flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

San Francisco overtakes Tokyo as the world’s most expensive city for construction

Building Team

San Francisco overtakes Tokyo as the world’s most expensive city for construction

Inflation, supply chain woes, and demand from tech companies drive costs.


By Peter Fabris, Contributing Editor | July 20, 2022
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco is the most expensive city for construction. Courtesy Pixabay.

San Francisco has overtaken Tokyo as the world’s most expensive city for construction, according to a new report from Turner & Townsend.

The cost for construction in San Francisco is $439.29 per square foot. North America had four markets in the top 10. New York City ranked fourth, Boston ranked eighth, and Los Angeles ranked ninth.

Cost increases in North America were due to the strengthening of the U.S. dollar, higher building material costs driven by supply chain disruptions, and high labor costs. The report found that 38.6% of markets surveyed were classified as “hot” (28.4%) or “overheating” (10.2%). These markets have conditions that risk acting as a brake on development. This is an increase of 10% over 2021, while the number of “cold” markets fell from six to one.

The rankings with the price per square foot, according to the report, are:

  1. San Francisco  $439.29
  2. Tokyo              $433.37
  3. Osaka, Japan   $423.49
  4. New York City $419.67
  5. Geneva           $402.47
  6. Zurich              $398.16
  7. Hong Kong      $393.58
  8. Boston             $371.46
  9. Los Angeles     $369.92
  10. London           $363.23

Related Stories

Building Team | Jun 13, 2018

How your AEC firm's brand affects recruiting top talent

There is a major shift in workforce demographics as upwards of 80 million baby boomers retire over the next fifteen years.

Sponsored | Building Team | May 8, 2018

5 tips to improve employee utilization (and morale)

Ways to increase productivity and revenue, while providing a supportive workplace environment

Architects | Apr 5, 2018

Tech Report 5.0: The Human Touch

Can studying humans at a behavioral level produce better buildings? Cognitive architecture experts are working to find out.

Sponsored | Building Team | Mar 28, 2018

6 strategies to keep your project on budget

Here are six strategies to keep your projects on or even under budget.

Sponsored | | Mar 14, 2018

Getting there may be costing you more

Commercial transportation is getting more expensive, and it’s driving up the price of steel.  

Sponsored | Building Team | Dec 12, 2017

3 tips to address the top causes of budget overruns

The most cited issues are communication breakdowns, inadequate fees for the work provided, and unrealistic deadlines or schedules.

Building Team | Nov 14, 2017

12 differences between average and high-growth firms

We’ve developed a pretty good understanding of what high-growth firms do differently from their average-growth peers.

Sponsored | Building Team | Nov 3, 2017

4 strategies for marketing your AEC firm

Having a clearly defined competitive brand and a fine-tuned marketing approach can give your firm a significant competitive advantage.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category




halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021