London named most expensive city for office fit-outs

London has topped a global ranking for high-specification office fit-out costs, driven by rising material prices, specialist skill shortages and growing demand for premium workspaces.

According to Turner & Townsend’s Global Office Fit-Out Guide 2025, average costs in London have reached £4,671 per square metre.

This places the UK capital ahead of New York (£4,470), Zurich (£4,299) and San Francisco (£4,293) as the most expensive location in the world.

The consultancy firm cited a “perfect storm” of challenges affecting London’s commercial interiors market, including post-pandemic office strategies, building safety regulations and the cost of skilled trades such as Chartered Fire Engineers.

In particular, the report highlights that specialist MEP and sustainability roles now command fees up to twice the rate seen in New York.

Turner & Townsend's global head of occupier and retail, Nadia de Klerk, said that pressure to attract staff back to the office has led clients to invest in increasingly sophisticated fit-outs. “In London we are seeing a perfect storm,” she said.

“The gathering pace of return to office working, coupled with skilled trades shortages and high building material prices, have resulted in commercial fit-out costs being the world’s most expensive.”

The study compared fit-out costs across 50 global cities. London was the only UK city to appear in the top 10 globally.

Sydney, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Osaka and Brisbane completed the list of the most expensive cities for office fit-outs.

Top 10 most costly high-spec office fit-out locations (2025)

Source: Turner & Townsend