How Much Does It Cost to Lease Office Space in Culver City?

Culver City is one of the most active office markets in Los Angeles and right now, one of the most tenant-friendly. Vacancy is elevated, landlords are negotiating hard, and the window to lock in favorable terms is genuinely open. This guide covers what tenants are paying today, how costs break down by submarket, and what you need to know before signing a lease.

What Does It Cost to Lease Office Space in Culver City?

Here is a general sense of what tenants are paying in Culver City right now. These are broad market estimates. Actual rates vary significantly by building, suite, floor, lease term, and current landlord incentives, and should be verified with current listings before making any decisions.

Monthly Rates Per Square Foot (General Market Estimates)

  • Class A office space: roughly in the low-to-mid $4.00s per sq ft/month
  • Class B office space: roughly in the mid-to-high $3.00s per sq ft/month
  • Overall market average: somewhere in the mid-$3.00s per sq ft/month
  • Range: from the low $2.00s per sq ft (value, sublease, and older product) up to the mid-$4.00s and above for top-tier creative and trophy space

What That Might Look Like for Common Suite Sizes

At a hypothetical mid-market rate, your actual number will depend on what you find and how you negotiate.

  • 1,000 sq ft: roughly $3,000 to $4,500/month
  • 2,000 sq ft: roughly $6,000 to $9,000/month
  • 5,000 sq ft: roughly $15,000 to $22,500/month
  • 10,000 sq ft: roughly $30,000 to $45,000/month

These figures are rough estimates, before operating expenses, parking, and tenant improvement amortization. Lease term, tenant credit, and current market conditions all affect what you actually pay.

Understanding Lease Structures

Not all quoted rates cover the same costs. The three structures you will most commonly encounter in Culver City are:

Full-Service Gross (FSG): The landlord covers operating expenses including utilities, property taxes, janitorial, and insurance within the quoted rent. Common in newer Class A and creative campus buildings.

Triple Net (NNN): The tenant pays base rent plus a pro-rata share of operating expenses on top. Common in older and mid-tier buildings.

Modified Gross: A hybrid where some expenses are included and others are passed through. Terms vary by building and landlord. Always ask what is and is not included before comparing quotes.

What Drives the Price Up or Down?

Location within Culver City

Buildings along Washington Boulevard, in Downtown Culver City, and in the Hayden Tract command premium pricing because of walkability, architectural character, and proximity to amenities. Corporate Pointe near the I-405 offers the lowest rates in the market because of its more suburban, auto-dependent setting.

Building Age and Renovation History

Roughly 62% of Culver City office stock was built before 2000. Older industrial buildings that have been creatively repositioned, particularly in the Hayden Tract, can compete on character while sometimes offering more flexibility on terms. Brand-new construction and LEED-certified buildings sit at the top of the pricing range.

Floor and Unit Location

Upper floors with views, corner units, and spaces with private outdoor terraces carry premium rents. Ground-floor interior suites without natural light lease at a discount. In creative campus environments, architectural details like bow-truss ceilings, sawtooth rooflines, and skylights are factored directly into pricing.

Lease Term

Landlords negotiate more aggressively on tenant improvement allowances and free rent for tenants willing to sign five-year or longer leases. Shorter two- to three-year terms are possible but typically come with less landlord concession.

Current Market Conditions: What Tenants Need to Know

The Culver City office market is in a tenant-favorable position:

  • Overall vacancy was approximately 28% as of 2024, well above historical norms
  • The Jefferson Corridor submarket had the tightest vacancy at around 19%
  • The core Culver City submarket saw vacancy above 32%
  • Landlords are actively offering tenant improvement packages, free rent periods, and flexible lease structures to attract quality tenants
  • The sublease market, particularly in Fox Hills, adds below-market opportunities for tenants who need shorter terms

This is one of the better windows in years to secure favorable terms. Knowing which pockets of the market have highest vacancy gives tenants real negotiating leverage.

Culver City Office Submarkets and What They Cost

Culver City is compact at roughly five square miles, but its office market breaks into distinct zones with their own character, price range, and tenant profile. Here is what each one offers and what space generally costs there.

Hayden Tract: Culver City’s Premier Creative Office District

General range: at or above the Class A market average. Rates vary by building, suite, and term.

The Hayden Tract is arguably the most famous creative office district in all of Los Angeles. Originally developed as an industrial zone in the 1940s, it was transformed building by building starting in the late 1980s under the Conjunctive Points project, and expanded by Hackman Capital Partners to its current scale of over 800,000 square feet across 24 architecturally distinct buildings.

