Planning · Cost per area
Labour vs materials cost per square foot.
Enter the labour and materials totals and the area to get cost per square foot and per square metre, or price a job from a rate.
Inputs
Cost per area
Enter the numbers above.
How this works
Contractors and cost guides quote renovation work per square foot, but the number is only useful if you know how much is labour and how much is materials. This calculator divides your labour total and materials total by the work area: cost per sq ft = cost / area in sq ft, and cost per sq m = cost / area in sq m (1 sq m = 10.7639 sq ft). It also shows the labour share and can price a job from a rate you were given.
No regional rates are built in. Enter the totals from your own quotes, then use the per-area numbers to check other quotes for the same kind of work. The area must be the area the work actually covers, not the whole floor plan.
Worked example. A 400 sq ft job with $9,000 of labour and $7,000 of materials costs $16,000 in total, or $40.00 per sq ft ($430.56 per sq m). Labour is $22.50 per sq ft and materials $17.50 per sq ft, so labour is 56.3 percent of the cost. Pricing the same 400 sq ft at a $40 per sq ft rate gives $16,000.
Frequently asked questions
How do I convert cost per square foot to cost per square metre?
Multiply the per-square-foot cost by 10.7639, because one square metre is 10.7639 square feet. The calculator shows both.
What is a normal labour share of a renovation?
It varies a lot by trade and by project, and there is no single published figure. Compute it from your own quotes and compare it across bids for the same work.
Which area should I use?
The area the work covers, such as the floor area being retiled, rather than the whole house.
Does this include regional prices?
No. It only divides and converts the numbers you enter.
Sources
Checked
- Method: arithmetic on the numbers you enter. No outside data or published figures are used.
Runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you type is sent or stored.
Planning note
Estimates only, not financial, legal or professional advice. You supply every price; this page contains no regional cost data. Confirm real costs with written quotes from licensed local contractors.