How Much Should a Condo Spend on Supplies, by Building Size?

Condo Book Research · Updated Oct 12, 2026 · 5 min read

Supplies are one of the smallest lines in a condo budget, and usually folded into a bigger repairs line. We read the first-year budgets in NYC condo offering plans to see what supplies, repairs, the management fee, staff and the elevator cost per unit per year in buildings of every size.

Light bulbs, cleaning products, filters, paint, hardware: a building goes through supplies all year. Every NYC condo offering plan includes a first-year budget, Schedule B, and we read 518 of them, from plans accepted Oct 20, 2021 to Aug 24, 2026, to see what they set aside for supplies and the other running costs, per apartment per year.

The Short Version

• Where a budget breaks supplies out, the typical building sets aside $200 per unit a year. Most buildings fall between $120 and $360.
• Most budgets don't break them out. They fold supplies into one repairs, maintenance & supplies line, typically $480 per unit a year (about $40 a month).
• Small buildings pay the most per unit: $600 for repairs and supplies in a building of 5 units or fewer, against $410 with 6 to 10.
• Staffing is the cost that grows with size: about $850 per unit a year in a 6-to-10-unit building that budgets it, and $6,290 in a building of 51 units or more.

Supplies by Building Size

Supplies rarely get a line of their own: only 18 of the budgets we read list them separately. More often, the budget's footnote itemizes the bigger line (at one building, a $10,000 line splits into supplies $5,000, plumbing $2,000, electrical $1,500 and elevators $1,500). Between the two, 211 budgets (41%) say what supplies alone should cost.

Per unit per year: the median, then the middle half of buildings (25th to 75th percentile) and how many budgets. A dash: fewer than 5 budgets.

The supplies figure counts only what the budget calls supplies: building, cleaning, janitorial or maintenance supplies and hardware. Office supplies, and lines that mix supplies with service contracts, aren't in it.

Why smaller buildings pay more per unit: some costs don't shrink with the building. A boiler still needs filters and the hallway still needs bulbs whether three owners share the bill or thirty. In a building of 5 units or fewer, supplies typically come to $250 per unit a year; in an 11-to-25-unit building, $150.

Supplies Next to the Other Running Costs

To put supplies in context, here are the management fee, staff and the elevator, measured the same way: per unit per year, by building size. Each figure counts only the budgets that have a cost for that item. Only 48% of budgets list a management fee and 45% list staff, so a building without one isn't counted as $0.

Per unit per year, among the budgets with a cost for that item: the median, the middle half and how many budgets. Staffing covers the super, porters, doormen and cleaners, on payroll or through a service company.

• The management fee falls with size. A managing agent typically charges $1,400 per unit a year in a building of 5 units or fewer, and $760 in one of 51 or more.
• Staff rises with size. Small buildings budget a part-time super or a cleaning service. Big buildings add porters, doormen and a resident manager, and staff often becomes the biggest item in the budget.
• The elevator falls with size. One elevator costs about the same to maintain whatever the building's size, so it's $1,330 per unit a year in a building of 5 units or fewer that has one, and $260 with 51 or more. See what a condo elevator costs to maintain.

What to Check in a Budget

• Read the footnote, not just the line. A "repairs, maintenance & supplies" line can be mostly supplies or mostly a plumber on call. The note under it usually says.
• A very low repairs line is a first-year number. New buildings are under warranty, so early repair costs are low. They rise as the building ages.
• No management fee? Ask who manages the building and what it will cost when the board hires a managing agent.
• Compare like with like. Use the size bands above, or compare the building with similar ones on our operating expense benchmarks.

For where the whole budget goes, see where condo common charges go. For utilities measured the same way, see how much a condo's utilities should cost.

Common Questions

How much should a condo budget for supplies?

In new NYC condo budgets that break supplies out, the median is $200 per unit a year. Small buildings budget more per unit than large ones.

What's in "repairs, maintenance and supplies"?

Repairs to the common areas (plumbing, electrical, doors and windows, painting) and the supplies to keep the building clean and running. Most NYC condo budgets combine them in one line, typically $480 per unit a year.

How much is a condo management fee per unit?

Among new NYC condo budgets with a management fee, it's typically $1,400 per unit a year in a building of 5 units or fewer and $760 in a building of 51 units or more.

Why does staffing cost so much more in big buildings?

Big buildings usually have a full-time super, porters and often a doorman or concierge. Covering a door around the clock alone takes more than four full-time employees.

Where this comes from: the projected first-year budgets (Schedule B) of 518 NYC condominium offering plans accepted Oct 20, 2021 to Aug 24, 2026, the same buildings as our operating expense benchmarks, whose expense lines add up to the budget's total. Each line is divided per residential unit, using the homes' share of the budget where a building also has stores or offices. Supplies come from a supplies line or the largest supplies amount the budget's notes name. Figures are medians, rounded to the nearest $10, in dollars as filed. Budgets are sponsor estimates at filing, not actual spending.