Kitchen remodeling costs

Kitchen prices are driven by three things: how much you keep, how much you move, and who builds the cabinets. Keeping the existing layout and reusing the plumbing and gas locations is the single biggest lever on price. Moving a sink or a range means new supply, drain, vent and circuit runs, and that work is buried in walls and floors where surprises live.

Here is the breakdown Fixr reports for a typical 2026 project. Cabinetry: about 40% of the budget, roughly $7,000 on average, at $100–$300 per linear foot for stock, $150–$650 for semi-custom, and $500–$1,200 for custom. Flooring: about 18%, roughly $5,000. Countertops: about 14%, roughly $3,000, at $15–$200 per square foot depending on material. Utilities and fixtures: about 11%. Appliances: about 6% of the budget, or $2,500–$15,000 if you are replacing the full suite. Lighting: about 5%. Backsplash: about 4%, at $15–$40 per square foot. Labor is 50–60% of the total.

Size matters less than people expect, because a small kitchen still needs a sink, a range, a dishwasher, and a licensed electrician. Fixr's per-size figures illustrate this: a 75-square-foot kitchen might run $5,625 for a minor remodel or $45,000 done to luxury spec, while a 200-square-foot kitchen runs about $15,000 minor and $120,000 luxury. The scope of the finishes moves the number far more than the floor area.

Treat every figure here as a sanity check, not a quote. Labor rates and material availability are local, and a bid that lands well outside these ranges is a prompt to ask why, not proof of a ripoff. What should worry you is a bid you cannot decompose: if a contractor will not break the number into cabinets, tops, appliances, flooring, and labor, you have no way to compare it to anyone else's.

How to choose

Get three itemized bids, not three totals

A single lump sum is unfalsifiable. Ask each bidder to price the same cabinet line, the same countertop material, and the same appliance list. Otherwise you are comparing three different kitchens.

Set the allowance numbers yourself

Contractors quote 'allowances' for tile, fixtures, and appliances. If the allowance is unrealistically low, the bid looks cheap and you eat the overage later. Go price your actual picks first, then put those numbers in the contract.

Budget 10–20% you have not spent

Older homes hide rot, out-of-code wiring, and unlevel floors behind cabinets. This is not a contingency for changing your mind — it is for what the demo finds.

Do not move the sink unless you have a real reason

Relocating plumbing and gas is where mid-range budgets quietly become high-end ones. Style upgrades are cheap by comparison; layout changes are not.

Never pay a large deposit up front

Payments should track completed work, not the calendar. A contractor asking for half the job before demo day is asking you to finance their business, and you have no leverage left if they walk.

Ask for the cash price when you are shown a monthly payment

If a quote is presented only as a monthly figure, ask for the total price in writing. You cannot compare bids you cannot see.