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User-supplied benchmarkTransparent allowances

Construction Cost Estimator

Apply a dated, location-specific construction rate and user-entered allowances. No market rate, regional factor, quality multiplier, fee, contingency, escalation, or external-works percentage is embedded.

Who it's for: architects, owners, and estimators who already have a dated construction benchmark rate and need transparent arithmetic — not a market forecast — for a specific quantity and allowance set, at feasibility or schematic design.

Scenario, not a forecast
Total = quantity × entered rate × (1 + entered allowances). Align currency, base date, scope, measurement basis, location, taxes, escalation and exclusions before comparing scenarios.

Published benchmarks

Hard construction cost per square foot by building type from one published matrix (RLB, Chicago), and average construction cost per square metre for the ten most expensive cities worldwide (Turner & Townsend). Pick a row to use it as the entered rate, or enter your own market’s figure.

BenchmarkValueUnitEditionScopeSource
Warehouse (industrial)155–245$/sfQ1 2026Chicago, ILRLB Quarterly Construction Cost Report, North America, Q1 2026
Office, prime355–580$/sfQ1 2026Chicago, ILRLB Quarterly Construction Cost Report, North America, Q1 2026
Office, secondary215–350$/sfQ1 2026Chicago, ILRLB Quarterly Construction Cost Report, North America, Q1 2026
Retail, shopping center220–465$/sfQ1 2026Chicago, ILRLB Quarterly Construction Cost Report, North America, Q1 2026
Retail, strip170–280$/sfQ1 2026Chicago, ILRLB Quarterly Construction Cost Report, North America, Q1 2026
Multi-family residential220–490$/sfQ1 2026Chicago, ILRLB Quarterly Construction Cost Report, North America, Q1 2026
Single-family residential285–570$/sfQ1 2026Chicago, ILRLB Quarterly Construction Cost Report, North America, Q1 2026
Elementary school320–480$/sfQ1 2026Chicago, ILRLB Quarterly Construction Cost Report, North America, Q1 2026
High school375–515$/sfQ1 2026Chicago, ILRLB Quarterly Construction Cost Report, North America, Q1 2026
University450–910$/sfQ1 2026Chicago, ILRLB Quarterly Construction Cost Report, North America, Q1 2026
Hotel, 3-star385–515$/sfQ1 2026Chicago, ILRLB Quarterly Construction Cost Report, North America, Q1 2026
Hotel, 5-star530–810$/sfQ1 2026Chicago, ILRLB Quarterly Construction Cost Report, North America, Q1 2026
Hospital, general455–925$/sfQ1 2026Chicago, ILRLB Quarterly Construction Cost Report, North America, Q1 2026
Average construction cost, New York City5,744$/m²International Construction Market Survey, latestNew York, NYTurner & Townsend, US cities most expensive places to build globally
Average construction cost, San Francisco5,504$/m²International Construction Market Survey, latestSan Francisco, CATurner & Townsend, US cities most expensive places to build globally
Average construction cost, Zurich5,386$/m²International Construction Market Survey, latestZurich, CHTurner & Townsend, US cities most expensive places to build globally
Average construction cost, Geneva5,386$/m²International Construction Market Survey, latestGeneva, CHTurner & Townsend, US cities most expensive places to build globally
Average construction cost, London5,385$/m²International Construction Market Survey, latestLondon, UKTurner & Townsend, US cities most expensive places to build globally
Average construction cost, Los Angeles4,786$/m²International Construction Market Survey, latestLos Angeles, CATurner & Townsend, US cities most expensive places to build globally
Average construction cost, Chicago4,695$/m²International Construction Market Survey, latestChicago, ILTurner & Townsend, US cities most expensive places to build globally
Average construction cost, Tokyo4,647$/m²International Construction Market Survey, latestTokyo, JPTurner & Townsend, US cities most expensive places to build globally
Average construction cost, Philadelphia4,604$/m²International Construction Market Survey, latestPhiladelphia, PATurner & Townsend, US cities most expensive places to build globally
Average construction cost, Sapporo4,577$/m²International Construction Market Survey, latestSapporo, JPTurner & Townsend, US cities most expensive places to build globally

Figures are as published on the linked page; check edition, scope and what the rate includes before using one.

How to use this calculator

1
Pick your building type from the Chicago matrix
RLB prices thirteen building types — warehouse, office (prime/secondary), retail (shopping/strip), residential (multi/single-family), school (elementary/high), university, hotel (3-star/5-star), hospital — all for the same city, Chicago, so types are directly comparable.
2
Or use a city-level average for international comparison
Turner & Townsend gives one blended average construction cost per square metre for each of ten expensive cities worldwide (New York, San Francisco, Zurich, Geneva, London, Los Angeles, Chicago, Tokyo, Philadelphia, Sapporo), not split by building type.
3
Enter allowances and reconcile
Add fees, contingency, and other allowances not already inside the benchmark rate, then compare the total against a project-specific quote rather than treating it as a forecast.

The formula

Base amount = entered quantity × entered rate. Total = base amount × (1 + fees% + contingency% + other allowance%).

Worked example

Example
A 50,000 sf office building at the RLB Chicago prime-class low-end rate of 355 per sf, plus 7% fees and 5% contingency: 50,000 × 355 = 17,750,000 base; 17,750,000 × 1.12 = 19,880,000 total.

When this estimate will be off

  • The thirteen RLB rows are all Chicago-only — comparing building types here does not compare cities; comparing cities requires switching to the Turner & Townsend rows instead (src/config/calculator-benchmarks.ts:230-242).
  • Turner & Townsend rows are one blended average per city, not split by building type, and are priced per square metre, not per square foot (src/config/calculator-benchmarks.ts:243-252).
  • Benchmark rows on this page are sourced reference points, not market data for your project; no currency conversion is supplied.
  • No cost-plan, procurement, escalation, tax, finance, schedule, risk, or professional adequacy determination is made.

Frequently asked questions

A common mistake: The thirteen RLB rows are all Chicago-only — comparing building types here does not compare cities; comparing cities requires switching to the Turner & Townsend rows instead (src/config/calculator-benchmarks.ts:230-242).

No. It applies transparent arithmetic to a user-supplied benchmark and allowances — it does not predict bids, escalation, or final cost.

Use a dated source for the same market, currency, measurement basis, scope, and project type as the construction project you're estimating. The benchmark table above lists sourced reference points, not market data for your project.

So nothing already included in the base rate is counted twice. Enter only allowances not already reflected in the benchmark rate itself.

No. The result is base amount × (1 + fees% + contingency% + other allowance%) only. Escalation, taxes, finance, procurement risk, and professional adequacy are not determined by this worksheet.

Sources

  • User-identified cost source — must provide the rate, market, date, currency, measurement basis, scope, inclusions and exclusions

This free Construction Cost Estimator is built and maintained by DataDrivenAEC, using the relevant codes and standards. It does not substitute for professional judgment.