Money Tools

CAM Charge Calculator

Estimate CAM cost per square foot and a tenant's annual and monthly CAM charge.

Updated April 18, 2026
Free online tool
Planning and research use

Why this page exists

Commercial lease math gets easier to review when annual CAM costs are translated into a per-square-foot charge and then allocated to a tenant space. This calculator helps visitors estimate common area maintenance charges from annual CAM cost, total rentable square footage, and tenant square footage.

Interactive tool

Run the estimate

Enter your numbers and read the result first, then use the sections below to understand what affects the outcome.

Calculator

CAM charge calculator

Estimate common area maintenance charges from annual CAM cost, total rentable square footage, and tenant square footage.

Result

$9,600

Estimated tenant CAM allocation from annual CAM cost divided by total rentable square footage, then applied to the tenant space.

CAM cost per square foot$4.0000

Tenant annual CAM charge$9,600

Tenant monthly CAM charge$800

Inputs used$72,000 across 18,000 sq ft total and 2,400 sq ft tenant space

$72,000 spread across 18,000 rentable square feet comes to about $4.0000 per square foot in annual CAM.
2,400 square feet at that rate points to about $9,600 per year, or $800 per month.
This helps with commercial lease planning, but actual CAM billing can still vary with exclusions, caps, and reconciliation language in the lease.

This is a simple lease-planning estimate only. Real CAM reconciliation can vary with exclusions, gross-up rules, lease structure, and local billing practice.

Planning note

Last updated April 18, 2026. Use this tool to compare scenarios and plan ahead, then confirm important details with the lender, employer, insurer, contractor, or other qualified provider involved in the final decision.

How it works

What the calculator is doing

Enter the total annual CAM cost, the property's total rentable square footage, and the tenant square footage.

The calculator divides annual CAM cost by total rentable area to estimate CAM cost per square foot.

It applies that rate to the tenant space and shows annual and monthly CAM charges.

Understanding your result

This is a simple allocation estimate only. It is useful for lease planning and comparison, but actual CAM billing can vary with lease exclusions, gross-up rules, expense caps, and reconciliation details.

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Examples

Ways people use this tool

Example scenarios help turn a quick estimate into a more useful comparison or planning step.

Estimate annual CAM for one tenant suite

A tenant-side CAM estimate can help compare lease options more realistically than base rent alone.

Translate annual CAM into a monthly planning number

Seeing the monthly charge can make it easier to compare CAM with rent, utilities, and other recurring occupancy costs.

When to use it

Good times to run this calculator

Use this when you want a quick CAM allocation estimate for a tenant space in a commercial lease scenario.

It is especially useful when comparing lease options that look similar on base rent but may differ meaningfully once CAM is included.

Assumptions and limitations

The estimate assumes the annual CAM cost and rentable square footage entered are the right basis for allocation.

It does not model lease exclusions, caps, gross-ups, base years, or other reconciliation terms that can materially change billing.

Common mistakes

Avoid the usual input mistakes

Comparing leases on base rent alone can hide how much total occupancy cost rises once CAM is added.

Using building-wide square footage assumptions that do not match the lease's rentable area basis can skew the result.

Practical tips

Review the monthly CAM estimate beside effective-rent and rent-per-square-foot tools so total occupancy cost is easier to compare.

If the lease uses complex reconciliation rules, treat this as a screening estimate and verify the allocation method in the lease language.

Worked example

Walk through a realistic scenario

A worked example shows how the estimate behaves when the inputs resemble a real planning decision.

Estimate CAM for one tenant suite

A business wants to see the likely CAM burden for a specific suite before comparing it against another lease option.

1. Enter annual CAM cost, total rentable square footage, and the tenant square footage.

2. Estimate CAM per square foot.

3. Apply that rate to the tenant area and convert the result to a monthly number.

Takeaway: The monthly translation is often the most useful part because it makes CAM easier to compare with rent and other recurring occupancy costs.

FAQ

Common questions

How is CAM per square foot estimated here?

The calculator divides total annual CAM cost by total rentable square footage to estimate the annual CAM charge per square foot.

How does it estimate the tenant CAM charge?

It multiplies the CAM cost per square foot by the tenant square footage and then also shows the monthly equivalent.

Will this match every lease exactly?

Not always. CAM reimbursement rules can vary by lease, building, expense exclusions, and annual reconciliation language.

Related tools

Keep comparing

Rent-per-square-foot, effective-rent, lease-escalation, and break-even-rent tools help place CAM inside the broader lease-cost workflow.

Operating-expense and budget tools add context when CAM is only one part of the full occupancy-cost picture.

Money ToolsUpdated April 17, 2026