NYC Office Relocation for a Growing Startup: The Decisions, in Order
An NYC office relocation comes down to four decisions, made in this order: whether to move at all, which neighborhood, how much space, and whether to take a prebuilt floor or build a custom one. For a startup that has outgrown its space the first is usually settled, because no renewal discount fixes a floor that is too small. Size the next office at 175 square feet a person for the headcount you expect in 12 to 18 months. A prebuilt floor takes six to eight weeks from first tour to desks, and a custom buildout four to six months.
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Show me floors for 50Updated 2026-10-03 · Nomad Group
Decision one: move, or renew where you are
Relocating beats renewing in three situations. The team no longer fits, and pays for that every day. The building is in decline: deferred maintenance, emptying floors, an owner who has stopped investing. Or the market has moved below your rent, so comparable space costs meaningfully less than you pay now.
If none of those applies, staying may be cheaper than it looks, because a renewal skips the buildout and the move. Even then, tour alternatives. A tenant who has seen real options negotiates a renewal from a stronger position. Renew or relocate sets the two side by side.
Decision two: the neighborhood
List the home subway stations of the current team and of recent candidates, then score each neighborhood by the number of transfers each person would make, weighted toward the roles you find hardest to hire. Transfers, more than minutes, decide whether a commute feels long. The exercise produces two neighborhoods to tour, back to back, in one afternoon. How to choose a neighborhood has the full method.
Decision three: how much space, sized 12 to 18 months out
Start from 175 square feet a person, which already includes that person's share of meeting rooms, the pantry and the corridors. A startup that is still adding people usually takes 15 to 25 percent on top. For a company planning on 50 people that is 8,750 square feet as a base, and roughly 10,000 to 11,000 with room to grow.
The alternative to leasing empty desks is a right to expand written into the lease, or a term short enough to move again. The floors below are sized for a team of about 50.
Decision four: prebuilt or custom, which sets the calendar
Take a prebuilt or furnished floor and the keys usually come two to four weeks after the lease is signed, which puts the whole relocation at six to eight weeks for a team that decides quickly. Construction of a custom office runs 10 to 16 weeks from signing, and four to six months counted from the first tour.
Prebuilt trades fit for speed. Custom gives you your own plan and asks for a longer lease. If the date is fixed by a lease expiry, start nine to twelve months before it. The timeline guide gives each phase its length.
What the move costs a startup beyond the rent
- Overlap rent, while you pay for both offices.
- Buildout cost above the landlord's allowance.
- New furniture, which runs $2,000 to $4,000 for each desk.
- Cabling, IT, AV and the internet circuit.
- Movers, including any evening or weekend premium the buildings require.
- Security for the new lease, as cash or a letter of credit, normally due while the old landlord still holds the first deposit.
- Restoring the old space, if that lease requires it.
- Signage and access systems, and a contingency line.
Add these up and set the total against the rent difference before you commit.
Floors that fit a team of 50
Live from our listings · 6 of the 8, smallest firstA team of 50 plans on about 8,750 square feet at 175 a person. 8 floors on our book sit in the range that fits, 8,750 to 15,750 square feet, asking $50 to $200 per square foot per year on the 6 with a published rent.
- Floors
- 8
- Sizes
- 9,000-13,754 sq ft
- Asking rent
- $50-$200 / sq ft
- 151 West 26th Street, Partial 10th Floor 9,000 sq ft $64/sq ft Chelsea about 51 people
- 127 West 26th Street, Entire 7th Floor 9,500 sq ft $50/sq ft Chelsea about 54 people
- 1235 Broadway, Entire 4th Floor 9,500 sq ft $62/sq ft NoMad about 54 people
- 66 Hudson Boulevard, Partial 53rd Floor 10,517 sq ft $200/sq ft Hudson Yards about 60 people
- 1700 Broadway, Entire 26th Floor 13,266 sq ft $79/sq ft Midtown about 76 people
- 836 Broadway, Entire 2nd Floor 13,754 sq ft rent on request Union Square about 79 people
The full guide
This page is the short answer. The long one, with the numbers worked through, is here:
Related topics
- Office Relocation Timeline in NYC: Count Back From the Date That Matters
- Office Fit Out vs Refurbishment: What the Choice Changes for an NYC Tenant
- Office Tenant Buildout in NYC, Step by Step: Stages, Permits and Weeks
- Office Renovation for Manhattan Startups, Run by the Team That Did Your Lease
How early should a startup begin planning an office move?
Nine to twelve months before the date that matters, usually the lease expiry. That allows a full search, a lease negotiated without a deadline working against you, and a buildout that is not priced for speed. Teams that start when the office already feels too small tend to land a quarter late.
How much space does a 50-person startup need?
About 8,750 rentable square feet at 175 a person. With 15 to 25 percent added for hiring, plan on roughly 10,000 to 11,000. A dense open plan needs less, about 140 square feet each, and a layout with many private offices needs more, about 225.
Can we relocate before our current lease ends?
Yes, but the old lease does not end because you left. The usual routes are a sublease, an assignment, a negotiated surrender or a termination option if the lease has one, and each has a cost. The early exit guide compares them.
Is it worth touring other offices if we expect to stay?
Yes. A renewal is a negotiation, and the landlord prices it against how likely you are to leave. Touring real alternatives 12 to 18 months before expiry is what makes a better renewal possible, and sometimes the search wins and the move is the right call.
Talk to a broker
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