Hospital Construction Cost Calculator
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 hospital construction benchmark rate and need transparent arithmetic — not a market forecast — for a specific quantity and allowance set, at feasibility or schematic design.
Published benchmarks
Hospital and outpatient construction cost per square foot from RSMeans, RLB and current healthcare-builder reports. Pick a row to use it as the entered rate, or enter your own.
| Benchmark | Value | Unit | Edition | Scope | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acute-care hospital, general, 2–3 storeys | 439.85–454.33 | $/sf | 2026 edition | US national | RSMeans (Gordian), cost to build a hospital | |
| Hospital, general, hard construction cost | 455–925 | $/sf | Q1 2026 | Chicago, IL | RLB Quarterly Construction Cost Report, North America, Q1 2026 | |
| Hospital, general, hard construction cost | 655–1000 | $/sf | Q1 2026 | New York, NY | RLB Quarterly Construction Cost Report, North America, Q1 2026 | |
| Hospital, general, hard construction cost | 705–1070 | $/sf | Q1 2026 | Los Angeles, CA | RLB Quarterly Construction Cost Report, North America, Q1 2026 | |
| Large tertiary hospital (500+ beds) | 560–800 | $/sf | 2026 | US national | BSA Design, Hospital Construction Cost 2026 Data Report | |
| Hospital, Northeast | 575–720 | $/sf | 2026 | Northeast US (NYC, Boston) | BSA Design, Hospital Construction Cost 2026 Data Report | |
| Hospital, Midwest | 460–545 | $/sf | 2026 | Midwest US | BSA Design, Hospital Construction Cost 2026 Data Report | |
| Hospital, Southeast | 420–510 | $/sf | 2026 | Southeast US | BSA Design, Hospital Construction Cost 2026 Data Report | |
| Medical office building, single-specialty | 350–475 | $/sf | 2026 | US | Terrapin Construction Group, medical office building cost | |
| Medical office building, multi-tenant | 425–600 | $/sf | 2026 | US | Terrapin Construction Group, medical office building cost | |
| Urgent care | 450–625 | $/sf | 2026 | US | Terrapin Construction Group, medical office building cost | |
| Ambulatory surgery center, single-specialty (1–2 ORs) | 550–750 | $/sf | 2026 | US | Terrapin Construction Group, ASC cost per square foot 2026 | |
| Ambulatory surgery center, multi-specialty (3–4 ORs) | 650–850 | $/sf | 2026 | US | Terrapin Construction Group, ASC cost per square foot 2026 |
Figures are as published on the linked page; check edition, scope and what the rate includes before using one.
—
How to use this calculator
The formula
Worked example
When this estimate will be off
- Hospital $/sf ranges vary sharply by subtype — acute-care (RSMeans, 439.85–454.33), large tertiary (BSA, 560–800), medical office building and urgent care (Terrapin, 350–625), and ambulatory surgery center (Terrapin, 550–850) are not interchangeable (src/config/calculator-benchmarks.ts:166-178).
- Per the RLB Q1 2026 report cited on the cost hub, a general hospital in Chicago ($455–925/sf) runs roughly 1.3–1.6× a prime Chicago office ($355–580/sf) — not the 3–5× multiple often assumed (src/pages/construction-cost/index.astro:63-64).
- 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: Hospital $/sf ranges vary sharply by subtype — acute-care (RSMeans, 439.85–454.33), large tertiary (BSA, 560–800), medical office building and urgent care (Terrapin, 350–625), and ambulatory surgery center (Terrapin, 550–850) are not interchangeable (src/config/calculator-benchmarks.ts:166-178).
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 hospital 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 Hospital Construction Cost Calculator is built and maintained by DataDrivenAEC, using the relevant codes and standards. It does not substitute for professional judgment.