Kitchen Remodel Cost by scope, kitchen size and quality tier
Priced per square foot of the smallest expensive room in the house, and decided by whether anything moves.
What a kitchen remodel costs
A kitchen remodel runs $15,000 – $65,000, and most of those projects are mid-range work inside the existing footprint. A cosmetic refresh costs a fraction of that, and moving the sink or a wall takes it past the top of the band, which is the entire trade in one sentence.
Kitchens are priced per square foot of kitchen floor rather than by material, because the room is a basket of trades that arrive together: cabinets, counters, appliances, plumbing, electrical, flooring and finish carpentry. The scope of the work, not the brand of the cabinets, is what separates one quote from another.
This guide takes that number apart. It prices each scope per square foot, scales it by kitchen size, splits the bill into product and labor, and lists what gets added after the base, starting with the appliance package and the cost of relocating anything plumbed or wired.
Nothing here asks for your address or your phone number. When you want real quotes, the checklist near the bottom tells you what a serious one has to contain.
What each kitchen remodel scope costs
Installed cost per square foot of kitchen, covering the trades and finishes for the scope named. The total column prices each scope across 180 sq. ft., which is close to the American average kitchen.
| Scope | Installed cost per square foot, installed | Lifespan | On the worked example | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cosmetic refresh | $75 – $150 | 10 – 15 years | $13,500 – $27,000 | Doors and drawer fronts, counters, paint, hardware and a new sink. Nothing moves, nothing opens, and the layout you have is the layout you keep. |
| Mid-range remodel | $150 – $250 | 15 – 25 years | $27,000 – $45,000 | New cabinets, counters, appliances and finishes in the existing footprint. What most American kitchen remodels actually are. |
| Upscale remodel | $250 – $350 | 20 – 30 years | $45,000 – $63,000 | Semi-custom or custom cabinetry, stone counters, panel-ready appliances. The budget shifts decisively toward the product and away from the crew. |
| Layout change | $200 – $450 | 20 – 30 years | $36,000 – $81,000 | Moving the sink, the range or a wall. Every relocated service is plumbing, electrical, permits and a longer schedule, which is why it costs what it costs. |
These scopes are cumulative in practice: a layout change is a mid-range remodel plus demolition, two extra trades and a permit. If your kitchen works and only looks tired, the first row is the honest answer.
How kitchen size changes the remodel cost
The same mid-range scope priced across the kitchen sizes most houses have. Cost scales with area, though not perfectly: a small kitchen still needs a sink, a range, a hood and a permit, so the fixed elements weigh heavier per square foot.
| Kitchen area | Project cost mid-range mid-range remodel |
|---|---|
| 100 sq. ft. | $17,500 – $22,500 |
| 150 sq. ft. | $26,300 – $33,800 |
| 180 sq. ft. | $31,500 – $40,500 |
| 250 sq. ft. | $43,800 – $56,300 |
| 350 sq. ft. | $61,300 – $78,800 |
Measure the kitchen itself, not the open-plan room it opens onto. The American average is roughly 160 to 200 sq. ft., and a galley in an older house is often half that.
Economy, mid-range and premium kitchen remodel costs
The same mid-range scope at three levels of product and workmanship, in a 180 sq. ft. kitchen. The bands overlap because real quotes do: stock cabinets fitted precisely beat semi-custom boxes hung badly.
| Tier | Per unit | Project cost on 180 sq. ft. | What it buys |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economy | $150 – $185 | $27,000 – $33,300 | Builder-grade product, a crew working fast, and the simplest version of the job. Buys the function, not the finish. |
| Mid-range | $175 – $225 | $31,500 – $40,500 | What most homeowners actually sign. Mid-tier product from a named manufacturer, a licensed crew, and a warranty worth reading. |
| Premium | $210 – $250 | $37,800 – $45,000 | Top of the product line, specialist installers, and the detailing that decides how the job looks in year fifteen. |
Above the scope, the tier is mostly cabinets: stock, semi-custom or custom, and whether the boxes are plywood or particleboard. Drawer hardware is the tell. Soft-close full-extension slides on every drawer is a specification, not a flourish.
Kitchen cabinets and fixtures versus trade labor
On a 180 sq. ft. kitchen, mid-range scope, $31,500 – $40,500 before add-ons, the bill divides like this.
- Materials $18,900 – $24,300
- 60% of the bid Cabinets, countertops, appliances, sink and faucet, tile, flooring, lighting and hardware.
- Labor and overhead $12,600 – $16,200
- 40% of the bid Demolition and disposal, plumbing and electrical, cabinet setting, countertop templating and fitting, tiling, flooring, painting, and the general contractor coordinating the sequence.
The ratio tilts toward product as the tier rises: custom cabinetry and panel-ready appliances cost more to buy and no more to install. It tilts back toward labor the moment anything moves, because relocated services are almost pure trade time.
