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Facility Operating Cost Per Square Foot Calculator

Work out facility operating cost per square foot instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Facility Operating Cost Per Square Foot Calculator

Facility operating cost per square foot is the standard benchmark for comparing buildings, covering utilities, cleaning, security, maintenance and management. Cost per occupant is the complementary view: a densely occupied building can have a high cost per square foot yet a low cost per head, which is what the business actually pays for.

Formula

Unit cost

Per ft² = annual operating cost / gross area; per occupant = annual cost / occupants

Worked example

With the default values below, Facility Operating Cost Per Square Foot Calculator returns Operating cost per square foot of $80.00. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Annual operating costminimum 0
4,800,000
Gross areaminimum 0.1 ft²
60,000 ft²
Occupantsminimum 1
400

Results

Operating cost per square foot
$80.00
Cost per square foot per month
$6.667
Cost per occupant per year
$12,000.00
Cost per square metre per year
$861.11

Step by step

  1. 1Values used
  2. 2Unit cost
  3. 3Operating cost per square foot= 80.00
  4. 4Cost per square foot per month= 6.667
  5. 5Cost per occupant per year= 12,000.00
  6. 6Cost per square metre per year= 861.11

Assumptions and limits

  • The result is derived only from the 3 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
  • In particular, this calculator does not take inflation or tax into account.
  • Figures are rounded for display to 3 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is the Facility Operating Cost Per Square Foot figure worked out?

Per ft² = annual operating cost / gross area; per occupant = annual cost / occupants. Facility operating cost per square foot is the standard benchmark for comparing buildings, covering utilities, cleaning, security, maintenance and management.

Which benchmark should drive decisions?

Cost per occupant, because the purpose of the building is to house people and activity. Cost per square foot is the right measure for judging the efficiency of the building operation itself.

What values do I need to enter?

This calculator takes 3 inputs: Annual operating cost, Gross area, Occupants. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic worked example — replace them with your own site or project figures.

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Facility Operating Cost Per Square Foot Calculator