Last updated: October 25, 2026 · Refresh cadence: MONTHLY · Trend tracking starts with this edition except where a prior-period figure is shown.
Data Center Prices: Colocation, Power & Build Costs — Market Data
Data center pricing has flipped from a buyer's market to a landlord's market, and the numbers now read like a vacancy report with rent attached. National vacancy sits near historic lows while asking rents climb for a fourth straight year — a combination that leaves tenants paying more for space that is harder to find.
The figures below separate asking rents from signed economics. Asking rents are what landlords publish for a 250–500 kW requirement; build costs and power prices explain why those rents keep rising even as construction hits records. Treat any single per-kW figure as a market quote, not a quote for your requirement.
Colocation asking rents
| Figure | Value | Trend vs prior period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| National average lease rate, primary markets | $194.95 per kW per month | Prior: prior year, up 6.5% year over year — fourth straight annual increase ▲ Up 6.5% YoY | CBRE North American Data Center Trend Report, via CBRE press release |
| Average asking rent, 250–500 kW, primary North American markets (H1 2026) | $204.69 per kW per month | No prior-period figure from the same source ● Baseline (October 2026) | CBRE, via Colocation Scout pricing benchmarks |
| Silicon Valley, 10 MW+ requirements | $180–$275 per kW per month | No prior-period figure from the same source ● Baseline (October 2026) | CBRE, via Colocation Scout pricing benchmarks |
| Northern Virginia, 10 MW+ requirements | About $160–$185 per kW per month | No prior-period figure from the same source ● Baseline (October 2026) | CBRE, via Data Center Frontier |
| Northern Virginia asking rents, Q1 2026 (CBRE 250–500 kW benchmark) | $190–$235 per kW per month; Frankfurt $235–$265 | No prior-period figure from the same source ● Baseline (October 2026) | CBRE, via DC Market Insights |
| FLAPD markets (London, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Paris, Dublin), 20 MW+ future capacity | Up to £145 ($193) per kW in London; €145 ($168) per kW in the other four; CBRE expects FLAPD pricing to rise 12% in 2026 | Prior: 2025 pricing ▲ Up ~12% expected | CBRE, via Data Center Dynamics |
| Average revenue per billed cabinet (Equinix, worldwide, Q2 2026) | $2,538 per month, including interconnection | No prior-period figure from the same source ● Baseline (October 2026) | Equinix, via Colocation Scout pricing benchmarks |
Supply, vacancy, power and build costs
| Figure | Value | Trend vs prior period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| National vacancy rate | 1.4% — historic low | No prior-period figure from the same source ● Baseline (October 2026) | CBRE, via CBRE press release |
| Silicon Valley inventory, H2 2025 | 489.2 MW, up 4% year over year; vacancy 4.7%, up from 4.5% in H1 2025 | Prior: H2 2024 inventory; H1 2025 vacancy ● Mixed | CBRE, via CBRE press release |
| Northern Virginia inventory / under construction, H1 | 4,496.5 MW inventory; 2,420.2 MW under construction, up 16.5%; vacancy about 0.24%; 467.6 MW net absorption | Prior: construction up 16.5% on the prior period ▲ Construction up 16.5% | CBRE, via Data Center Frontier |
| Build cost per MW (JLL 2026 global average, before land and compute) | $11.3 million standard; $15–$20 million+ AI-optimized | No prior-period figure from the same source ● Baseline (October 2026) | JLL, via Colocation Scout pricing benchmarks |
| Power cost, Northern Virginia | $0.095–$0.13 per kWh; Phoenix $0.058–$0.078; Dallas–Fort Worth $0.0972 | No prior-period figure from the same source ● Baseline (October 2026) | Operator/utility figures, via Colocation Scout pricing benchmarks |
| Historical asking-rent turn (CBRE) | Average asking rent fell 16.9% from 2013–2021, then rose 18.6% in 2023 (from $137.86 to $163.44 per kW per month, 250–500 kW) | Prior: 2013–2021 decline ▲ Turned up in 2023 | CBRE, via Data Center Dynamics |
Methodology
Included: CBRE published asking rents and vacancy figures (as reported in CBRE releases and trade-press summaries of CBRE reports), JLL build-cost averages, and utility/operator power prices as compiled in public benchmarks. Excluded: negotiated signed rents, which operators do not publish, and any broker's private comp set. Asking rents vary by requirement size — the requirement size is stated on every rent figure — so figures from different requirement tiers are not averaged together.
Trend labels: “Baseline (October 2026) — trend tracking starts with the next refresh” means no prior-period figure from the same source was available this session, so no movement is claimed. Where a prior figure is shown, the trend compares the current figure with that prior figure from the same source.
Disclaimer
Figures on this page are aggregated public estimates compiled for information only. They are not investment advice, professional advice, or an offer to buy or sell any security or asset. Figures change as sources revise or republish them; verify any figure against its linked source before relying on it.
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Changelog
- October 2026: First edition, published as a staged page. Figures compiled from the public sources listed in SOURCES.md, with trend indicators and baseline labels as shown above. Next refresh follows the MONTHLY cadence in SOURCES.md; the sitemap lastmod for this page is to be updated on every refresh once deployed.