International costs: 2006 | Features

Labour rates (€/hour)
	Basic rate*			All-in rate**
Country	Unskilled	Semi-skilled	Skilled	Unskilled	Semi-skilled	Skilled
BELGIUM				29.1	30.41	35.71
CROATIA	2.83	4.1	5.93	5.08	7.38	10.67
CYPRUS	11.26	12.11	13.78	15.08	16.02	17.91
CZECH REPUBLIC	2.39	3.75	6.82	6.82	8.53	17.07
FINLAND	9.5	12.69	14.2	16.4	21.9	25.4
FRANCE	10.66	12.62	14.35	19.19	23.59	26.7
GERMANY				25.01	30	35
GREECE	4.86	5.55	7.63	9.76	10.45	13.34
HUNGARY	2.37	4.74	5.91	5.91	11.84	14.8
IRELAND	15.01	16.25	16.5	30	30	33
ITALY	13.5	15.5	17.49	26.21	28.75	30.66
NETHERLANDS				30	35	37.49
NORWAY	12.71	19.06	24.14	33.04	41.3	44.48
POLAND	2.31	2.77	3.4	4.48	5.4	6.62
ROMANIA	1.49	2.65	3.31	2.69	4.77	5.96
SLOVAKIA	2.59	3.88	6.46	4.26	5.17	8.53
SPAIN	20	20.99	24.49	23	23.99	27.49
SWEDEN	11.65	12.8	15.09	26.12	28.5	33.61
UNITED KINGDOM	9.91	11.32	13.18	13.51	15.43	17.96
ARGENTINA	0.86	1.01	1.3	2.42	2.58	2.78
AUSTRALIA ¹	12.55	13.07	13.77	26.42	27.04	28.39
BRAZIL	0.89	1.02	1.33	2.01	2.31	3.02
CHINA	0.42	0.47	0.56	0.73	0.82	0.97
HONG KONG	7.93		13.66	9.15		15.75
INDIA	0.26	0.28	0.29	0.29	0.35	0.59
INDONESIA	0.47	0.53	0.63	0.64	0.73	0.88
ISRAEL	6.34	7.6	9.96	7.88	9.5	12.4
JAPAN	12.53	15.31	19.32	18.83	22.98	28.99
LEBANON	1.17	1.7	2.77	1.23	1.79	2.91
MALAYSIA	8.59	14.69	23.15	10.19	16.95	27.12
NEW ZEALAND	11.7	16.38	16.38	15.21	22.22	22.22
PHILIPPINES	0.64	0.79	0.98	0.86	1.05	1.32
QATAR	1.24	1.35	1.49	1.54	1.79	2.02
SAUDI ARABIA	1.14	1.36	2.28	2.05	2.74	3.41
SINGAPORE	1.8	2.42	3.02	2.96	3.06	3.26
SOUTH AFRICA	1.23	2.3	4.58	1.71	3.21	6.43
SRI LANKA	0.38	0.45	0.54	0.41	0.5	0.59
SULTANATE OF OMAN	1.55	1.77	1.99	2.66	3	3.32
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES	1.26	1.38	1.49	1.63	1.86	2.15
VIETNAM	1.61	2.68	4.03	2.42	3.76	4.83
USA ²	38.44	46.13	52.96	40	55	75
CARIBBEAN ³	10.69	15.1	21.61	13.1	19.06	26.86
* Basic labour rate is the amount paid to a site operative, based upon figures promulgated by the national wage fixing body in the country. In many cases employers may be paying above or below the basic rate.
** The all-in rate is the gross hourly cost of employing the site operative, based upon the standard working week for the country, including items such as insurances, statutory contributions and taxes. The all-in labour rate for the Middle East includes for the cost of importing labour and for food and accommodation.
