What profit on cost does this project produce?
Measure development profit against the total cost base, then test it against your hurdle. A quick feasibility check before the full model.
Revenue
Costs
Target (optional)
Scenario matrix
Profit on cost as gross realisation and total cost each move. The ringed cell is your current inputs.
| GRV / cost | Cost -10% | Cost -5% | Cost Base | Cost +5% | Cost +10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GRV -10% | 18.3% | 12.1% | 6.5% | 1.4% | -3.2% |
| GRV -5% | 24.9% | 18.3% | 12.4% | 7.1% | 2.2% |
| GRV Base | 31.5% | 24.6% | 18.3% | 12.7% | 7.6% |
| GRV +5% | 38.1% | 30.8% | 24.3% | 18.3% | 13.0% |
| GRV +10% | 44.6% | 37.0% | 30.2% | 24.0% | 18.3% |
A small move in revenue or cost can shift profit on cost several points. A first-pass read, not a full feasibility.
Profit on cost is development profit divided by total development cost. This free Popurise calculator adds land, acquisition, construction, fees, contingency, other costs, finance and selling into a total cost, subtracts it from GRV for the profit, then shows profit on cost, development margin and, against a target you set, the dollar surplus or shortfall.
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How it works
Profit on cost is development profit divided by total project cost.
Profit on cost measures profit against the cost base, not revenue. It answers a different question from margin: for every dollar the project spends to deliver, how much does it earn back? It is the ratio many Australian teams lead with when they screen a site.
The maths is simple. Add up every cost, subtract the total from gross realisation for the profit, and divide that profit by the cost. Enter your hurdle and this calculator also shows the dollar surplus or shortfall, so you can see not just the ratio but how much headroom the deal has.
Like margin, it is a snapshot. It does not account for when money moves, which is what turns a healthy ratio into an actual return, but it is the quickest read on whether a deal clears your hurdle.
Worked example
An illustrative Australian project
Example only. Not financial advice.
- Land price
- $6.5M
- Acquisition costs
- $0.55M
- Construction cost
- $34.0M
- Professional fees
- $2.6M
- Contingency
- $1.7M
- Other project costs
- $0.4M
- Finance and holding costs
- $2.1M
- Selling costs
- $1.16M
- Gross realisation value (GRV)
- $58.0M
- Target profit on cost
- 18%
What moves the number
The levers that move it
Profit on cost sits on a large cost base, so it moves less wildly than margin, but revenue and cost still swing it several points.
- 01
Gross realisation
The source of profit. More revenue lifts the numerator directly, before any change to the cost base.
- 02
Construction cost
The biggest cost line, and part of the denominator. A move in the build rate hits profit on cost twice.
- 03
Land price
Fixed at acquisition and part of the cost base. Overpaying drags the ratio down for the life of the deal.
- 04
Finance and holding
The cost of debt over the program. It adds to cost and takes from profit, so profit on cost feels both.
- 05
Selling costs
Commission and marketing on sale. They lower net revenue and lift the cost base, softening the ratio.
- 06
Your target hurdle
Not a driver of the ratio, but the line you measure it against. A higher hurdle turns a thin surplus into a shortfall.
How to use it
A screen, not the full model
Use this to screen against a hurdle. Profit on cost is a snapshot, and it says nothing about the timing that turns a ratio into a return.
To test a hurdle fast
When you want to know quickly whether a deal clears your required profit on cost, and by how much in dollars.
Profit on cost and margin
Profit on cost divides by cost, margin by revenue. Screen a site on both, because a deal can look fine on one and thin on the other.
For the timed return
When the ratio clears, model timing, debt and cash flow to see the equity IRR, the number that reflects when the money moves.
See the softwareThe calculator suite
Four questions, four fast answers
Each calculator answers one question on a site. Together they screen a deal from land price to timed return, before you build the full model.
Questions
Answered
What profit on cost means, how it differs from margin, and where the full model takes over.
- What is profit on cost?
- Profit on cost is development profit as a percentage of the total cost base. It measures the return the project earns on every dollar it spends to deliver, rather than on the revenue it produces. It is one of the most common screening ratios in Australian development.
- How do you calculate profit on cost?
- Profit on cost is development profit divided by total development cost. Development profit is gross realisation value minus total development cost, where total development cost includes land, acquisition, construction, fees, contingency, other costs, finance and selling costs.
- Is profit on cost the same as development margin?
- No. Profit on cost divides profit by total cost. Development margin divides the same profit by revenue (GRV). Profit on cost is usually the higher number. Developers read both, because each answers a different question about the same deal.
- What costs should be included?
- Everything it takes to deliver and sell the project: land, acquisition costs, construction, professional fees, contingency, other project costs, finance and holding costs, and selling costs. Leaving a line out inflates profit on cost and makes a deal look stronger than it is.
- What is a good profit on cost?
- There is no universal number. Required returns vary by location, risk, asset class, planning status, funding and market. Use your own hurdle rate. This tool lets you enter a target and shows the dollar surplus or shortfall against it, but the hurdle is yours to set.
- Is this financial advice?
- No. This is a simplified modelling tool for testing development assumptions. Outputs depend on the inputs you provide and are not financial, investment, planning, tax or valuation advice. Use your own professional advice before making development decisions.
Turn a clean ratio into a timed return.
Screen the deal here, then model timing, debt and cash flow in Popurise. Free right now, no card required.