Cost per Sq Ft Calculator

Five thousand a square foot

A property of 1,200 sq ft costing ₹60,00,000 works out to ₹5,000 per square foot.

Rate = total cost ÷ area, and total = rate × area in the other direction.

The arithmetic is trivial and the number is the standard unit of comparison in Indian real estate — which makes it worth knowing exactly what "area" means, because three different definitions are in circulation and they differ by 30% or more.

Carpet, built-up and super built-up

Carpet area — the usable floor area within the walls, the space you can actually lay a carpet on. Excludes external walls but includes internal partitions.

Built-up area — carpet area plus the walls and balcony, typically 10–15% more than carpet.

Super built-up area — built-up plus a proportionate share of common areas: lobbies, staircases, lifts, clubhouse, corridors. Typically 25–40% more than carpet, and historically the basis on which prices were quoted.

The ratio between carpet and super built-up is the loading factor. A 1,200 sq ft super built-up flat with 30% loading has about 923 sq ft of carpet area — so a quoted ₹5,000 per super built-up square foot is really ₹6,500 per carpet square foot.

What RERA changed

The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act 2016 requires developers to disclose and sell on carpet area, with a statutory definition, in RERA-registered projects. This was the single most significant transparency reform in Indian residential real estate, because it removed the ability to quote an attractive per-square-foot rate against an inflated area.

In practice, marketing material still frequently references super built-up figures alongside the mandated carpet area. The agreement is what governs, and it is the carpet area that should be checked against the price.

For resale transactions, which fall outside the developer disclosure requirement, all three measures remain in casual use and the basis must be established explicitly before comparing two properties.

Comparing properties honestly

To compare two quotes meaningfully, put both on the same area basis — carpet for carpet. A property at ₹5,000 per super built-up square foot and one at ₹6,000 per carpet square foot may well be the same price, or the second may be cheaper.

Beyond the rate itself, several things are not in the per-square-foot figure:

Floor rise charges, levied per floor above a base level in many projects.

Preferential location charges for corner units, park-facing or better-orientation flats.

Parking, frequently charged separately and at substantial amounts.

Club membership and infrastructure charges, often one-time and significant.

Stamp duty, registration and GST where under construction.

The all-in cost per carpet square foot — total of everything divided by carpet area — is the only figure that permits a fair comparison, and it is routinely 20–35% above the headline rate.

Reading the result

Use the rate for comparison within a locality, where it is genuinely informative, and with caution across localities, where land value dominates and the rate reflects location more than construction quality.

Common mistakes

Comparing rates on different area bases. The difference can exceed 30%.

Taking the marketing area over the agreement area. The agreement governs.

Ignoring the loading factor. Ask for it explicitly; it is rarely volunteered.

Excluding parking and floor rise. They can add 10% or more.

Comparing a carpet-area resale against a super-built-up new launch. Not the same measure.