Interiors cost for a 1, 2 and 3 BHK

• Carpet area: the floor you can actually walk on inside the walls. Since RERA (2016), new flats must be sold by carpet area, so check your sale agreement.
• Finish level: laminate and standard hinges cost least. Acrylic, veneer and PU shutters, quartz tops and soft-close hardware cost more.
• How much woodwork: a kitchen and two wardrobes is very different from a TV wall, crockery unit, pooja unit, shoe rack and study as well.
• Who does it: an interiors company, a designer with a contractor, or a local carpenter.
• City: tier-2 cities cost about 15% less than metros, mostly in labour. Mumbai costs about 15% more.
• Age of the home: older flats often need rewiring and plumbing fixes before anything else.

Typical carpet areas in new city flats are about 400–600 sq ft for a 1 BHK, 700–1,000 sq ft for a 2 BHK and 1,200–1,600 sq ft for a 3 BHK. Our calculator uses 500, 900 and 1,350 sq ft if you don't enter your own.

These are for kitchen, wardrobes, ceilings, paint and lighting, done by a designer with a contractor, before GST and without loose furniture. They come from our rate table: ₹700–1,300 per sq ft of carpet for essential, ₹1,300–2,200 for premium and ₹2,200–3,800 for luxury.

Published package prices run a little higher, mostly because they include some furniture. One property site's interiors service puts a budget 2 BHK at ₹8–14 lakh and mid-range at ₹14.5–23 lakh, with furniture, flooring and bathrooms. A Delhi price page puts a 2 BHK at ₹8–11 lakh and a 3 BHK at ₹10–15 lakh, with beds and a sofa. A Bhubaneswar guide puts a complete 2 BHK at ₹6–14 lakh. One interiors company's room-by-room 3 BHK figures (kitchen, living room and three bedrooms, without dining or bathrooms) add up to about ₹7–10.4 lakh for essentials, ₹12–15.9 lakh premium and ₹17.5–23.2 lakh luxe. Our luxury band sits above these: it is for custom work in premium materials throughout.

A turnkey company suits people who want one point of contact and little time on site. A designer with a contractor suits people who want a home that doesn't look like a catalogue. A carpenter suits small, simple jobs, or owners who can supervise closely.

Say a 2 BHK of 900 sq ft carpet in Jaipur, premium finish, done by a designer with a contractor. Tier-2 rates run at about 0.85 of metro.

The same flat with an interiors company would come to about ₹14,95,600 before GST, and with a local carpenter about ₹10,40,400. Loose furniture at about 25% would add another ₹3.25 lakh or so. In Pune or Bengaluru, the typical fixed figure would be about ₹15,30,000.

• Spend on the kitchen and wardrobes, which you use every day and can't easily redo. Save on decor, which you can add later.
• Use one laminate range across the flat and keep acrylic or veneer for the kitchen or main bedroom.
• Keep false ceilings to the living and dining areas unless you need them to hide ducts or beams.
• Don't pay for woodwork you don't need. A crockery unit or a full TV wall is optional.
• Choose good hinges, channels and boards over extra accessories.
• Plan electrical points before carpentry, so nothing has to be cut open later.

An interior designer or an interiors company plans the whole flat. A modular furniture maker builds the kitchen and wardrobes in a factory. A contractor handles civil, electrical and painting work, and a lighting specialist can help with the ceiling and lights.

Whoever you choose, see a finished home of theirs, pay against completed stages and hold back 5–10% until 30–60 days after handover. These figures are approximate and vary by city, flat and spec.