Construction Costs

Data center construction costs for 2024

July 18, 2024
7 min read

The drive toward smart cities necessitates substantial investment in modernizing data centers, which are the technological backbone of this transformation. Data centers have evolved from traditional physical servers to complex networks that support applications across multi-cloud environments. This modern infrastructure is essential for cities to become more efficient, business-friendly, and livable.

However, upgrading data centers to meet these smart city demands comes with significant costs. The advanced features required for these facilities, such as high-speed connectivity, security, and energy efficiency, contribute to the overall expense. Despite the high costs, these investments are critical for cities to remain competitive and to provide the expected level of public service in the digital age. 

Current, localized construction cost data is crucial for creating accurate budgets, planning future expansions, ensuring timely project completion and maintaining a competitive edge. Gordian’s data features more than 100 building models, including computer data centers. These localized models allow architects, engineers, and other preconstruction professionals to quickly and accurately create conceptual estimates for future builds. This table shows a five-year view of costs per square foot for one-story computer data centers. 

Visit rsmeans.com/bdandc for more information about Gordian’s RSMeans Data.

Location

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024

5-Year Change

National Average

$380.66

$384.97

$409.48

$447.91

$468.66

23.12%

New York, NY

$537.83

$545.30

$569.75

$604.27

$639.83

18.97%

Chicago, IL

$465.73

$470.97

$494.26

$536.91

$561.33

20.53%

Boston, MA

$448.40

$448.02

$479.69

$522.90

$543.43

21.19%

Los Angeles, CA

$440.10

$445.51

$472.86

$519.68

$545.05

23.85%

Ann Arbor, MI

$374.18

$383.16

$402.05

$431.41

$453.86

21.29%

Omaha, NE

$342.87

$349.92

$364.05

$401.75

$419.71

22.41%

Denver, CO

$335.68

$339.71

$362.74

$396.33

$416.33

24.03%

Atlanta, GA

$323.09

$330.83

$352.09

$386.26

$407.77

26.21%

Phoenix, AZ

$323.02

$320.24

$345.39

$386.40

$407.58

26.18%

Dallas, TX

$306.35

$309.88

$330.99

$361.55

$379.21

23.78%

Please note: Square foot models are used for planning and budgeting and are not meant for detailed estimates.


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