaries line, then compare totals on the same scope.
