How much does a commercial interior fit-out cost in Toronto?
Interior alteration permits across Toronto — offices, retail, restaurants and clinics — with declared value and, where the permit states floor area, real declared dollars per square foot.
The full spread, not an average
| Percentile | Declared value |
|---|---|
| P25 — smaller jobs | $30K |
| Median | $100K |
| P75 — larger jobs | $300K |
| Largest in sample | $275.7M |
5,938 permits with a declared value, trailing 36 months. Medians and quartiles only — one outlier can't move them.
Why two of these quote differently
- Base-building condition: a second-generation space with usable HVAC and washrooms costs a fraction of a raw shell.
- Mechanical and electrical are usually the largest packages, not the finishes.
- Use: a restaurant's kitchen exhaust, grease interceptor and make-up air put it in a different band from an office.
- Timing — after-hours work in an occupied building carries a premium.
Check it against the record
| Applied | Address | Declared value |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 2026 | 4 GOSSAMER AVE
Proposal for repair to the existing upper roof only due to sagging condition |
$10,000 |
| Aug 2026 | 3101 KENNEDY RD
Proposal for an Interior alteration Retail shop (SALE OF ELECTRICAL SUPPLIES ONLY) |
$25,000 |
| Aug 2026 | 2813 DANFORTH AVE
Proposal for interior alteration of existing residential unit of 2nd and 3rd floor to... |
$10,000 |
| Aug 2026 | 245 DIXON RD
Proposal for interior alterations to an existing retail unit for new restaurant, less... |
$250,000 |
Where these numbers come from
Declared construction values on City of Toronto building permits (tier C), trailing
36 months, minimum 12 permits before a guide is published. A declared value is
what the applicant stated the work is worth — it can sit below final hard cost,
which is exactly why GROUND also publishes
awarded contract prices.
This is the single largest category in GROUND's corpus and the one with the most credible $/SF sample.
Data: Open Government Licence — Toronto. Recomputed automatically as new
permits land; the figures above are current as of August 22, 2026.
Pricing a project like this?
The numbers above are the market. For your project specifically — your address, your scope — we'll read the comparables, flag the permits you'll need, and check any quote you've been given against real awarded prices.
New houses · Underpinning · Laneway & garden suites · Additions · Garages · Second suites