Delhi, as India’s capital city, is an ever-growing metropolis with planned as well as unplanned development. The demand for housing in the city is constantly on the rise due to rural to urban migration and booming population growth. With skyrocketing land prices and rapidly evolving construction costs, building a house in the city can be an intimidating task. This blog serves as a comprehensive guide on construction costs in Delhi, to enable property owners to make informed choices and decisions with enhanced financial planning.
Factors That Affect Construction Cost in Delhi
Numerous physical, environmental and political factors affect the home construction cost across various regions. A few of the specific factors influencing construction cost in Delhi are explained below.
Climate Control
Delhi has a composite climate, meaning that it experiences extremes in both warm and cold temperatures. This demands additional architectural features such as passive shading elements (such as overhangs and chajjas), insulating materials and electrical devices such as coolers, air conditioners and heaters. All of these features result in a significant increase in the house construction costs, as well as running or maintenance costs.
Site Location
Delhi is a very large city, thus the location of the site inside the city is a major factor that affects the building construction cost. Material transportation costs for sites in the centre of the city may be high (as materials are generally manufactured on the city outskirts). However, labour costs will be higher for isolated sites or sites far away from the city centre. Accessibility to the site with adequate road sizes and quality are also important. For example, sites with small abutting roads will require manual labour for excavation since they cannot be accessed by large vehicle excavators, this consequently increases the total construction cost.
- Local Regulations and Conditions
The building plan approval process in Delhi requires various documents to be submitted to local authorities, such as DDA (Delhi Development Authority) and NDMC (New Delhi Municipal Corporation). Electrical and water supply connections must be obtained through the Delhi Vidyut Board and Delhi Jal Board. Apart from this, stamp duty and registration also need to be completed. All of these processes entail specific costs, which may be subject to variation based on the site location and current political conditions.
Type of Construction and Material Choices
Delhi is a city composed of a diverse population with very large income differences between the poor and rich. This means that home construction choices can range from very basic to ultra-luxurious. The type of materials for building the main structure and for finishing can likewise range from affordable to extremely expensive. These choices predominantly affect the home construction cost in Delhi.
Estimating the Average House Construction Cost in Delhi
Construction cost per square feet in Delhi varies widely depending on the factors explained above. For estimation, it is first necessary to calculate the total built-up area of a house, which can then be multiplied with the square foot rate to obtain total cost of construction.
Prices in Delhi generally start at ₹1900/sq ft for basic construction, while high-end home construction costs can even go beyond ₹10,000/sq ft.
In general, the above mentioned square foot construction cost is made up of the following components:
| Component | Percentage of total cost required |
| Architectural design charges | 3-15% |
| Structural design charges | 0.5-5% |
| Contractor’s charge | 20% |
| Labour cost | 40-50% |
| Material cost | 50-60% |
| Services cost (plumbing and electrical work including labour and materials) | 18% |
These figures are just general indicators that can be used to derive rough estimates for construction before all the building details are designed and confirmed.
Cost of Building a 1000 sq ft House in Delhi
Considering the general values explained above, the total cost of constructing a 1000 sq ft house in Delhi can be calculated as:
| Low range cost (at ₹1900/sq ft) | Mid range cost (at ₹2500/sq ft) | High range cost (starting at ₹4000/ sq ft) | |
| Architectural services (₹40 to ₹200/sq ft) | 40,000 | 80,000 | 1,20,000 |
| Structural design services (₹10 to ₹50/sq ft) | 10,000 | 20,000 | 40,000 |
| Material cost (~60%) | 8,82,000 | 11,40,000 | 18,24,000 |
| Labour cost (~40%) | 5,88,000 | 7,60,000 | 12,16,000 |
| Contractor’s profit (~10%) | 1,90,000 | 2,50,000 | 4,00,000 |
| Overheads and miscellaneous (~10%) | 1,90,000 | 2,50,000 | 4,00,000 |
| Total cost | 19,00,000 | 25,00,000 | 40,00,000 |
Similarly, the construction costs for different sizes of houses can be calculated:
| Size of House (Built-up area) | Low-range cost (at ₹1900/sq ft) | Mid-range cost (at ₹2500/sq ft) | High-range cost (starting at ₹4000/sq ft) |
| 500 sq ft | ₹9,50,000 | ₹12,50,000 | ₹20,00,000 |
| 1200 sq ft | ₹22,80,000 | ₹25,00,000 | ₹40,00,000 |
| 2000 sq ft | ₹38,00,000 | ₹50,00,000 | ₹80,00,000 |
| 5000 sq ft | ₹95,00,000 | ₹1,25,00,000 | ₹2,00,00,000 |
The figures mentioned above are only indicative and variable depending on the numerous site conditions and specific project requirements, such as location, number of floors, and design complexity.
Home Construction Cost Calculator
The steps explained above can be followed to obtain rough estimates for building construction costs in Delhi. However, Brick & Bolt’s Construction Cost Calculator can be used to procure more accurate estimates of costs for building a house in Delhi. This calculator will produce estimates based on customisable options for structural materials, finishing materials, types of services required, site location, and various other aspects.
Brick & Bolt is a tech-enabled company with 4500+ completed residential projects that conducts 470+ quality checks at every construction stage to ensure the best quality for your house. With 3200+ customisable designs to tailor your home to accommodate your desires and the provision of end-to-end construction services, Brick & Bolt is a construction company in Delhi and numerous other Indian cities. Contact Brick & Bolt today to construct your dream home at the lowest market price in Delhi!