The space here is the real thing: bow-truss and sawtooth rooflines, soaring ceilings, skylights, exposed concrete floors, glass-walled offices, and outdoor patios. Apple, Amazon, Nike, HBO, Sony Pictures Animation, and TikTok all have offices here. The most architecturally significant spaces run toward the top of the Culver City rate range.

Best for: Film, animation, post-production, technology and gaming studios, design and advertising agencies, companies where the physical workspace is part of the brand.

Washington Boulevard Corridor

General range: the widest in the Culver City market, from mid-market to top-of-market depending on building and suite. Rates are negotiable and vary by term.

The Washington Boulevard corridor runs east to west through the middle of Culver City and carries more Class A office square footage than any other street in the market. One Culver at 10000 Washington is a landmark glass curtain-wall tower with panoramic views and large, efficient floor plates. Platform at 8850 Washington is repurposed industrial with a distinctive creative identity, on-site dining, and boutique retail.

Best for: Technology companies, streaming media and entertainment firms, creative studios that need visibility and modern amenities, tenants who prioritize large floor plates and transit access.

Downtown Culver City / Culver Boulevard

General range: competitive with the Washington Boulevard corridor. Rates depend on building, suite size, and lease term.

The Downtown submarket surrounds Culver Boulevard, Main Street, and the historic civic core and is the most walkable part of the market. Employees can step out for coffee, lunch, or a pharmacy run without getting in a car. The Culver Steps at 9300 Culver Boulevard is the anchor development: a contemporary mixed-use project with office floors, public plazas, and ground-level retail.

Best for: Media production companies, entertainment firms, businesses where the neighborhood environment is part of how they recruit and retain employees.

Venice Boulevard / Ivy Station

General range: mid-market for Culver City, below the top creative campuses and above the value-oriented alternatives. Actual rates depend on suite and term.

Ivy Station at 8900 Venice Boulevard is built directly above the Culver City Metro E Line station. The building combines office space, residential units, ground-floor retail, and restaurants in a single development. Employees coming from Santa Monica, Exposition Park, or Downtown Los Angeles can commute by train without dealing with freeway traffic.

Best for: Technology and healthcare companies, employers with distributed workforces who want to offer a car-free commute option, organizations with strong sustainability commitments.

Lucerne / Higuera

General range: generally below the Culver City market average. One of the more accessible submarkets for budget-conscious tenants. Rates and lease structure vary significantly by building type.

The Lucerne-Higuera neighborhood runs through the central and eastern sections of Culver City and has more available office listings right now than any other submarket. Creative office, general office, light industrial, and production-focused space sit side by side in a way you do not find in the more polished corridors to the west.

Best for: Production companies, post-production and VFX studios, businesses that need flexible space configurations, tenants looking for value without leaving the Culver City market.

Corporate Pointe / Slauson Corridor

General range: the most value-oriented rates in the Culver City market, typically at or below the overall market average, with room to negotiate on larger suites and longer terms.

Corporate Pointe off Slauson Avenue near the I-405 is a five-building campus at 400, 450, 500, 550, and 600 Corporate Pointe. Floor plates are large and efficient. Parking ratios are the strongest in the Culver City market. On-site amenities including a fitness center, conference rooms, and a cafe cover the basics without requiring tenants to leave the campus.

Best for: Professional services and financial services firms, healthcare administrators, back-office operations, tenants who prioritize function, value, and parking over neighborhood walkability.

How Culver City Compares to Neighboring Markets

  • Santa Monica: generally more expensive than Culver City across all classes, often meaningfully so for comparable product
  • El Segundo: lower rates, but a more limited urban environment with fewer dining and cultural amenities
  • Playa Vista: newer campus product but less established neighborhood infrastructure and a shorter track record as an office destination
  • The Hayden Tract specifically offers genuine creative office inventory that is difficult to find anywhere else on the Westside

Why Now Is a Good Time to Look

Overall vacancy above 28% gives tenants real negotiating power. Tenant improvement packages are more generous than during the low-vacancy years of the mid-2010s. Many landlords are offering meaningful free rent periods to qualified tenants. The sublease market adds additional below-market options for flexible terms. If you have been waiting to lock in space, this is one of the more favorable environments Culver City tenants have seen in years.

Why Work with TenantRepLA

TenantRepLA’s services are completely free to tenants. The landlord pays the commission, so there is no cost to having an experienced advocate in your corner. Nina Steiner has deep knowledge of every Culver City submarket and building, and will help you find the right space at the right price without leaving anything on the table.

Call or text (310) 487-2982 | Email: nsteiner@saxumwest.com