Construction cost per square foot in Malaysia

Why one number is never enough

A cost per square foot is a total divided by an area. Two buildings with the same area can sit far apart because the things that drive the total are different:

• Building type. A warehouse, an office and a hospital carry very different structure, finishes and services.
• Location. Cost is not uniform across the country. The same building is priced differently from state to state.
• Time. A figure from two years ago has to be brought to the year the work will be priced.
• Specification. Finishes and services are where two similar buildings usually part ways.
• Ground and height. Substructure and the number of storeys change the cost of every square foot above them.

Square feet and square metres

Malaysian cost data is usually worked in square metres, while many clients think in square feet. One square metre is 10.764 square feet, so:

Cost per sq ft = cost per m² ÷ 10.764

For example, RM2,000 per m² is about RM186 per sq ft. That figure is illustrative, not a market rate.

Be just as careful with the area. Caprix works on gross floor area: all floors, measured to the outside of the external walls. A rate based on net or lettable area is not comparable.

Where the cost sits: the elemental breakdown

A single rate hides where the money goes. An elemental breakdown splits the total into the parts of the building, so you can see what is driving it and what can be changed.

Getting a budget for your building

1. In the Chat Workspace, describe the building, for example cost of a 2,000 m² warehouse in Johor, or choose Building estimate.
2. Check the form: building type, location, floor area in m² and the price year.
3. Select Estimate. Caprix returns the total cost, the cost per m² and an elemental breakdown, each element shown with its share of the total.

Every building type can be estimated for all 13 states and the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur. Where Caprix holds completed-project benchmarks for your state they are used directly. Where it does not, the estimate is built from comparable projects elsewhere, adjusted in time to your price year and across to your state with a regional cost index, and it carries a note saying which states the data came from.

What an early estimate is for

An estimate at this stage is an order-of-cost figure for early decisions: testing a budget, comparing two options, or sense-checking a number before committing to a detailed bill. It is not a priced tender.

Check what any figure includes as well. Land, professional fees and loose furniture usually sit outside a building cost. When the design firms up, build and price the bill item by item in the BOQ Builder, and use the Tender Price Index to carry older figures forward.

What it costs

Each estimate costs 5 credits and is unlocked on Pro and Max. Free gives 50 credits every month. Pro is RM99 a month with 2,000 credits, and Max is RM149 a month with 4,000. See the full plan comparison →

Questions about cost per square foot