How much does office space cost in London? In 2026 the honest answer is that it depends on the postcode, the office type, and how much of the fit-out someone else has already paid for. A serviced desk in Canary Wharf and a headquarters floor in Mayfair can differ by more than a thousand pounds per person, per month, for what looks like the same square footage.
This guide breaks down London office space cost by submarket — the City, the West End, Shoreditch and Canary Wharf — with current 2026 £/sq ft and £/desk benchmarks. If you are weighing a longer-term move, our guide to private office space in the UK sets out how flexible offices fit a growing team’s budget.
Wezoo snapshot — London private offices (2026)
- 160 private offices available on Wezoo across London
- Top operators: Fora, Kitt, WeWork
- Top areas: the City (EC), Fitzrovia & the West End (W1), Shoreditch & Old Street (EC2A), King’s Cross (N1C), Canary Wharf (E14)
- Pricing: on enquiry — private offices are quoted per requirement, typically £450–£900 per desk/month on a serviced, all-inclusive basis
How much does office space cost in London in 2026?
Across serviced offices, London averages roughly £624 per desk per calendar month in 2026. The working range is wide: from about £180 a desk in the outer east to £1,800 or more in Mayfair. Measured by the square foot, prime rents run from around £57.50 in Canary Wharf to £165 in the West End, with best-in-class West End deals touching £201 per sq ft.
So when someone asks how much does office space cost in London, the useful answer is a bracket, not a single figure. Where you land inside that bracket comes down to the submarket, the office type, and whether the price is all-inclusive or just the rent line. Both of those choices matter more than the headline rate.
London office space cost by submarket (City, West End, Shoreditch, Canary Wharf)
The single biggest driver of how much does office space cost in London is the submarket. Prime rents for 2026 tell the story — the West End commands more than double Canary Wharf for the same floor area. Here is how the four core districts compare.
| Submarket | Prime rent (2026) | Typical serviced £/desk/month | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| West End (Mayfair, Fitzrovia, Soho) | ~£165/sq ft (up to £201) | £1,000–£1,800 | Prestige HQs, finance, media |
| City of London (EC1–EC4) | ~£130/sq ft (up to £160) | £650–£1,200 | Finance, legal, professional services |
| Shoreditch / Old Street / Farringdon | £90–£100/sq ft | £400–£750 | Tech, creative, scale-ups |
| Canary Wharf / Docklands | ~£57.50/sq ft (Grade A up to £72.50) | £350–£650 | Larger teams, value per sq ft |
Grade B and refurbished secondary space sits lower again — roughly £70–£103 per sq ft across less central locations — which is where many cost-conscious teams find their best value. The City recorded a record prime rent of £130.80 per sq ft in early 2026, with a new top rent of £160 achieved at 1 Leadenhall, per Knight Frank research.
Serviced vs private vs coworking: how London office pricing works
Two offices at the same £/sq ft can cost wildly different amounts once you count what is included. Understanding the three pricing models is the key to answering how much does office space cost in London for your specific team.
Traditional lease is priced per square foot, then you add business rates, service charge, fit-out and furniture on top. Serviced and private offices fold all of that into one £/desk/month figure — rent, rates, utilities, cleaning, reception and meeting rooms included. Coworking and hot desks are the lightest commitment: hot desks run £150–£400 per month, dedicated desks £350–£800, and central coworking desks £300–£600 per month.
For a private office, most London businesses pay between £450 and £900 per desk per month on a serviced basis — the all-inclusive figure that makes budgeting predictable. That is usually the honest number behind the question of how much does office space cost in London for a team of five to fifty.
What does a private office cost per person per month in London?
A private office in London typically costs £450–£900 per desk per month serviced and all-inclusive, with the city-wide average near £624. Location moves that figure sharply.
- Mayfair & St James’s: £1,200–£1,800 per desk
- Zone 1 (City, West End, Canary Wharf core): £650–£1,200 per desk
- Shoreditch, Clerkenwell, Hammersmith: £400–£750 per desk
- Canary Wharf & outer London zones: £350–£650 per desk
London private offices worth booking, by submarket
Benchmarks tell you the bracket; real buildings tell you the trade-off. These private offices on Wezoo show what each submarket delivers for the money. You can gauge how much does office space cost in London by comparing live options rather than averages.
