A Scenario A
ComparedQuoted rent—
Floor area—
CAPEX—
Landlord incentives—
Calculate the total cost of your office over the selected period — not just the rent. The TCO calculator includes service charges, utilities, indexation, CAPEX, landlord incentives and entry and exit costs. It compares two scenarios and shows the cost of the full lease, monthly cost, cost per m² and FTE, and the point at which one offer becomes more cost-effective.
Compare two options over the same time horizon. The analysis includes lease terms, capital expenditure, landlord contribution and the costs of entry, operation and exit. Input values remain in the internal PLN calculation base; all financial results are converted to EUR using the latest available NBP table A rate.
Enter the assumptions for both options. Available project data will be included automatically.
These parameters are identical for both options. They affect the full period and the present value of cash flows.
The result will identify the cheaper option and show which cash flows create the difference.
Compare the financial dimension of the environmental impact of both options.
Confirm that each option provides the right amount of space for the planned way of working.
Verify the lease terms, premises availability and technical feasibility before making a decision.
Total cost: rent + service charge + utilities + other operating costs + CAPEX + relocation and overlap + exit costs − landlord contribution.
Present value (NPV): each cost is assigned to the appropriate month and discounted using the stated discount rate. A cost incurred at the start of the analysis retains its full value.
Scope: rent-free months reduce base rent, while the landlord contribution reduces the cost of the option. The monetary equivalent of CO₂ and qualitative risks are presented separately.
Rent is only one of the items that determine the economics of an office. The real cost of a scenario also includes service charges, utilities, CAPEX, relocation, the period when two leases overlap, exit costs and landlord contribution. Ecoffices Office TCO Calculator arranges these cash flows over time and compares two scenarios over a common horizon. This makes it possible to see not only which office has the lower quoted rate, but which scenario has the lower total lease cost in present-value terms.
The examples below were calculated using the current calculator logic. Each row represents one complete lease scenario. In the calculator, the user compares two such scenarios — A and B — and the engine identifies the lower present-value cost, the point of sustained cost advantage and the items that create the difference.
| Scenario | Decision | Floor area | FTE | Rent | Service charge | CAPEX | Landlord contribution | Rent-free | Relocation | Lease overlap | Exit cost | Net entry cost | Nominal TCO | NPV | Average / month | Cost / m² / month | Cost / FTE / month | First year | Peak month | Rent-free-period saving | Risks to confirm | Conclusion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S1245 m² office | Stay and refresh | 245 m² | 22 | — | — | — | — | 0 months | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | flexibility of the current lease | The lowest total cost, but the decision is rational only if the current space still meets the organization’s needs. |
| S2530 m² office | Modernize the current office | 530 m² | 48 | — | — | — | — | 1 month | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | works in an occupied office and technical conditions | Modernization can reduce the cost of changing premises, but requires verification of work phasing and the ability to maintain business operations. |
| S31,000 m² office | Business relocation | 1000 m² | 92 | — | — | — | — | 5 months | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | handover standard, availability date and building power | Landlord contribution and rent-free months help, but they do not eliminate CAPEX, lease-overlap costs or the cost of exiting the old office. |
| S41,350 m² office | Relocation with lower rent | 1350 m² | 115 | — | — | — | — | 4 months | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | larger floor area and unconfirmed handover standard | A lower rent rate does not automatically offset a larger floor area, weaker landlord contribution and a high entry cost. |
| S51,600 m² office | Representative headquarters | 1600 m² | 145 | — | — | — | — | 6 months | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | technical scope, availability and lease flexibility | The scenario may have strategic justification, but requires deliberate acceptance of the high entry cost and first-year burden. |
| S62,260 m² office | Optimized relocation | 2260 m² | 210 | — | — | — | — | 8 months | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | availability date and reinstatement obligations | The highest nominal cost does not mean the worst efficiency. A large landlord contribution and controlled cost per FTE improve the scenario outcome. |
A larger floor area, weaker landlord package and higher CAPEX can quickly eliminate the benefit of a lower base rent.
Two scenarios with similar NPV can require completely different cash levels when the office is entered and launched.
A common period, discount rate and FTE count make it possible to compare the real economics rather than incomparable offers.
In the Ecoffices model, TCO is the sum of base rent, service charges, utilities, other operating costs, CAPEX, relocation, overlap between two leases and exit costs, less landlord contribution. Each expense is assigned to a specific month, so the calculator accounts not only for the amount but also for when it occurs.
This structure allows different decisions to be compared: staying in the current office, modernizing the occupied space, relocating to a ready office or delivering a new fit-out. The scenario name does not affect the result — the cash flows entered do.
Nominal TCO shows the sum of all cash flows without discounting. It is the basis for calculating average monthly cost, cost per m² and cost per FTE. NPV, or net present value of costs, accounts for time. In this view, an expense paid today carries more weight than the same amount paid several years later.
The scenario comparison is based on lower NPV. The engine also shows the nominal difference, the point of sustained advantage and the cost categories that most strongly support or weaken the winning scenario.
Entry cost includes CAPEX, relocation and lease overlap, less landlord contribution. The calculator separately shows first-year cost and the highest cash outflow occurring in a single month. This distinction matters: the first metric describes the total burden at the beginning of the project, while the second identifies the point of maximum cash requirement.
