Commercial Renovation Cost Singapore: Office vs Retail vs F&B

"Commercial renovation" covers three very different projects with very different budgets — an office fit-out, a retail shopfront, and an F&B kitchen don't cost the same per square foot, and they shouldn't be quoted as if they do. This guide compares office, retail and F&B renovation cost, timeline and compliance side by side, and explains exactly why F&B consistently costs more. Every figure is drawn from our own service and project data, and where a figure only applies to one type, we say so rather than generalising it across all three.

What's the real cost difference between office, retail and F&B renovation in Singapore?

Office and retail renovation both run $60 to $250 or more per square foot depending on finish level, while F&B renovation runs $180 to $350 per square foot because of the added kitchen infrastructure. Our general commercial renovation service prices office and retail fit-outs on the same tiered scale, while our dedicated F&B renovation cost guide shows F&B consistently landing higher, and often well above, that general range.

Office and retail figures from our commercial renovation service; F&B figures from our F&B renovation cost guide and café renovation cost breakdown.

Why does F&B renovation cost more than office or retail fit-out?

F&B renovation requires kitchen-specific infrastructure that office and retail fit-outs don't — commercial exhaust and ventilation, grease traps, upgraded electrical loading, and SFA-compliant layouts — which is why mechanical and electrical works alone consume 40% to 50% of an F&B renovation budget. We break these costs down individually — exhaust and ventilation at $15,000 to $30,000, kitchen equipment at $15,000 to $60,000 — in our commercial kitchen design and cost guide. Office and retail fit-outs still need M&E work — power, lighting, HVAC — but not a fire-rated exhaust system, a grease trap, or equipment built to commercial food-safety standards, which is the core reason the psf gap exists. It's also why the same 1,000 sq ft unit can produce two very different quotations depending purely on intended use: an office or retail fit-out at that size might land anywhere from $60,000 to $250,000, while an F&B fit-out on the identical floor plate needs $180,000 to $350,000 before kitchen equipment is even added.

How do renovation timelines compare across office, retail and F&B?

Standard commercial renovation — covering both office and retail — takes about 12 weeks from signing the lease to handover, split roughly into design and authority submissions (weeks 1–4), construction (weeks 5–10), and inspections and handover (weeks 11–12). A standard 800 to 1,200 sq ft café takes 2.5 to 3 months from lease signing to grand opening — a broadly similar overall timeline, even though the construction phase itself for a smaller café can be shorter (4 to 10 weeks), because F&B adds SFA licensing and food-safety inspection steps that office and retail projects skip entirely.

What drives office renovation cost specifically?

Office renovation cost is driven by partitioning, ceiling and lighting work, cabling infrastructure, and increasingly acoustic treatment — acoustic phone booths alone typically cost $5,000 to $8,000, and 4-person meeting pods run $12,000 to $20,000. Space planning also affects the budget: reducing workstation footprint through shared-desk models can cut required floor area by up to 30% compared to a 1-to-1 desk ratio, which changes how much fit-out area you're actually paying to build. Programme mix matters too — modern "magnet" offices dedicate 15% to 20% of their floor area to social and café-style breakout hubs, up from a traditional 5%, and wellness zones now typically take another 5% to 10% of usable floor area, both of which add fit-out area and specification without adding headcount capacity. None of this requires an SFA license, since an internal staff pantry isn't a licensed food business, but the joinery, plumbing and finishes for a café-style breakout hub still cost real money. If you're renovating a CBD Grade A office, also budget extra time: buildings in this category often restrict works to after-hours or weekends, which extends the 12-week baseline timeline.

What drives retail renovation cost specifically?

Retail renovation is priced on the same $60 to $250+ psf scale as office fit-out under our commercial renovation service, with cost driven mainly by shopfront design, display carpentry, and how much of the unit is customer-facing versus back-of-house storage. See our dedicated retail shop renovation guide for shopfront and display-carpentry cost drivers and mall-specific landlord requirements in more depth than a general commercial estimate can capture.

Which compliance authorities are involved for each type?

All three need URA compliance, FSSD/SCDF fire safety sign-off, Qualified Person submissions, and building management approval — but F&B renovation adds SFA Food Shop License requirements and NEA grease trap and waste management approval that office and retail projects don't need. Where your fit-out involves fire safety works, those works cannot legally start before SCDF approves the plans — a gate that applies to offices, shops and cafés alike, not just F&B. Not every job needs full plan approval, though: works that fall within SCDF's Minor Additions and Alterations lodgement scheme, or under the Fire Safety (Exemption) Order, can proceed after a lodgement rather than waiting on a full approval — so confirm which route your scope falls under before you build the programme around it. Building management also requires its own Permit to Work before any hacking, drilling or heavy deliveries begin, on top of the government approvals — office, retail and F&B tenants all go through this same landlord-level gate, even after FSSD has cleared the fire safety submission.

What mistakes cost money across all three renovation types?

The most expensive mistake in any commercial renovation — office, retail or F&B — is starting works before FSSD issues its Notice of Approval, since this is illegal and can force a stop-work order regardless of what you're building. The next most common mistakes are ignoring after-hours work restrictions in buildings that enforce them, and underestimating acoustic or zonal planning early enough to avoid rework later. Reinstatement — returning the unit to its original condition at lease end — also applies across all three types, with a deposit typically held at $2,000 to $5,000 and refunded after a final joint inspection with building management.

Should I budget the same contingency for office, retail and F&B renovation?

A 10% to 15% contingency on top of your final quotation applies across all three, but F&B carries more variables — kitchen equipment specification, exhaust routing, and SFA compliance rework — so it's worth budgeting toward the higher end of that range for F&B. Office and retail projects are generally more predictable once the design is locked, since there's no equivalent to a kitchen inspection that can force late-stage changes.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What's the cost difference between office, retail and F&B renovation in Singapore?

Office and retail renovation both run $60 to $250 or more per square foot depending on finish level, while F&B renovation runs $180 to $350 per square foot because of the added kitchen infrastructure.

Why does F&B renovation cost more than office or retail fit-out?

F&B renovation requires kitchen-specific infrastructure that office and retail fit-outs don't — commercial exhaust and ventilation, grease traps, upgraded electrical loading, and SFA-compliant layouts — which is why mechanical and electrical works alone consume 40% to 50% of an F&B renovation budget.

How long does office renovation take compared to F&B?

Standard commercial renovation — covering both office and retail — takes about 12 weeks from signing the lease to handover. A standard 800 to 1,200 sq ft café takes 2.5 to 3 months from lease signing to grand opening, a broadly similar timeline once authority approvals for F&B are factored in.

What drives office renovation cost specifically?

Office renovation cost is driven by partitioning, ceiling and lighting work, cabling infrastructure, and increasingly acoustic treatment — acoustic phone booths alone typically cost $5,000 to $8,000, and 4-person meeting pods run $12,000 to $20,000.

Do office and retail renovation need the same approvals as F&B?

All three need URA compliance, FSSD/SCDF fire safety sign-off, Qualified Person submissions, and building management approval — but F&B renovation adds SFA Food Shop License requirements and NEA grease trap and waste management approval that office and retail projects don't need.

Should I budget the same contingency for office, retail and F&B renovation?

A 10% to 15% contingency on top of your final quotation applies across all three, but F&B carries more variables — kitchen equipment specification, exhaust routing, and SFA compliance rework — so it's worth budgeting toward the higher end of that range for F&B.