The City of London
Halkin’s Monument building sits on Lower Thames Street, a two-minute walk from Monument station and the heart of the City’s insurance and finance district. It is the kind of EC3 address that puts you beside the £160-per-sq-ft towers without the whole-floor lease.
Book Monument by Halkin on Wezoo
On the City fringe in EC1, 26 Hatton Garden pairs the jeweller’s-quarter character with Farringdon and Chancery Lane connectivity — a cheaper postcode than the core with the same walk-to-work reach.
Book 26 Hatton Garden on Wezoo
The West End
Steps from Oxford Circus, 33 Cavendish Square is a classic Marylebone address where West End rents peak. You pay for the prestige and the footfall — but for client-facing teams the postcode does real work.
Book 33 Cavendish Square on Wezoo
The Sevens on Charlotte Street lands you in Fitzrovia’s media belt, between Goodge Street and Tottenham Court Road. Slightly softer than Mayfair on price, with the same West End polish.
Book The Sevens, 77 Charlotte Street on Wezoo
Shoreditch & the tech belt
Fora’s Montacute Yards sits on Shoreditch High Street, in the £90–£100 per-sq-ft band that tech and creative occupiers fight over. Character-led space, Old Street and Liverpool Street both within reach, at a clear discount to the West End.
Canary Wharf & the Docklands
You cannot get a more Canary Wharf address than One Canada Square. Fora’s space in the tower offers Grade A quality at the district’s ~£57.50 per-sq-ft prime rents — the best value-per-square-foot of any core London submarket, with the Elizabeth line at the door.
Book One Canada Square on Wezoo
Hidden costs and how to save on London office space
On a traditional lease, the rent is only the start. Budget for these before you sign, because they decide the real answer to how much does office space cost in London.
- Business rates: often 40–50% of the rent again, payable to the local authority
- Service charge: £8–£20+ per sq ft for building upkeep, security and common areas
- Fit-out: £40–£80 per sq ft for a basic-to-mid category-B fit-out
- Dilapidations, VAT and agent fees: easily overlooked, rarely small
The simplest way to save is to remove those line items entirely. A serviced or private office rolls rates, service charge and fit-out into one figure, so the £/desk price is the price. Right-sizing helps too — work out how much office space you need before you shortlist, and consider a Zone 2 postcode like Shoreditch or Hammersmith where the same team costs a third less. For more on the central-London market, our guide to office space in London compares districts side by side. Savills also publishes regular London office market research if you want the raw agency data.
Ready to book your private office in London?
London office space cost: frequently asked questions
How much does office space cost in London per month?
On a serviced, all-inclusive basis, most London private offices cost £450–£900 per desk per calendar month, with a city-wide average around £624. Prime Zone 1 addresses in the City, West End and Canary Wharf run £650–£1,200, while Mayfair and St James’s reach £1,200–£1,800 per desk.
Which is London’s cheapest office submarket?
Canary Wharf and the Docklands offer the most space for the money, with prime rents near £57.50 per sq ft and serviced desks from about £350–£650 per month. Shoreditch, Clerkenwell and outer Zone 2 areas also sit well below West End rates.
How much is a hot desk in London?
A hot desk in central London runs £150–£400 per month for flexible access, while a dedicated desk with your own assigned seat costs £350–£800 per month. Coworking dedicated desks in central London average £300–£600 per desk per month.
Is a serviced office cheaper than a traditional lease?
Serviced office pricing is all-inclusive — rent, business rates, service charge, furniture, utilities and reception sit in one monthly figure. A traditional lease looks cheaper per sq ft but adds rates, service charge and fit-out on top, so for teams under about 30 people a serviced or private office is usually cheaper once every cost is counted.
How far in advance should you book office space in London?
For a serviced or private office you can often move in within a week or two, so 2–6 weeks of lead time is enough. Traditional leases with a fit-out take three to nine months. Booking a private office through Wezoo lets you compare live availability and request a viewing in minutes.
The cheapest room can cost you the most in wasted time. Whichever submarket fits your budget, the smartest move is to compare live availability and book the office that actually works — not the average on a spreadsheet.