The user can specify the month in which CAPEX, landlord contribution, relocation, lease overlap and exit costs are recognized. Two scenarios with a similar total cost can therefore have different NPV and completely different liquidity profiles.
Rent-free months reduce only the base rent in the first months of the analysis. Service charges, utilities and other costs may still apply. Landlord contribution is a separate cash flow that reduces TCO in the month selected by the user. It does not reduce the technical cost of preparing the office — it changes only how that cost is financed.
TCO Engine does not recalculate fit-out cost or carbon footprint. It can use a CAPEX result saved in the Ecoffices scenario and the monetary CO₂ equivalent from Carbon Engine. CAPEX becomes part of the financial TCO, while the CO₂ value is shown as a separate perspective and does not change the base financial verdict.
The current calculator does not convert risks into an arbitrary score from 0 to 100. The user identifies specific issues requiring confirmation: handover standard, reinstatement obligations, availability of power, ventilation or cooling, lease flexibility and availability date. They are shown alongside the financial result because they can affect scenario feasibility even though they are not automatically priced.
The calculator is intended for scenario comparison at the decision stage. It is not a lease offer, property valuation, legal opinion or accounting forecast. The quality of the result depends on the accuracy of the inputs, so rates, indexation rules, incentive package, schedule, handover standard, exit costs and technical feasibility should be confirmed before signing the lease.
The total cost of an office lease develops over the entire lease term. Ecoffices TCO Engine shows the nominal cost of each scenario, the present value of expenditure, when a sustained advantage emerges and which items create the difference. This allows the decision to stay, modernize or relocate to be based on the full cost picture rather than only on rent per square metre.
The calculator compares two independent scenarios, A and B, over a common horizon, using the same FTE count and explicit financial assumptions.
The scenarios can represent staying in the current office, modernization, relocation or two different lease offers. The scenario name does not affect the result — the entered costs and timing of cash flows do.
This is not a simple rent-per-square-metre calculator. Its purpose is to compare complete cost scenarios over time.
TCO includes all cash flows that the current engine can assign to a scenario.
Rent, service charges and utilities can increase over time according to separate assumptions. Each one-off cost can be assigned to a selected month.
Nominal TCO is the sum of all cash flows without discounting. NPV shows their present value.
A cost incurred today carries more weight in NPV than the same amount paid several years later. The calculator accounts for the month in which each cash flow occurs and the annual discount rate entered by the user.
The decision is based on the lower total cost in NPV terms.
After calculating both scenarios, the calculator shows:
The verdict concerns financial cost. Space fit, lease terms and technical feasibility remain separate parts of the decision.
It is the first month from which the scenario that is ultimately cheaper remains cheaper through the end of the analysis period.
The engine compares the cumulative present-value costs of both scenarios. If the winning scenario already has an advantage in month 0 and does not lose it later, the result is described as “cheaper from the start”.
The advantage point is particularly useful when one scenario requires a larger initial outlay but has lower costs in subsequent months.
No. The benefit of a lower rent can be offset by the other elements of the scenario.
Lease offers should therefore be compared as complete cash-flow scenarios, not only on the basis of the quoted base rent.
Rent-free months remove base rent from the first months of the scenario.
They do not automatically remove service charges, utilities or other operating costs. These items are calculated according to the scenario inputs.
A longer rent-free period does not determine the result if the remaining costs of the offer are higher.
Landlord contribution is a negative cash flow that reduces the scenario TCO in the month selected by the user.
It does not reduce the technical cost of preparing the office. It changes the financing split between landlord and tenant and affects both NPV and the monthly cash-flow curve.
Net entry cost is the sum of CAPEX, relocation and lease overlap, less landlord contribution.
Entry cost does not include exit cost, which is recognized separately in the month selected for the end of the scenario. It is an aggregate metric; the actual cash profile also depends on the timing of individual cash flows.
These are two different liquidity metrics and should not be used interchangeably.
Two scenarios can have similar NPV while requiring completely different levels of cash at the start. In the model examples, entry costs are assigned to month 0, but the user can distribute them according to the actual schedule.
Yes. The user can assign each major one-off cash flow to the relevant month.
Timing affects the cost curve, NPV, first-year cost and peak burden in a single month. It should reflect payment terms, not only the planned lease commencement date.
Yes. A result saved in the Ecoffices scenario can be used as CAPEX for scenario A.
TCO Engine does not recalculate the fit-out cost. It uses the net value passed from the CAPEX calculator or an amount entered manually.
No. The monetary CO₂ equivalent is presented as a separate perspective.
The calculator can use a value from Carbon Engine or an amount entered manually and show TCO including that equivalent. The base financial verdict still comes from the NPV of lease, operating, investment, transition and exit costs.
This allows environmental impact to complement the decision without being hidden inside the financial TCO.
Risks are recorded as specific issues requiring confirmation rather than converted into an artificial score from 0 to 100.
The list does not automatically change NPV because the engine does not know the financial value of an unpriced risk. Its purpose is to identify the issues that must be verified before a decision is made.
No. The calculator structures the financial comparison of scenarios, but does not replace specialist verification.
Before signing the lease, the result should be considered together with legal review, technical due diligence, a test-fit and a confirmed CAPEX budget.