9 UK cities average around $5,960/m², the highest of any country with 3+ cities in this dataset, ranging from roughly $4,850/m² to $7,500/m². As with Europe generally, land acquisition is the category that separates the most and least expensive cities.
Across 9 cities, total build cost averages $5957/m² of gross floor area, ranging from $2836/m² to $10828/m². Figures are US$ per m² of gross floor area (2026-indexed).
Min, average and max across 9 United Kingdom cities.
| Category | Min (USD/m²) | Avg (USD/m²) | Max (USD/m²) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land acquisition | $1242 | $3145 | $6100 |
| Planning | $83 | $290 | $610 |
| Professional fees | $124 | $194 | $305 |
| Site preparation | $21 | $48 | $92 |
| Materials | $828 | $1310 | $2074 |
| Labour | $331 | $534 | $854 |
| Project management | $83 | $194 | $366 |
| Utility connections | $41 | $73 | $122 |
| External works | $83 | $170 | $305 |
| Total build cost | $2836 | $5957 | $10828 |
Housing_data dataset: 100 cities across 47 countries, new-build residential construction cost per square metre of gross floor area, indexed to 2026 pricing. Nine cost categories — land acquisition, planning, professional fees, site preparation, materials, labour, project management, utility connections, external works — plus a total build-cost range. Figures are indicative benchmarks for early appraisal, not a quotation for any specific project. Last reviewed 30 Jul 2026. These are indicative benchmarks for early appraisal, not a quotation for any specific project.
| City | Country | Min (USD/m²) | Avg (USD/m²) | Max (USD/m²) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belfast | UK | $2836 | $4851 | $6865 |
| Birmingham | UK | $3136 | $5504 | $7871 |
| Bristol | UK | $3492 | $6289 | $9085 |
| Cardiff | UK | $3313 | $5856 | $8399 |
| Edinburgh | UK | $3343 | $5897 | $8451 |
| Glasgow | UK | $3253 | $5667 | $8081 |
| Liverpool | UK | $3343 | $5924 | $8505 |
| London | UK | $4179 | $7503 | $10828 |
| Manchester | UK | $3431 | $6126 | $8820 |
These benchmarks are for early appraisal. For a real quantity takeoff from your own drawings — measured by AI, checked by a person — Civils.ai turns a PDF drawing set into a QA-reviewed bill of quantities.
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$5,957/m² of gross floor area, based on 9 cities in this dataset (indexed to 2026 pricing).
Nine categories: land acquisition, planning, professional fees, site preparation, materials, labour, project management, utility connections and external works, plus a total build-cost range. All figures are in US$ per square metre of gross floor area.
No. These are indicative benchmarks for early-stage appraisal, not a quotation for any specific project. Actual costs depend on site conditions, specification, procurement route and local market conditions at the time of tender.
All figures are indexed to 2026 pricing. They are not automatically inflation-adjusted to the current year.
Each figure is a build cost divided by the gross floor area of the project it was recorded against, giving a per-square-metre rate that scales to a total by multiplying by your own project's floor area.
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