¹ Australia figures are an average for Melbourne and Sydney
² USA figures are taken from the New York office only
³ Caribbean figures are an average for the Cayman Islands and the British Virgin Islands

Building costs: Offices and industrial (€/m²)
	City-centre heated offices			City-centre air-conditioned office
	€/m²	€/m²	floors*	€/m²	€/m²	floors*
Country	low	high	(typical)	low	high	(typical)
BELGIUM	1,400	2,126		1,870	2,501
CYPRUS	1,047	1,464		1,244	1,745
CZECH REPUBLIC	682	1,023	6	751	1,195	6
FINLAND	1,350	1,700	5	1,480	1,801	5
FRANCE	1,650	2,200		2,300	2,950
GERMANY	900	1,275	5	1,180	1,660	5
GREECE	1,000	2,196		1,138	2,501
HUNGARY	591	789	6	710	849	8
IRELAND	1,801	2,801	5	1,950	2,801	5
ITALY	1,099	1,400	8	1,300	2,151	8
NETHERLANDS	1,179	1,430	6	1,441	1,913	8
POLAND	616	1,006		804	1,256
ROMANIA	485	685	5	750	900	7
SLOVAKIA	466	723	5	594	905	8
SPAIN	N/A	N/A		1,020	1,550	10
SWEDEN	1,041	1,353	5	1,457	1,768	5
UNITED KINGDOM	1,581	2,049	7	1,903	3,294	8
ARGENTINA	N/A	N/A		N/A	N/A
AUSTRALIA ¹	N/A	N/A		1,359	1,967	17
BRAZIL	N/A	N/A		578	656	20
CHINA	N/A	N/A		561	845	35
HONG KONG	N/A	N/A		1,069	1,432
INDIA	224	467	10	280	505	10
INDONESIA	N/A	N/A		275	427
ISRAEL	N/A	N/A		606	688	7
JAPAN	N/A	N/A		1,603	2,170	15
LEBANON	512	615	14	555	666	14
MALAYSIA	N/A	N/A		249	486
NEW ZEALAND	N/A	N/A		1,404	1,638
PHILIPPINES	N/A	N/A		423	549	30
QATAR	N/A	N/A		807	1,111	25
SAUDI ARABIA	N/A	N/A		774	1,320	7
SINGAPORE	N/A	N/A		874	1,064	25
SOUTH AFRICA	N/A	N/A		618	892	10
SRI LANKA	161	198	4	208	234	4
SULTANATE OF OMAN	N/A	N/A		487	843
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES	N/A	N/A		675	802	24
VIETNAM	N/A	N/A		672	833
USA ²				2,850	5,466
CARIBBEAN ³				1,687	2,413	5
* Typical number of storeys has only been provided where identifiied by local offices
¹ Australia figures are an average for Melbourne and Sydney
² USA figures are taken from the New York office only
³ Caribbean figures are an average for the Cayman Islands and the British Virgin Islands
Building type definitions
City-centre heated office Self-contained building of a size and height typical of major cities in country; building costs include for accommodation to a good finish with raised floors, carpet, suspended ceilings, heating, lighting and power, but excluding partitioning
Air-conditioned office Self-contained building of a size and height typical of major cities in country; building costs include for accommodation to a good finish with raised floors, carpet, suspended ceilings, air-conditioning, lighting and power, but excluding partitioning
Factories, warehouses, industrial Large, single storey unit of steel portal frame and profiled aluminium cladding, with an eaves height of at least 6 m, on an out-of-town site, finished to a basic shell with services and heating to the office space (approx 5% of area)
Out-of-town business park Self-contained low-rise building in a campus location. Costs include for high quality cladding and accommodation to a good finish with raised floors, carpet, suspended ceilings, air-conditioning, lighting and power, but excluding partitioning

Building costs: Residential and retail (€/m²)
	High-rise apartments			Shopping centre
	€/m²	€/m²	floors*	€/m²	€/m²	floors*
Country	low	high	(typical)	low	high	(typical)
BELGIUM	1,180	1,710
CYPRUS	959	1,395		873	1,395
CZECH REPUBLIC	444	887	10	615	1,023	2
FINLAND	1,290	1,880	4	1,020	1,240	2
FRANCE	1,325	1,900
GERMANY	526	690	6	430	654	2
GREECE	1,000	2,000		900	2,000
HUNGARY	533	750	8	612	731
IRELAND	1,550	1,900	5	2,050	2,900	2
ITALY	1,300	2,350	4	1,850	3,000	1
NETHERLANDS	738	1,176	10	1,001	1,360	1
POLAND	590	1,056		578	943
ROMANIA	480	650	12	520	679	2
SLOVAKIA	388	698	8	517	646	2
SPAIN	1,135	1,749	12	774	1,749	2
SWEDEN	833	1,249	7	1,561	1,899	4
UNITED KINGDOM	1,610	2,635	8	1,464	1,830	2
ARGENTINA	334	523	15	N/A	N/A
AUSTRALIA ¹	1,424	1,789	30	704	1,133
BRAZIL	520	597	18	540	616	5
CHINA	312	427	25	634	978	7
HONG KONG	947	1,190		1,487	1,763
INDIA	224	458	17	280	561	3
INDONESIA	309	427		195	233
ISRAEL	536	638	16	669	714	2
JAPAN	1,410	1,739	20	565	1,410	5
LEBANON	555	697	25	492	641	4
MALAYSIA	158	452		203	701
NEW ZEALAND	1,111	1,287		556	965
PHILIPPINES	345	549	40	250	486
QATAR	811	1,132	25	853	1,239	4
SAUDI ARABIA	877	1,320	7	774	1,320	2
SINGAPORE	673	804	25	673	829
SOUTH AFRICA	713	1,211	8	574	829	2
SRI LANKA	268	351	18	184	234	3
SULTANATE OF OMAN	577	1,054		589	1,287
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES	744	976	25	808	1,162	4
VIETNAM	596	741		489	596
USA ²	2,023	7,816
CARIBBEAN ³	1,154	1,922		1,067	1,623
* Typical number of storeys has only been provided where identifiied by local offices
¹ Australia figures are an average for Melbourne and Sydney
² USA figures are taken from the New York office only
³ Caribbean figures are an average for the Cayman Islands and the British Virgin Islands
Building type definitions
High-rise apartments Multistorey building typical of major cities in country, apartments finished to a high standard, all floors served by lifts.
