Cost planner for operators
Coffee shop fit-out cost calculator
A realistic range for fitting out a coffee shop or café in London, with the equipment budget shown as its own line. Set up for units handed over as a white box.
Estimated total including VAT
£135,000 to £201,000
£113,000 to £168,000 before VAT
| Line | Range |
|---|---|
| Fit-out works | £67,500 to £97,500 |
| Coffee equipment, fridges and furniture | £35,000 to £55,000 |
| Contingency | £10,300 to £15,300 |
- Most landlords require a licence for alterations before work starts. Allow time for it in your programme.
- Cooking beyond a combi oven or panini grill often needs extraction, which is priced separately after survey.
- VAT-registered businesses can usually reclaim VAT on fit-out costs.
Email me this breakdown
We email the figures above as a breakdown you can keep, with six questions worth asking any builder you get quotes from.
Ready to get it priced properly? Book a site visit with these figures
An indicative range for budgeting, not a quote. Figures exclude planning application fees, furniture and anything you buy directly. Ranges last updated September 2026. Sources and method.
How the range is built
The lines to check on any fit-out quote
If a quote leaves one of these out, ask whether it is excluded or included somewhere else.
- Fit-out works
- A rate per square foot for the finish level you choose, covering preliminaries, design and specification, joinery, services and finishes. It is set from our own coffee shop tender.
- Small units
- Under 500 sq ft, the counter, services and WC take up a larger share of the space, so the rate per square foot rises. The planner applies an uplift taken from our small-unit tenders.
- Equipment and furniture
- Coffee machine, grinders, refrigeration, ovens and furniture. On one recent coffee shop this came to almost as much as the fit-out.
- Contingency
- A 10% line for what cannot be seen until work starts. We show it separately.
- VAT
- Shown at 20%. VAT-registered businesses can usually reclaim it.
Not included
Costs to budget for separately
- Units handed over as a shell, or with a previous fit-out to strip out. We price these after a survey.
- Kitchen extraction for cooking.
- Landlord’s legal and surveyor fees for the licence for alterations, if your lease makes you pay them.
- Signage consent and shopfront works.
- Rent, rates and utilities during the fit-out.
Questions
Questions about fit-out costs
How much does a coffee shop fit-out cost in London?
For a 750 sq ft unit from white box at a standard finish, our planner gives £135,000 to £201,000 including equipment, contingency and VAT (£113,000 to £168,000 before VAT). A 1,200 sq ft unit at an upgraded finish comes to £279,000 to £397,000.
Why does a small café cost more per square foot?
The counter, water and drainage, electrics and the WC are needed whatever the size, so in a small unit they are spread over fewer square feet. A 400 sq ft unit at a standard finish comes to £113,000 to £196,000 including equipment and VAT.
How much should I budget for coffee equipment?
On a recent coffee shop we priced, the espresso machine, grinders, refrigeration, ovens and furniture came to almost as much as the fit-out. The planner uses £35,000 to £55,000 before VAT at a standard level, and more for higher-end machines and furniture.
What if my unit is a shell?
A shell has no finished floor, ceilings or distributed services, and what is missing varies a lot between buildings. We do not range it online. We price it after a site survey and a read of the landlord’s pack.
Sources and method
The fit-out rate is set from a 68.5 m² coffee shop tender we priced in 2026 (fit-out and equipment priced separately) and the small-unit uplift from a 32 m² salon fit-out priced in 2025. Figures are rounded to the nearest £100 per line and £1,000 in total.
- Mount St Projects tenders, 2025 and 2026 (not published)
- HMRC VAT Notice 708: buildings and construction (2026)
Next step
What happens when you get in touch
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Tell us about the project
Two minutes on our enquiry form, or call us. Drawings help but are not needed.
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We visit and measure
We look at the property, the access, and anything that affects price: structure, services, neighbours, the landlord’s requirements.
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You receive a priced schedule of works
Every line itemised, with provisional sums and exclusions stated, so you can compare it line by line with any other quote.
or call 020 7459 4729