Opening a London Office: A Guide for US Companies (2026)
What a US company pays for a London office in pounds and dollars (median £475, about $630 per desk a month), the contracts, timing, VAT and entity questions, step by step.
A serviced office in Mayfair or St James’s costs a median of £845 per desk a month in November 2026, about 78% above the London median of £475, so a ten-person office runs about £8,450 a month all-in. That is across 43 priced centres out of 145 that SquareFoot lists in the two districts, from the operators’ own asking prices. Leased Grade A space is dearer still: Knight Frank’s prime headline rent for the West End Core reached a record £200 per sq ft a year in Q3 2026.
See priced offices in Mayfair →
Live listings in New York, Los Angeles and Miami right now
New York315 Madison Avenue$700/desk/moView this space →Los Angeles26565 West Agoura Road$500/desk/moView this space →Miami100 SE Second Street$579/desk/moView this space →
One space from each of our largest markets, updated as inventory changes. See all listings →
Looking in a specific city?
What Mayfair and St James’s cost (November 2026)
| Centres | Priced | Median per desk | Middle half | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mayfair | 115 | 37 | £850 | £620 – £1,000 |
| St James’s | 30 | 6 | £845 | too few to call |
| Both | 145 | 43 | £845 | £620 – £1,000 |
By office size (both districts): 11-20 desks £850 (10 priced) | 21-50 desks £877 (23 priced).
Team costs at £845: 5 people £4,225 | 10 people £8,450 | 20 people £16,900 | 30 people £25,350 a month.
For comparison, Soho (£778), Marylebone (£680), Fitzrovia (£650), Victoria (£600) sit nearby at a lower median per desk.
What the premium buys
- The address: W1K, W1J, W1S and SW1Y postcodes, which matter to funds, family offices, private banks and luxury brands with clients to receive.
- The building: Georgian and Edwardian townhouses and mansion blocks, often with a private entrance per floor, alongside a smaller number of new Grade A buildings.
- Service: front-of-house teams, meeting suites for client meetings, and smaller, quieter buildings than the City’s large flex floors.
- Privacy: whole-floor and self-contained suites are common at 10 to 30 desks.
Who lets space here
Serviced operators and landlord brands with the most centres across Mayfair and St James’s on SquareFoot: WorkPad 14, Argyll 11, The Crown Estate 9, Flex By Grosvenor 6, Beaumont 5, Great Portland Estates 4, Bourne Office Space 3, Canvas 3, Elementa Workspace 3, Halkin 2, Regus 2, 12 Hay Hill 1. The Crown Estate (St James’s) and Grosvenor (Mayfair) are the two great estates that own much of the area and now run serviced floors of their own.
Serviced or leased in the West End Core?
Leased: Knight Frank’s West End Core prime headline rent rose from £185 to £200 per sq ft a year in Q3 2026 and is forecast to reach £236 by 2030; that excludes business rates, service charge and fit-out. Serviced (a labelled conversion, not a quote): £845 a desk a month is about £101 per sq ft a year at 100 sq ft per desk, or £135 at 75, all-in. In the West End Core a serviced suite is often the cheaper way into the best buildings for teams under about 30.
Lease rents: Knight Frank, The London Office Market Report Q3 2026, published 3 November 2026. Conversion: median per desk x 12 / sq ft per desk.
Getting a Mayfair office
Shortlist the centres, or tell our local team in London the headcount, the street or postcode you need and the move date. They confirm what is free, book viewings and negotiate. Free for the tenant.
Counts and prices are from SquareFoot’s live London listings as of November 2026: 2,325 centres, 872 with a published asking price per desk per month, collected from the operators’ own pages. Derived and conventional-lease prices are listed but never counted in a median. Written by SquareFoot; reviewed November 2026.
Frequently asked questions
How much does office space in Mayfair cost?
A serviced office in Mayfair has a median asking price of £850 per desk a month in November 2026 (37 priced centres), with the middle half of the market between £620 and £1,000. Prime leased space in the West End Core reached £200 per sq ft a year in Q3 2026 (Knight Frank).
Is Mayfair the most expensive place to rent an office in London?
On our data, yes: £850 per desk is the highest median of the 27 London districts with ten or more priced offices. Knight Frank’s prime headline rents also put the West End Core at the top, at £200 per sq ft against £112.50 in the City Core.
What is a Grade A office?
A modern or fully refurbished building with high-quality services, efficient floor plates and good environmental credentials. Grade A is a lease-market term; serviced operators in Mayfair often let space in period townhouses that are not graded but are fitted to a high standard.
Who rents offices in Mayfair?
Hedge funds, private equity, family offices, private banks, wealth managers and luxury brands, plus the advisers who serve them.
Can a small team get a Mayfair address?
Yes: many Mayfair centres let offices from two desks, and a two-person office at the median is about £1,700 a month all-in.
Also: Office space in Mayfair: district guide · Office space for financial services firms in London
Related: Every London office with prices · London office space prices by district · How much an office costs in London (per desk and per sq ft) · Serviced offices in London · Office space for 20 to 50 people in London · Office space for 50+ people in London · Managed vs serviced offices for teams of 20+ · Do you need an office broker in London? · Opening a London office: a guide for US companies
Ready to look? Offices for teams of 20 or more · every London office with prices →
Ready to look? See live offices with prices in your city →