Shopping centre Major shopping development incorporating retail space, pedestrian areas and service areas, but excluding car parks.
High-quality capital city hotel High-quality hotel in excess of 400 bedrooms, conference facilities, extensive restaurant, lounge and foyer areas, leisure facilities including indoor pool, retail and service areas. Costs exclude furniture, fittings and equipment.
Provincial/suburban hotel Medium-sized hotel with conference facilities, extensive restaurant, lounge and foyer areas but no pool or other leisure facilities. Costs exclude furniture, fittings and equipment.

Building material supply prices*
	Steel rebar high yield	Structural steel	Ordinary cement	Concrete (20 N/mm²)	Aggregate all grades	Sand (coarse)	Plaster	Carcassing timber	Common bricks	Concrete blocks (100 mm)	Glass (6 mm)
Country	€/tonne	€/tonne	€/tonne	€/m³	€/tonne	€/tonne	€/tonne	€/m³	€/1,000	€/m²	€/m²
BELGIUM					15	15	224	392			26
CROATIA	644	691	123	45	12	18		183		6	12
CYPRUS	436	959	63	61	9	9	122	523	436	10	12
CZECH REPUBLIC	564	818	82	59	20	28	85	359	198	18	13
FINLAND	659	1,407	108	64	10	10	351	209		10	37
FRANCE	1,075	1,277	165	120	50	56	293	378	413	13	40
GREECE	501	950	50	56	10	10	110		167		15
HUNGARY	789	868	158	138	3	7	119	177	158	16	28
IRELAND	619	1,250	130	75	7	12	329	250	474	12	42
ITALY	449	770	113	94	16	16	135	160	170	12	31
NETHERLANDS	750	960	190	85		9	350			9	31
NORWAY	890	2,414	190	97	13	13	293	343	774	29	42
POLAND	466	628	70	48	18	7	154	227	141	10	6
ROMANIA	505	851	149	70	15	12	120	138	283	10	15
SLOVAKIA	801	1,085	104	72	10	18	82	227	310	10	61
SPAIN	886	1,350	95	72	15	16	64	160	102		38
SWEDEN	947	1,072	104	124	10	19	348	635		16	26
UNITED KINGDOM	659	878	190	97	37	25	288	384	293	12
ARGENTINA	653		82	51	18	7	101		64	9	25
AUSTRALIA ¹	765	862	205	92	29	23	187	650	351	17	47
BRAZIL	1,654	3,660	182	92	12	15	201	201	269	12	42
CHINA	376	748	32	31	6	6	38	206	41	1	4
HONG KONG	470		54		4	3				4	9
INDIA	448	486	63	47	9	9			34	4	7
INDONESIA	445	613	61	38	12	12	23	318	28	13	7
ISRAEL	580	1,303	69	41	9	9	145			4	13
JAPAN	436	1,073	61	82	16	19		379		10	13
LEBANON	448	748	69	56	18	13	192	470	577	6	9
MALAYSIA	363	656	45	29	7	12	91	158	59	3	10
NEW ZEALAND	877	731	132	102	16	20		351	439	18	56
PHILIPPINES	470	706	63	61	13	9		212	470	3	54
QATAR	521	1,631	98	75	13	13				7	98
SAUDI ARABIA	444	798	73	44	7	4	82	205	n/a	3	34
SINGAPORE	367	357	42	23	6	6		37	136	4	13
SOUTH AFRICA	764	1,785	107	82	20	12		458	190	6	42
SRI LANKA	537	637	56	51	13	13	54	520	40	3	4
SULTANATE OF OMAN	487	1,386	66	34	3	6	53	255		6	12
