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Coworking vs Lease · free

Is it time for an office of your own?

Coworking lets a growing team start quickly and leave on short notice. An office of your own can cost less per person once the team is settled, but it usually comes with a multi-year lease and costs that a coworking fee already covers.

This calculator puts the two side by side over the same number of years: what you pay your coworking operator, against rent plus fit-out, furniture, moving and running costs for an office. It also shows the cash each needs up front and how much each commits you to.

Start with the few figures you know; everything else is optional. Every figure comes from what you enter. The calculator does not use market data or make a recommendation, and the estimates that can change the result are clearly marked.

Example figures are filled in so you can see how it works. Replace them with yours.

Everything is calculated in your browser. Nothing you enter is sent to us or stored.

Your team and coworking today

What you pay your coworking operator now.

$/month

Everything you pay the operator each month for your desks, memberships or private office, before tax.

An office of your own

The space you'd lease and the terms you've been offered or expect.

sq ft

A starting point is 200 sq ft per person on a typical day. Hybrid teams often need less.

years

Also the length of the whole comparison.

$/sq ft/yr
$/sq ft/yr

Operating costs and property tax charged on top of base rent. Enter 0 if the rent you were quoted is gross.

What the numbers show

Under your figures, an office of your own appears to cost about $17,296 less over 5 years.

Compares cost only. Flexibility, control over your space, location and growth are yours to weigh.

Total cost over 5 years, under your figures

  • Coworking

    $426,855

    $7,114 a month on average · $889 per person a month

    • Coworking fees$407,742
    • Add-ons$19,113

  • An office of your own

    $409,559

    $6,826 a month on average · $853 per person a month

    • Base rent$164,559
    • Additional rent$120,000
    • Fit-out after allowance$48,000
    • Furniture and IT$24,000
    • Moving and set-up$5,000
    • Running costs$48,000

Cash and commitment

Coworking

About $6,400 up front, as a deposit. Leaving takes 1 month of notice, about $6,700 in fees.

An office of your own

About $86,333 up front: $77,000 in set-up costs plus a $9,333 deposit. A 5-year lease generally commits you to about $284,559 in rent over the term, unless it includes a right to leave early or to sublet.

What would change the answer

  • The two would cost the same if coworking cost about $6,129 a month to start. You entered $6,400.
  • They would also match if the office's base rent were about $22.10/sq ft in year 1. You entered $20.00.

Not included

Sales tax, legal and broker fees, parking you pay for separately, furniture resale at the end, the value of cash tied up in deposits, and the cost of outgrowing a space before the lease ends. Figures for the office are illustrative, based on what you entered; your lease may carry other costs.

If you're looking at an office