Hard Cost vs Soft Cost

The key difference between Hard Cost vs Soft cost is that Hard costs refer to those costs which are directly related with the construction of the building or incurred for its development, whereas, Soft Costs refers to those costs which are not related directly related i.e., they are indirectly related with the construction of the building or its development.

Difference Between Hard Cost vs Soft Cost

Cost is of different types and categorization and every industry has a different name given to a particular cost. Although some cost more or less remains the same and it is generally considered to be of the same nature within all sectors and industries. However, in real estate when we talk about construction companies or developers there is a specific name given to costs which is hard cost and soft cost.

These two types of cost are used widely in the construction industry and often developers and builders are keen to know which types of cost is being incurred in the construction projects. In this article when we try to develop an understanding and differentiation between hard cost and soft cost.

Hard Cost vs Soft Cost Infographics

Here are the top 4 differences between Hard Cost vs Soft Cost

Hard Cost vs Soft Cost Key Differences

The key differences between Hard Cost vs Soft Cost are as follows –

• Hard Cost is those kinds of cost which is directly related to the construction of a project in the real estate industry. Cost like raw material, direct labor which is resulting in the construction of a building and is increasing the percentage of completion of a project comes under hard cost. Soft cost, on the other hand, is not directly related to the physical construction of a building and is not contributing to the construction of a building. These are an ancillary cost which is indirectly related to the construction of a building
• Hard cost is often referred to as brick and motor cost encompassing the actual physical construction of a real estate development project. These costs generally cover the labor and the material cost. Soft cost, on the other hand, are less obvious than hard cost as it encompasses anything and everything which is not directly related to the physical development of a building
• A major distinction between hard cost and the soft cost is that hard cost is no longer incurred once the project is completed whereas on the other hand soft cost may or may not be continued to be incurred even after the project has been completed and delivered. For example, there is a legal case going on the project even after the project has been completed hence, the company needs to incur legal and litigation fees on the project even after the completion of a project
• Examples of hard cost are raw material, labor, fixed equipment which is often classified as hard cost. Examples of soft cost are legal fees, off-site cost, indirect labor, moveable equipment’s which is often classified as soft cost. Other examples of hard cost foundation cost interior finish etc.

Hard Cost vs Soft Cost Head to Head Differences

Now, let’s have a look at the head to head differences between Hard Cost vs Soft Cost

Hard Cost		Soft Cost
It is directly related to the production and the development of a building		It is an indirect cost and is not directly related to the physical production of the building or the construction project
It is relatively easy to estimate as the cost is as and when incurred and is easy to forecast depending on the progress of the project		It is not easily quantifiable and is not easy to forecast as it may continue even after the project has been completed and delivered
It is generally tangible in nature and the company needs to acquire assets and other resources to complete the construction project		It is generally intangible in nature and can be incurred on behalf of the client or otherwise. As it is not easy to estimate
Raw material, brick, and motor, construction material direct labor are some examples of hard cost and are completed and not incurred when the project been completed or even before the project has been initiated. These costs are incurred only during the project is in the construction stage		Insurance Cost, legal cost, Set-up cost are few examples of soft cost and is generally incurred even before the project has been initiated and started

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