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES	395	1,651	167	67	9	9		581		6	76
VIETNAM	296	338	53	37	9	4		32	29	3	4
CARIBBEAN ²	744	4,014	162	190	34	34		511		13	59
* All rates include delivery to site and local discounts, but exclude VAT and local taxes
¹ Australia figures are an average for Melbourne and Sydney
² Caribbean figures are an average for the Cayman Islands and the British Virgin Islands

Inflation rates and forecasts
	Retail price inflation (%)									Building tender price inflation (%)
Country	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005*	2006*	2007*	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005*	2006*	2007*
BELGIUM	1.9	2.5	3.1	1.8	1.4	2.1	2.9	2.7		2.2	4.3	5.6	1.3	2.4	5.4	3.7
CZECH REPUBLIC	2	3	6.7	3.1	4	2.8	4			2	3	2	–0.4	2.6	2.7	4.1
FINLAND	1.4	3	2.9	1.2	2	3.8	4			9.2	5	–3.7	1.6	4.5	0.3	0
FRANCE	3	2	1.5	4	4	4.2	3	3		2	4	5.6	1.3	2.4	6	0.9	5
GERMANY	1	2	2.4	1	2	2	2	2		–0.3	1	0.3	–0.1	–0.1	–1.8	–0.2
HUNGARY	11	10	7.5	6	5	7	6			10	10	7	5	5	6	6
IRELAND	2	6	4.9	5	4	3.5	5	5		12	13	4.7	–5.0	–0.6	5.3	7.3
ITALY	1	3	2	8	5	4.9	2	2	2.1	2	3	2.8	3.7	1.8	5.2	4.1	4.8	3.8
NETHERLANDS	2.3	4	4.2	13	2	2.2	1.5			3.2	4.5	5.4	2.3	1.1	3.6	1.6
POLAND	9	10	4	2	1	5	2			9	4	2.6	1	1	5	2.2
ROMANIA	10					9	7	5		43	24	39.9	34.3	18.6	9	7	5
SLOVAKIA	5	4	6	6	7	5.3	3			5	3	6	5	2.9	10.2	3.4
SPAIN	2	6	7.9	5	4	2.2	3	3		2	7	6.1	5.7	3.9	2.2
SWEDEN	0	1	2.9	2	2	3.7	1.8	2	1.7	1	5	4.5	3.5	2.5	6.6	0.8	3.1
UNITED KINGDOM	1.5	3	1.8	1.7	3	3	2.6	2		2.5	3.5	3	3.5	3	4.5	4	4	3.5
ARGENTINA	–1.8	–0.7	–1.5	41.2	4	7	12	12	10.5	0	–1.7	–0.8	67.9	19.8	25	12	3.6
AUSTRALIA	1.2	3	3	3	3	2.5	3	3	3	6	0	3.5	3.3	4	7	4.9	4	4
CHINA	–1.3									–0.2	1	0	0.5	0.5	0.2	0
HONG KONG	–3.9	–2.0	–3.1	–3.2	–2.2	0	2.2			–4.5	–11.4	–8.6	–8.2	2.6	0	3.8
INDIA	3	4								7	3	2.5	6	11.9	3.6	3.9	4.7	5.4
INDONESIA	1.8	5.9			10	6.8	18			13.8	12.1
ISRAEL	1.3	0	1.4	5	–1.9	1.2	2.9	4		2.5	2	1	1.6	2.4	4.9	11.3	8.8	10
JAPAN	–2.6	–1.0	–1.8	–0.4	–4.3	11.1	0	0	0	–1.5	–1.4	–1.1	–1.3	3.5	2	0	0	0
LEBANON	3	3.4	2.7	4.1	4.4	5.8	–0.5	5		3.3	3.7	2.9	3.3	4.8	29.4	–4.5	5
MALAYSIA		1.5								4	1.6	–1.5	3.8	2.6	8.3	3.1
NEW ZEALAND	2.4	2.4								0.6	0.9	2.1	1.6	1.1	14.4	5.2	2.9	3.7
QATAR					15	17.4	11							25	20	16.7
SAUDI ARABIA	1.5	2	1.9	1	2.8	5.4	1	1	0.8
SINGAPORE	0.9	2								–10.8	–1.2	0	2.4	6	–7.9	9.8
SOUTH AFRICA										12	7	4.2	6.6	2.6	18	14.3	6.9	8.3
USA 1	2.3	2.6	1.6	2.2	2.3	3.2	3.4	3.1		9.3	6.8	–1.5	–7.2	2.6	11	8.4	7.7	3.9

* 2005 to 2007 figures are forecasts
1 US building tender price inflation rates are taken from New York office only