Construction Cost
Planning Calculators
22 bounded calculators for quantities and early planning. Each method states what the user must supply and what the output excludes.
Construction Cost Calculators
Choose the calculation matching the quantity or planning question. Verify every rate, currency, date, geography, scope, and allowance before relying on an output.
Define the estimate basis before calculating
These tools perform bounded arithmetic on user-entered quantities, rates, and assumptions. They do not supply a current market cost database, a bid, or a complete development-cost estimate.
- State the project stage, location, currency, date, measurement basis, and source of every rate.
- Separate measured quantities from allowances, contingencies, escalation, taxes, fees, and exclusions.
- Treat a planning output as an editable scenario, not a contractor quotation or certified estimate.
- Reconcile results with current local evidence and the project cost professional before a decision.
Area-unit conversion is arithmetic. A rate still belongs to a particular currency, location, date, building scope, procurement route, and evidence source; changing the area unit does not translate those conditions.
Complexity, servicing, equipment, site constraints, specification, procurement, programme, and market conditions can materially change cost. Supply a defensible project-specific rate instead of relying on a generic building-type range.
In the RLB Quarterly Construction Cost Report (North America, Q1 2026) the Chicago hard-cost range is $455–925/sf for a general hospital against $355–580/sf for a prime office. Healthcare carries MEP complexity, infection-control requirements, heavier structure and specialist equipment, but the multiple is closer to 1.5× than the 3–5× often repeated. Supply a project-specific, dated rate for the building you are pricing.
Source and review basis
Hub claims reviewed .