What does an office really cost you? Rent vs virtual office, by city
Pick your city, team size and how long you need it. We add up everything a rented office costs (rent, deposit, maintenance, fit-out, brokerage, running costs) and set it against a virtual office plus the desk days and meeting rooms you actually use. Edit any assumption; the numbers update as you type.
What the calculator counts
Most office-cost comparisons stop at rent. The number that matters is the all-in monthly cost over the whole term, including the cash you hand over on day one and never see again.
Rent per sq ft times the space the team needs, plus the maintenance or CAM charge the building levies on top. Both recur every month of the lease.
Three to six months of rent locked away for the term. Refundable, so not spent, but it earns nothing; the calculator counts the forgone return.
Partitions, wiring, furniture and branding come out of pocket before you move in, and the broker takes a month's rent. Spread over the term, these add a large share to the monthly figure.
Electricity, internet, housekeeping, pantry and small repairs. Per person, per month, and easy to forget when comparing quotes.
The plan fee (address, documents, mail handling), plus coworking day passes for the days the team meets and meeting-room hours for client calls. Nothing else.
The desk-days per person per month at which a rented office overtakes a virtual office plus passes. If your team needs desks fewer days than that, renting costs more.
Rented office vs virtual office, feature by feature
| What you get | Rented office | Virtual office |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial address for GST and MCA | Yes | Yes, with rent agreement, NOC and utility bill |
| Registered office for a company or LLP | Yes | Yes |
| Additional place of business in another state | New lease per state | One plan per state, from ₹399/month |
| Desks every day | Yes | Day passes when needed |
| Meeting rooms | If the space has one | Bookable by the hour |
| Mail and courier handling | Your staff | Included, with notification |
| Lock-in | Typically 11–36 months | 12 months, cancel at renewal |
| Upfront cash | Deposit + fit-out + brokerage | First year's fee only |
| Set-up time | Weeks | 1–3 working days |
Questions people ask before choosing
What does a rented office really cost per month?
Rent is only the visible part. Add the maintenance or CAM charge (usually ₹8–15 per sq ft), electricity, internet, housekeeping and pantry (₹1,000–2,500 per person), and the one-time outlays spread over the lease: a security deposit of three to six months that sits idle, brokerage of one month, and fit-out of ₹800–1,500 per sq ft. For a five-person team in a metro that typically lands between ₹60,000 and ₹1,50,000 a month all-in; the calculator itemises it for your city.
What is included in a virtual office plan?
A commercial address you can register on the GST portal and at the MCA, with the rent agreement, owner NOC and utility bill the officer asks for, mail and courier handling, and a name board at the premises. It does not include desks: the calculator lets you add coworking day passes and meeting-room hours for the days the team meets in person.
When does renting an office become cheaper than a virtual office?
Only when the team needs desks most working days. The calculator shows the desk-days per person per month at which a rented office overtakes a virtual office plus day passes; for most teams under ten people that number is above what they actually use.
Can I register GST and my company at a virtual office address?
Yes. The address comes with the document set FORM GST REG-01 and SPICe+ ask for, and the premises can be verified by the officer. It works as the principal place of business, as an additional place of business in another state, and as the registered office of a company or LLP.
Are the rent figures in the calculator real quotes?
No. They are typical asking rents for Grade-B commercial space in each city's business districts, shown as a range so you can see the spread. Replace them with the number on your own quote and the comparison recalculates instantly.
Does the security deposit count as a cost?
It is refundable, so the calculator does not treat it as spent. It does show the amount, because it is cash locked away for the lease term, and it counts the return you forgo on it (at a modest 7% a year) as a cost of renting.
Virtual office packages from ₹399/month
Same three packages in every city, billed annually. Prices below are the full amount you pay, with GST at 18% shown separately and the renewal price already worked out. There are no other charges.
Business Address
Branding, mail and correspondence
| Annual (12 × ₹399) | ₹4,788 |
| GST @ 18% | ₹862 |
| You pay, year 1 | ₹5,650 |
| Renewal (15% off) + GST | ₹4,070 + ₹733 |
- A real commercial address in your chosen city and locality
- Use it on your website, invoices, letterhead and visiting cards
- Mail and courier receipt, with notification
Does not include the rent agreement, NOC and utility-bill kit, or GST / MCA filing — those come with the GST and Company packages below.
Choose Business AddressGST Registration
New GSTIN or an Additional Place of Business
| Annual (12 × ₹799) | ₹9,588 |
| GST @ 18% | ₹1,726 |
| You pay, year 1 | ₹11,314 |
| Renewal (15% off) + GST | ₹8,150 + ₹1,467 |
- Everything in Business Address
- Address under the right state GST jurisdiction, with notarised or registered rent agreement, NOC, utility bill and name-board signage
- GST application prepared and filed by our team (new registration or APOB)
- Show-cause notice replies and verification support until the GSTIN is issued
There is no government fee for GST registration.
Choose GST RegistrationCompany Registration
Registered office for Pvt Ltd, LLP, OPC or Section 8
| Annual (12 × ₹899) | ₹10,788 |
| GST @ 18% | ₹1,942 |
| You pay, year 1 | ₹12,730 |
| Renewal (15% off) + GST | ₹9,170 + ₹1,651 |
- Everything in GST Registration
- Registered-office document set accepted by the MCA: agreement, NOC, utility bill and board-resolution format
- Same address serves as your GST principal place of business
- Incorporation filing available as a separate service, with government fees itemised
Incorporation service fees and MCA / stamp-duty charges are shown separately on the registration pages.
Choose Company RegistrationAdditional charges: none. GST registration carries no government fee. If you also take incorporation, MCA and stamp-duty charges are itemised separately on the registration pages. Every address is on premises owned by SimplySetup or by an exclusive partner — never a resold coworking desk.
Businesses that swapped an office for an address
Real engagements, anonymised: what they needed, what was set up and how long it took.
Virtual officeNoidaAn engineering and construction firm from Mumbai that also leases heavy equipmentA two-year contract in another stateUP GSTIN issued on a virtual office in Noida. The company invoiced the whole contract from that address and never took physical space in the state.
Home state MaharashtraNeeded GSTIN in Uttar Pradesh
Company registrationBangaloreA first-time tech founder in BengaluruThe landlord said no. The company still got registered.Company incorporated, GST registered and the bank account opened on a commercial virtual office in Koramangala, which unlocked the payment gateway, for about ₹1,000 a month…
City Bengaluru, KoramangalaBlocked by Landlord refused a NOC