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User-supplied benchmarkTransparent allowances

Retail 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 retail 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

Retail hard construction cost per square foot by city (RLB) and in-line fit-out cost by region (Cushman & Wakefield). Pick a row to use it as the entered rate, or enter your own.

BenchmarkValueUnitEditionScopeSource
Retail, shopping center, hard construction cost205–335$/sfQ1 2026Austin, TXRLB Quarterly Construction Cost Report, North America, Q1 2026
Retail, shopping center, hard construction cost250–400$/sfQ1 2026Boston, MARLB Quarterly Construction Cost Report, North America, Q1 2026
Retail, shopping center, hard construction cost220–465$/sfQ1 2026Chicago, ILRLB Quarterly Construction Cost Report, North America, Q1 2026
Retail, shopping center, hard construction cost195–405$/sfQ1 2026Los Angeles, CARLB Quarterly Construction Cost Report, North America, Q1 2026
Retail, shopping center, hard construction cost365–730$/sfQ1 2026New York, NYRLB Quarterly Construction Cost Report, North America, Q1 2026
Retail, shopping center, hard construction cost190–340$/sfQ1 2026Washington, DCRLB Quarterly Construction Cost Report, North America, Q1 2026
Retail, strip center, hard construction cost195–260$/sfQ1 2026Austin, TXRLB Quarterly Construction Cost Report, North America, Q1 2026
Retail, strip center, hard construction cost175–280$/sfQ1 2026Boston, MARLB Quarterly Construction Cost Report, North America, Q1 2026
Retail, strip center, hard construction cost170–280$/sfQ1 2026Chicago, ILRLB Quarterly Construction Cost Report, North America, Q1 2026
Retail, strip center, hard construction cost160–235$/sfQ1 2026Los Angeles, CARLB Quarterly Construction Cost Report, North America, Q1 2026
Retail, strip center, hard construction cost385–775$/sfQ1 2026New York, NYRLB Quarterly Construction Cost Report, North America, Q1 2026
Retail, strip center, hard construction cost155–255$/sfQ1 2026Washington, DCRLB Quarterly Construction Cost Report, North America, Q1 2026
In-line retail fit-out, national average157$/sf2026USCushman & Wakefield 2026 U.S. Retail Fit Out Cost Guide
In-line retail fit-out217$/sf2026Northern CaliforniaCushman & Wakefield 2026 U.S. Retail Fit Out Cost Guide
In-line retail fit-out202$/sf2026Pacific NorthwestCushman & Wakefield 2026 U.S. Retail Fit Out Cost Guide
In-line retail fit-out181$/sf2026New York CityCushman & Wakefield 2026 U.S. Retail Fit Out Cost Guide
In-line retail fit-out126$/sf2026Southeast USCushman & Wakefield 2026 U.S. Retail Fit Out Cost Guide
In-line retail fit-out120$/sf2026Midwest USCushman & Wakefield 2026 U.S. Retail Fit Out Cost Guide

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 shopping center or strip center
RLB splits hard construction cost by shopping-center and strip-center format across six cities. Enter square footage against the format matching your project.
2
Or use an in-line fit-out rate
Cushman & Wakefield gives in-line retail fit-out cost per square foot by US region: national average, Northern California, Pacific Northwest, New York City, Southeast, and Midwest.
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
An 8,000 sf in-line retail fit-out at the Cushman & Wakefield national average of 157 per sf, plus 6% fees and 4% contingency: 8,000 × 157 = 1,256,000 base; 1,256,000 × 1.10 = 1,381,600 total.

When this estimate will be off

  • RLB shopping-center/strip-center rows are new hard construction cost; the Cushman & Wakefield in-line rows are fit-out cost only — confirm which basis your project needs (src/config/calculator-benchmarks.ts:200-207).
  • Cushman & Wakefield in-line fit-out rows cover six US regions only; no row exists outside those regions or outside the US (src/config/calculator-benchmarks.ts:202-207).
  • 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: RLB shopping-center/strip-center rows are new hard construction cost; the Cushman & Wakefield in-line rows are fit-out cost only — confirm which basis your project needs (src/config/calculator-benchmarks.ts:200-207).

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 retail 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 Retail Construction Cost Calculator is built and maintained by DataDrivenAEC, using the relevant codes and standards. It does not substitute for professional judgment.