What gets added to a kitchen remodel quote
The line items a showroom price does not contain, shown as a share of the base and in dollars on the worked example.
| Line item | Surcharge share of the base cost | On the example | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appliance package | +10% – 40% | $3,200 – $16,200 | Range, hood, refrigerator, dishwasher and microwave. The line with the widest spread on this list, because a package can cost as much as the cabinets. |
| Stone or quartz countertops | +8% – 25% | $2,500 – $10,100 | Templated, fabricated and installed after the cabinets are set, which is also why they are the reason a kitchen sits unusable for another week. |
| Moving plumbing or electrical | +10% – 35% | $3,200 – $14,200 | Relocating the sink, the range or the panel feed. Two trades, a permit, and the largest single reason a remodel overruns. |
| Removing a wall | +10% – 40% | $3,200 – $16,200 | Opening the kitchen to the next room. If it is load-bearing, add a beam, an engineer and an inspection. |
| New flooring | +5% – 20% | $1,600 – $8,100 | Usually laid after the cabinets on a remodel, which changes the order of the whole schedule and the height at every doorway. |
| Lighting and ventilation | +5% – 20% | $1,600 – $8,100 | Recessed lighting, under-cabinet lighting, and a hood that actually vents outside rather than back into the room. |
| Permits and disposal | +3% – 8% | $950 – $3,200 | Permit, inspections and the dumpster. Required the moment plumbing, electrical or structure is touched. |
Moving services is the line that separates a predictable remodel from an open-ended one. Every relocated sink, range or panel feed brings a second trade, a permit and a dependency in the schedule, and dependencies are where kitchens overrun.
How location affects kitchen remodel cost
Cabinets and appliances come from national catalogs. Only labor, a minority share here, follows the map.
| Region | Multiplier | Project cost on the worked example | Why it moves |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northeast | 1.10× – 1.25× | $34,700 – $50,600 | Highest labor rates in the country, older housing stock, and snow-load requirements that add material. |
| West | 1.05× – 1.30× | $33,100 – $52,700 | Wide internal spread. Coastal metros price like the Northeast; the interior sits near the national middle. |
| Midwest | 0.92× – 1.05× | $29,000 – $42,500 | Closest to the national number. Deep contractor supply keeps competitive pressure on quotes. |
| South | 0.85× – 1.00× | $26,800 – $40,500 | Lowest labor cost, but storm exposure raises material specification and insurance-driven demand spikes. |
The catalog is national and the installer is not, which is why the spread here is narrower than on most jobs.
How to read a kitchen remodel quote
A kitchen is the project where scope creep is most expensive and least visible. These two lists separate a quote worth signing from one that will be revised three times.
Red flags
Walk away from a kitchen remodel quote if
- There is no line-by-line breakdown separating cabinets, counters, appliances and labor.
- The cabinet brand, line and box construction are unnamed.
- It is unclear who supplies the appliances and who is responsible if they do not fit.
- Nothing is said about whether plumbing or electrical is moving.
- There is no allowance stated for tile, hardware or lighting, so every choice becomes a change order.
- No schedule is given, and no sequence: countertops cannot be templated before cabinets are set.
- The deposit is most of the job before anything is ordered.
Questions
Ask every kitchen remodeler
- What exactly is in the base price, and what is an allowance I can overspend?
- Which cabinet line, and are the boxes plywood or particleboard?
- Is anything moving: sink, range, refrigerator, or a wall?
- Who templates and fits the countertops, and how long between cabinets and counters?
- What is the schedule, and how many days will there be no sink?
- Which permits does this need, and who pulls them?
- What is the change-order process, and how are hourly rates set for extras?
What homeowners ask about kitchen remodel cost
Why do kitchen quotes vary so much on the same room?
Because "kitchen remodel" describes anything from new doors on old boxes to a room rebuilt around a moved sink. Compare scope first, then allowances, and only then totals. Two quotes rarely describe the same project.
Is refacing cabinets worth it?
When the boxes are sound and the layout works, yes. Refacing or replacing doors and drawer fronts changes what the room looks like for a fraction of new cabinetry, and it is the highest-return decision in a cosmetic refresh.
What do appliances add?
Anything from a tenth of the project to nearly half of it. A basic package and a professional-grade one differ by more than the cabinets do, which is why the appliance line deserves to be decided before the design, not after.
How much does an island add?
The cabinetry and countertop are the small part. If it carries a sink, a cooktop or outlets, it needs plumbing, ventilation or electrical run under the floor, and that is where the real cost of an island sits.
Should I buy my own appliances?
Often it saves money, and it moves the risk to you. If a unit does not fit the cabinet opening or arrives damaged, that becomes your problem and your delay. Agree the specification with the contractor before ordering anything.
What is the cheapest way to change a kitchen?
Keep every service where it is. Paint or reface the cabinets, replace the counters and the sink, update lighting and hardware. Nothing moves, no permit is needed, and the room reads as new for a fraction of a full remodel.
Figures on this page are indicative national brackets, not quotes. Your number depends on the size, complexity and condition of the job itself, and on what local crews are charging when you buy. Use them to judge a bid, not to replace one.
Cost data
- HomeGuide, How much does a kitchen remodel cost? (opens in a new tab) Checked August 11, 2026
- RealCostIQ, Kitchen renovation cost estimator (opens in a new tab) Checked August 11, 2026
Projects that pair with a new kitchen
The calculator prices kitchens per square foot on the same national data as every table on this page; no phone number, no lead form.
Price it by the scope Before the first quote