About the Apartment Furnishing Cost Calculator
Moving into an empty apartment or a first home means buying a lot at once: a bed and mattress, a sofa, a table, kitchen essentials, lamps, curtains and dozens of small items. This apartment furnishing cost calculator builds a room-by-room budget so you know the total before you start shopping.
Choose how many bedrooms and bathrooms you are furnishing and which other rooms you need — living room, dining area, kitchen essentials and a home office. Each room starts from an editable mid-range estimate that you can replace with your own quotes. Pick a quality level (budget, mid-range or premium), subtract the share of items you already own, then add delivery and assembly and sales tax.
The starting room costs are rough planning figures, not quotes — prices vary widely by retailer, region and whether you buy new, secondhand or flat-pack. Adjust them to match the stores you will actually use. Enter the months until move-in to see how much to save each month.
With the default inputs, the total furnishing budget is $5,007.60. Change any value above to recalculate instantly.
How to use the apartment furnishing cost calculator
- 1Enter how many bedrooms and bathrooms you are furnishing.
- 2Switch on the other rooms you need and adjust each room’s cost to your quotes.
- 3Pick a quality level and the share of items you already own.
- 4Add delivery and assembly, your sales tax rate and the months until move-in.
- 5Review the total and room breakdown, then trim rooms or tiers to fit your budget.
Formula and method
Each room contributes its cost (bedrooms and bathrooms are multiplied by how many you furnish), and the total is scaled by the quality multiplier: 0.5 for budget or secondhand, 1 for mid-range and 2.5 for premium. The share of items you already own is then removed, leaving what you actually need to buy.
Delivery and assembly is added as a percentage of the item cost, and sales tax is applied to the item cost. The default room costs are approximate mid-range planning figures for a typical rental, not quotes; replace them with real prices once you have a shopping list.
- Σ room costs
- Sum of the selected room estimates
- owned%
- Share of the furniture and items you already have
Worked examples
One-bedroom apartment, mid-range, owning 20% already
Bedroom ($1,800), living room ($2,500), kitchen ($600), bathroom ($150) and basics ($300) total $5,350. Owning 20% leaves $4,280 to buy; 10% delivery adds $428 and 7% tax adds $299.60, for $5,007.60 — about $1,669 a month over three months.
First apartment on a budget, nothing owned
At budget or secondhand prices the $5,350 room total halves to $2,675. With no delivery charge (you collect it yourself) and 6% tax, the total is $2,835.50, or $1,417.75 a month over two months.
Three-bedroom house with dining room and office, premium
Rooms total $10,600 (three $1,800 bedrooms, two $150 bathrooms, living, kitchen, dining, office and basics). Premium pricing ×2.5 makes it $26,500; owning 40% leaves $15,900. Adding 8% delivery and 8% tax gives $18,444, or $1,537 a month for a year.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to furnish an apartment?+
It depends mostly on the sofa, the mattress and how much you already own. With this calculator’s mid-range planning figures, furnishing a one-bedroom from scratch comes to about $5,350 before delivery and tax; buying secondhand or budget pieces roughly halves that, and premium furniture can multiply it. Replace the defaults with real quotes for your own number.
What should I buy first for a new apartment?+
Prioritise a good mattress and bed, basic kitchen items, towels and bedding, cleaning supplies, and lighting. A sofa, dining table, rugs and décor can follow over the next few months as your budget allows.
How can I furnish a home cheaply?+
Buy secondhand through local marketplaces and thrift stores, accept hand-me-downs from family, shop floor-model and end-of-season sales, choose flat-pack furniture you assemble yourself, and furnish in stages instead of all at once.
Should I finance furniture?+
Store financing and buy-now-pay-later plans often charge high rates or deferred interest if not paid off in time. Saving a monthly amount before you move, or furnishing in phases, avoids interest; the monthly figure here shows how much to set aside.