What budget for an office move by size?
The first thing that determines an office move budget is the scale of the project. A small office, an SME floor or a headquarters do not have the same volume, the same complexity or the same price. Placing your company in the right order of magnitude already frames your budget.
Here are benchmarks by size, to be taken for what they are: orders of magnitude, not a price list. They then adjust to access, IT and timing.
The budget is read first by size, then refined to your situation. These benchmarks give a rough guide; they do not replace a quote.
Two ways to cost it, first of all
There are two ways to approach a budget, and they overlap.
The first works per workstation: often count €200 to €300 per workstation, sometimes only €100 to €200 for light equipment, clearly more if you have servers or specific hardware. The second works by volume: in the region of €25 to €60 per cubic metre, counting on average three cubic metres of office furniture per workstation. These two approaches give a first frame; the rest depends on your situation.
The small office (a few workstations)
A small team, a few workstations, often a single floor: the volume is modest and the operation usually fits in a day. Often count €1,500 to €5,000.
At this scale, one factor weighs proportionally more: access. A floor without a lift or difficult parking can make up a notable share of the bill. IT, however limited, also counts.
The floor or the SME (twenty to fifty workstations)
An open space or several offices, more substantial IT, archives to handle: complexity rises a notch. Often count €5,000 to €20,000. As a guide, for around twenty people you see quotes in the region of €190 to €350 per person, depending on the city and complexity.
At this stage, internal coordination becomes a genuine issue: someone has to steer the project, compare offers against a precise brief and secure the restart.
The headquarters or large organisation (above that)
Several floors or sites, a large IT estate, critical business continuity, sometimes a phased move: here logistics weigh as much as transport. Count €20,000 to more than €100,000.
Out-of-hours or weekend work, data security and phasing to avoid interrupting the business become items in their own right.
The "per workstation" benchmark, and its limit
Working "per workstation" gives a quick first approach, whatever the size. But this logic has a limit: it tends to favour large structures. For an SME, access and IT can push the real cost per workstation well above the average benchmark.
What moves the budget in your category
Whatever your size, four factors shift the bill of a corporate move: access (floors, furniture hoist), IT, timing (evening, weekend) and distance. As a precaution, keep a reserve of about 10% for the unexpected. We detail these factors and how a quote is built in dedicated articles.
Estimate your case precisely
Benchmarks by size give an indication; they do not replace an estimate. To approach your actual budget:
- make a clear inventory of what is moving, going into storage or being discarded;
- use our calculator for a first indicative estimate;
- request three comparable quotes, after a site visit.
In summary
An office move budget is read first by size: small office, floor or SME, headquarters. Then it is refined to access, IT and timing. Use these benchmarks to get your bearings, the calculator for a first estimate, and three comparable quotes to decide.