How much does it cost to clean a commercial building?

At building scale, Sydney commercial cleaning typically prices at $0.40–$1.20 per square metre per visit, or about $12–$45 per square metre per year for full nightly service. Buildings under 1,000 sqm tend to price per-hour or per-visit; buildings over 1,000 sqm tend to price per-sqm with after-hours premium baked in.

Worked examples (Sydney 2026)

What moves the per-sqm number

• Density of fitout. A 1,000 sqm open-plan office with 30 desks is faster to clean than a 1,000 sqm office split into 20 enclosed offices, 5 meeting rooms and 4 washrooms.
• Ratio of washrooms to floor area. Each washroom is high time-cost. Buildings with multiple satellite washrooms per floor cost more per sqm than buildings with central facilities.
• End-of-trip facilities. Showers, towel service, locker cleaning all add labour.
• Carpet vs hard floor mix. Heavy carpet adds vacuum time; heavy hard floor adds mop and dry time.
• Lift access. CBD towers with restricted lift and security sign-in add 20–40 minutes overhead per visit.
• Common-area scope. Lobbies, lifts, stairwells and car parks are often the biggest variable in a multi-tenancy quote.

How to think about budget

For budget planning before you get quotes, a rough Sydney 2026 starting point:

• Office, 5-nights, after-hours, mid-density fitout: $25–$40 per sqm per year.
• Office, 3-nights, after-hours, mid-density: $15–$25 per sqm per year.
• Warehouse, weekly: $4–$10 per sqm per year.
• Strata common areas, twice-weekly: $8–$15 per sqm per year of common area.
• Medical clinic, daily: $40–$70 per sqm per year (TGA chemicals, infection control overhead).

For per-visit and per-hour benchmarks see our office cleaning cost Sydney guide.