How much does an office fit-out cost in Malaysia?

A basic refresh runs roughly RM80 to RM90 per sq ft. A standard corporate fit-out with open-plan layout and mid-range finishes commonly runs RM90 to RM180 per sq ft across most KL commercial zones. Premium Grade A fit-outs, particularly in KLCC, can exceed RM250 per sq ft and sometimes pass RM450 per sq ft for a full high-specification build.

Why is KLCC office fit-out more expensive than other areas?

Building specifications and landlord requirements, mostly. Premium Grade A towers often mandate specific M&E standards, fire-rated materials and finish quality that a Grade B or C building in another zone doesn't require, on top of typically higher base rents that push tenants toward higher-spec fit-outs to match.

What drives the cost within a single office fit-out?

Mechanical and electrical work, most heavily: air-conditioning modifications, additional power and data points, and fire safety compliance. Partitioning and glazing come next, followed by flooring and ceiling works. Furniture and loose fit-out items are usually budgeted separately from the construction fit-out itself.

How long does an office renovation take?

A basic refresh can run four to six weeks. A full fit-out with new M&E work, partitioning and a design-led finish commonly takes eight to sixteen weeks, longer again if the building's own approval process or after-hours work restrictions apply, which many commercial towers require for anything disruptive.

Does the per sq ft rate include furniture?

No. Loose furniture such as desks, chairs, storage and meeting tables is almost always quoted separately from the construction fit-out, typically RM3,000 to RM8,000 per workstation depending on grade. IT infrastructure, AV equipment and signage are usually separate lines too.

Should I choose a turnkey or design-led office fit-out?

Turnkey suits a straightforward relocation on a fixed handover date, built to an existing layout at the fastest possible timeline. Design-led starts from how the space is actually used, headcount growth, meeting room ratio, work zones, before construction begins, which costs more upfront but avoids re-partitioning a floor plate that never fit the business.

Office Fit-Out Cost Malaysia 2026: Per Sq Ft by Grade

Cost · Published 2026-08-31 · 5 min read

The number, by fit-out grade

Published 2026 guides converge on a range that splits mainly by building grade and finish level:

Fit-out level	Rate per sq ft	Typical scope
Basic refresh	RM80 to RM90	Paint, flooring, lighting; existing layout mostly kept
Standard corporate	RM90 to RM180	Open-plan layout, mid-range finishes, most KL commercial zones
Premium Grade A	RM180 to RM250+	Higher-spec M&E, premium finishes, stricter building standards
KLCC / premium zones	RM150 to RM450+	Landlord-mandated specifications, full high-specification builds at the top end

These are indicative market ranges, not a quote. They are compiled from Malaysian sources published in 2026. Plan your renovation and we will give you a scoped figure for your space instead of a range.

Note that RM60 per sq ft, once a common budget-refresh figure, is rarely achievable now; increased steel, glass, aluminium and copper cabling prices over the past two years have pushed the practical floor up closer to RM80.

Where the money actually goes

Mechanical and electrical work carries the heaviest weight in most office fit-outs: air-conditioning modifications, additional power and data points, and fire safety compliance, none of it visible in the finished space but all of it load-bearing on the budget. Partitioning and glazing come next, shaping how the floor plate splits into meeting rooms, private offices and open desking. Flooring and ceiling works follow, and furniture and loose fit-out items are typically budgeted as a separate line from the construction fit-out itself.

Why Grade A and KLCC cost more

Mostly building specification, not brand. Premium towers often mandate specific M&E standards, fire-rated materials and a minimum finish quality that a Grade B or C building elsewhere doesn't require, on top of the higher base rents that tend to push tenants toward a higher-spec fit-out anyway, to match the address.

What the per sq ft rate usually excludes

The rates above cover the construction fit-out: partitioning, ceiling, flooring, M&E and finishes. Three items are commonly quoted separately, and their absence from a headline number is not a red flag on its own, but it does mean the real project budget is higher than the rate card suggests:

Loose furniture. Desks, chairs, storage and meeting tables typically run a further RM3,000 to RM8,000 per workstation depending on grade, and are almost always a separate line from the construction fit-out.
IT and AV infrastructure. Structured cabling, server room fit-out and meeting-room AV equipment sit outside most base fit-out quotes and are priced against the specific systems chosen.
Signage and branding. Reception signage, wayfinding and branded glass manifestation are design items, priced per item rather than per sq ft, and easy to leave out of an early budget.

Design-led versus turnkey fit-out

A turnkey fit-out contractor builds to a landlord- or tenant-provided layout at the fastest possible timeline, which suits a straightforward relocation on a fixed handover date. A design-led fit-out starts with how the space is actually used, headcount growth, meeting room ratio, quiet-work versus collaboration zones, before construction begins, which tends to cost more upfront but reduces the churn of re-partitioning a floor plate that never fit the business in the first place.

Timeline

A basic refresh can run four to six weeks. A full fit-out with new M&E work, partitioning and a design-led finish commonly takes eight to sixteen weeks, longer again where the building's own approval process or after-hours work restrictions apply, both common in occupied commercial towers. See our renovation timeline guide for what generally determines how long a fit-out or renovation runs.

See our commercial renovation and fit-out service page for how we run this end to end, from layout and M&E coordination through to handover.

Sources

Per sq ft rates on this page are drawn from Malaysian commercial fit-out cost guides published in 2026, cross-referenced against material cost movements (steel, glass, aluminium, copper cabling) over the preceding two years that have pushed budget-tier pricing upward. Ranges vary between sources and none of them replaces a scoped quote for a specific floor plate and building.

What an office fit-out actually costs in Malaysia