The biggest cost is the play equipment. Indian suppliers list it at about ₹800 to ₹1,500 per square foot, and full "turnkey" setups at up to ₹2,200 per square foot. But equipment is only one line. Rent, flooring, safety, staff and the first few months of running costs decide whether the business survives its first year.
This post is for people planning a small indoor play area — about 1,000 to 3,000 sq ft, where families walk in and pay by the hour. It is not about big family entertainment centres. Use it to make your first budget, then test every line with real quotes.
₹800–1,500per sq ft for play equipment, on supplier listings₹60–84per sq ft for EVA safety mats₹179–499first-hour price on real rate cards we readHow much does the play equipment cost?
We checked the supplier listings on IndiaMART on 4 October 2026. Soft play and indoor playground sets were listed between ₹800 and ₹1,500 per sq ft. A few "complete setup" offers, with design and installation, were listed at ₹2,000 to ₹2,200 per sq ft.
The price depends on:
- Material. Foam and soft play cost less. FRP slides and steel frames cost more.
- Height. A two-level structure needs more steel and more safety netting.
- Theme and design. Custom colours and themes add cost.
- Installation. Some prices include it. Many do not. Always ask.
You do not fill the whole floor with equipment. You also need space for the entry desk, shoe racks, a parent seating area, toilets and maybe a small party room. So price the equipment by the play area only, not the full floor.
Example only: a 1,500 sq ft unit with 1,000 sq ft of soft play at ₹1,000 per sq ft means about ₹10 lakh for equipment. Get at least three quotes, for the same layout, before you trust any number.
What else goes into the budget?
Here is a full list. Fill in the numbers from your own quotes.
| Cost | One-time or monthly | How to price it |
|---|---|---|
| Play equipment | One-time | Per sq ft of play area, from quotes |
| Safety flooring (EVA mats) | One-time | About ₹60–84 per sq ft on listings |
| Rent deposit | One-time | Deposits vary a lot — ask the landlord |
| Interiors, lights, AC, toilets | One-time | From your contractor |
| Fire safety (extinguishers, signs, exits) | One-time | From a fire-safety supplier |
| Licences and approvals | One-time | Ask your municipality and fire department |
| Rent | Monthly | From the landlord |
| Staff | Monthly | Your local wages × people per shift × shifts |
| Electricity and water | Monthly | Air conditioning is often the largest part — ask for past bills |
| Cleaning and repairs | Monthly | Mats and nets wear out; keep money aside |
| Billing software | Monthly | PlayOps is ₹2,999 or ₹3,999 a month |
Keep a few months of running costs in the bank before you open. A new play area can take months to fill, and rent does not wait.
How many staff does a small play area need?
At the busiest hour, you need at least:
- one person at the desk — admitting children and taking payment;
- one person on the floor — watching the children and the equipment.
Almost every play area opens by 11 in the morning — 99% of the centres in our study that list their hours do — and stays open through the evening rush. That is two shifts. So plan for at least four people, plus cover for days off. Multiply by your local wage to get the monthly staff cost.
What can a play area charge?
We read real rate cards from centres we work with. The first hour cost ₹179 to ₹499. The price mostly follows the city, the rent and the quality of the floor. See the cards in How much is one hour of play?.
Many centres also earn from:
- a second hour or extra time;
- grip socks (most of the rate cards list a sock price);
- birthday parties;
- prepaid passes and memberships.
How busy will it be?
Be careful here. Your floor will not be busy all day. We looked at Google's busyness data for 185 play centres in South India. Every day of the week peaked at 7 pm, and the evening was about twice as busy as the morning. Most of the money comes in a few evening hours and on weekends. Read the full study: When is a play centre actually busy?
So do not plan your income as "full all day". Plan it hour by hour.
How long until you break even?
Use this simple method. These are example numbers only, to show the arithmetic. Put in your own.
- Setup cost. Add up every one-time line. Example: ₹18 lakh.
- Monthly income. Children per day × average ticket × days open. Example: 40 children × ₹300 × 30 days = ₹3.6 lakh.
- Monthly costs. Rent + staff + power + cleaning + software. Example: ₹2.4 lakh.
- Monthly profit. Income minus costs. Example: ₹1.2 lakh.
- Break-even. Setup cost ÷ monthly profit. Example: 18 ÷ 1.2 = 15 months.
Now change one number at a time. What if only 25 children come on a weekday? What if rent goes up next year? If a small change breaks the plan, the plan is too tight.
Try the numbers in the play area profit calculator. It does these five steps for you, and you can change one number at a time.
What to do tomorrow
- Measure the space you are looking at. Mark how much is play area and how much is desk, seating and toilets.
- Ask three equipment suppliers to quote the same layout. Ask if installation, delivery and safety mats are included.
- Ask the landlord for the last few electricity bills.
- Visit two play areas near the place at 7 pm on a weekday. Count the children. Note the prices on their rate card.
- Fill in the table above and run the break-even sum with your own numbers.
When you are ready to open, PlayOps runs the front desk from your phone: admit a child in one tap, a timer for every child, extra time, UPI or cash, and a day-end report. Set it up free for a month.