How much does a kitchen remodel cost? (US prices, 2026)

Kitchen remodel cost by scope

The numbers you will see quoted measure different things. A homeowner survey reports what people say they spent; a contractor-cost report prices one defined job; cost guides summarize customer or contractor quotes. Read them side by side by the size of the job:

What minor, midrange and upscale remodels include

The national contractor-cost report describes exactly what each price buys, which makes it a useful yardstick for your own quotes:

• Minor midrange ($28,458): a dated 200 sq ft kitchen keeps its cabinet boxes and gets new shaker-style door and drawer fronts and hardware, a new range and refrigerator, laminate counters, a midpriced sink and faucet, resilient flooring and paint^{[1, 2]}.
• Major midrange ($82,793): 30 linear feet of new semi-custom cabinets including an island, laminate counters, a stainless sink, a new range, hood, microwave and dishwasher, custom lighting and new flooring^{[1, 3]}.
• Major upscale ($164,104): custom cabinets, stone counters, a tile backsplash, built-in refrigerator and commercial-grade cooking appliances, designer fixtures and layered lighting^{[1, 4]}.

Cost per square foot and by kitchen size

Cost guides put a kitchen remodel at about $75 to $250 per square foot of kitchen, including materials, appliances and labor^[7]. Same-layout renovations sit lower and remodels that change the layout higher: about $60 to $250 per square foot versus $150 to $350 or more^[8].

In the homeowner survey, a major remodel of a kitchen under 200 square feet had a median of $35,000, against $55,000 for a kitchen of 200 square feet or more^[6].

Where the money goes

Cabinets take the biggest share of a kitchen budget, followed by labor, appliances and countertops. One cost guide's breakdown:

Cabinets, countertops, backsplash and appliances

• New cabinets: stock cabinets about $100 to $300 per linear foot installed, custom about $500 to $1,200 per linear foot^[7]. Replacing a kitchen's cabinets with stock or semi-custom ones runs about $4,500 to $15,000^[8].
• Keeping the cabinet boxes: refacing about $5,000 to $13,000, painting about $900 to $3,800^[8].
• Countertops per square foot: laminate about $8 to $30, quartz $50 to $75, granite $70 to $140, butcher block $50 to $150^[9]. Replacing the counters in an average kitchen runs about $1,500 to $6,000^[8].
• Backsplash: about $15 to $40 per square foot installed, or $500 to $1,500 for a typical kitchen^[7].
• Appliances: a standard package of dishwasher, microwave, range and refrigerator about $2,500 to $6,800 installed^[8]; luxury packages start around $25,000^[9].
• Flooring: about $1,000 to $5,000 installed for a kitchen^[7].

Labor and trade rates

Cost guides put installation labor at about 15% to 30% of the total^{[8, 10]}, or about 25%^[7]. One guide puts all labor at 50% to 60% because it counts every trade, including plumbers and electricians, so check what a quote's labor line includes^[9].

Trades bill by the hour or by the job. Typical billed rates are about $50 to $130 an hour for electricians, $45 to $150 for plumbers and $50 to $150 for a general contractor^[8]. Those rates cover overhead and insurance: the median wage the workers themselves earn is about $29 to $31 an hour for carpenters, electricians and plumbers^[11].

What makes a kitchen remodel cost more

More than half of renovating homeowners in the 2025 survey changed their kitchen's layout^[5], and that is where costs climb fastest:

• Moving or replacing plumbing: about $1,500 to $15,000 for new pipes^[7].
• Moving a gas line: about $375 to $750^[7].
• Removing a wall: about $500 to $2,000 if it is not load-bearing, $4,000 to $15,000 if it is^[8].
• Permits: about $460 to $2,770^[7], or $500 to $1,500^[8], depending on where you live and the scope.
• Custom cabinets and high-end appliances: custom cabinets cost about $500 to $1,200 per linear foot against $100 to $300 for stock^[7], and luxury appliance packages start around $25,000^[9].
• Location: in one guide’s regional table, the Northwest averages about $25,600–$61,100 against $12,350–$33,950 in the Southwest^[7].

Ways to spend less

• Keep the layout: leave the sink, range and dishwasher where the plumbing, gas and wiring already are^{[7, 8]}.
• Paint or reface sound cabinets instead of replacing them: about $900 to $3,800 to paint versus $4,500 or more to replace^[8].
• Choose stock or semi-custom cabinets over custom ones^[8].
• Keep appliances that still work well^[9].
• Hold back a contingency of at least 10% of the budget for surprises behind the walls^[7].

How long a kitchen remodel takes

Cost guides put the work itself at about 6 to 9 weeks on average, and 3 to 5 months for large or structural remodels once permits and materials are included^[8]; another puts a typical project at up to about four months^[7]. Homeowners in the 2025 survey reported much longer timelines: about 9.5 months of planning and 5.8 months of construction on average^[6]. Custom cabinets can take 6 to 8 weeks to build, so order them early^[7].

How much of the cost comes back at resale

A national report based on a survey of realtors estimates that a midrange minor kitchen remodel recovers about 113% of its cost at resale, a major midrange remodel 51% and a major upscale remodel 36%^[1]. A second realtor survey puts cost recovery at about 60% for both a minor upgrade and a complete renovation^[12]. The two surveys disagree on how much a minor update returns, and both are estimates of what buyers would pay, not measured sale prices.

See the finishes before you price them

The finishes you choose drive most of the budget, so it helps to compare them before collecting quotes. The kitchen design tool shows new cabinet styles and colors, countertops, backsplash and hardware on a photo of your own kitchen, and lets you compare several cabinet colors side by side. For a full restyle of the room, try AI kitchen design. Both show a look, not a quote, so take the results to your contractor for pricing.

About these numbers

Survey medians come from Houzz users who reported their own 2025 kitchen projects^{[5, 6]}. The contractor-cost figures price a fixed 200 square foot job nationally and do not reflect what any one homeowner paid^[1]. Cost-guide ranges summarize customer surveys and contractor quotes^{[7, 8]}. Prices vary widely by region and by the specific products you choose, so treat every figure here as a starting point for quotes, not a price.