Estimate your kitchen remodel cost by size, scope and finish level. Get a realistic breakdown for cabinets, counters, appliances and labor in seconds.
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These are planning estimates, not contractor quotes. Enter your kitchen size in square feet, pick a remodel scope, and choose a finish level. Then set your cabinet and countertop choices, your appliance budget, and any layout changes. The calculator applies a per square foot base rate for your scope, multiplies it by your finish level, adjusts for your cabinet and countertop choices, adds the appliance budget and layout costs, and then adds a 15 percent contingency for surprises. You get an estimated total, the cost before contingency, the estimated cost per square foot, and the contingency amount. Always confirm with written quotes from licensed local contractors before you commit to a budget.
Kitchen renovation projects are priced from a simple base: your kitchen size in square feet times a per square foot rate for your scope tier, adjusted by finish level. The four scope rates used here are $75 for a cosmetic refresh, $160 for a partial remodel, $240 for a full remodel, and $380 for a gut renovation, reflecting published 2026 industry cost bands. The finish multiplier is 0.85 for budget, 1.0 for mid-range, 1.35 for high-end, and 1.8 for luxury. Cabinet choices adjust the base by minus 20 percent for keeping existing cabinets up to plus 20 percent for custom cabinets, and countertop choices adjust it by minus 5 percent for laminate up to plus 8 percent for quartzite. Layout changes add a flat fee, the appliance budget is added on top since appliance pricing varies so much, and a 15 percent contingency covers hidden costs. The average kitchen remodel cost reported by industry surveys sits between a cosmetic refresh and a full remodel, so a scope-based formula puts you in a realistic band instead of a blended national number. Worked example: a 180 square foot full remodel at mid-range gives a base of 180 × 240 × 1.0 = $43,200. Quartz adds 3 percent ($1,296), appliances add $5,000, and no layout change adds $0, for a subtotal of $49,496. The 15 percent contingency is $7,424.40, making the estimated total $56,920.40, or about $316.22 per square foot.
This kitchen remodel cost estimator works in five quick steps. First, enter your kitchen size in square feet (measure wall to wall, or multiply length by width). Second, pick the remodel scope that matches your project: cosmetic refresh for paint, hardware and surface updates; partial remodel for new cabinets, counters and appliances in the same layout; full remodel for a complete like-for-like rebuild; or gut renovation for layout changes and structural work. Third, choose a finish level from budget to luxury. Fourth, set cabinets (keeping, refacing, stock, semi-custom or custom) and countertops (laminate through quartzite). Fifth, enter your appliance budget and any layout changes. The calculator instantly shows your estimated total with the contingency broken out, so you can test scenarios, such as what refacing instead of replacing cabinets does to the number, before you talk to contractors.
The scope you pick is the single biggest driver of the total. A cosmetic refresh ($5,000 to $15,000 typically) covers paint, cabinet painting or refacing, new hardware, a faucet, and a new backsplash, with no layout change and a timeline of 1 to 2 weeks. A partial remodel ($20,000 to $50,000) replaces cabinets, countertops and appliances in the same footprint and runs 3 to 6 weeks. A full remodel ($35,000 to $80,000) rebuilds everything in the existing layout, taking 6 to 12 weeks. A gut renovation ($65,000 to $150,000 or more) moves walls, plumbing and electrical and can take 3 to 6 months. A full kitchen remodel costs the most of the four tiers because it combines premium scope with full labor. Small kitchens run higher per square foot than large ones, since the sink, permit fee and appliance package cost the same whether the room is 70 or 250 square feet. If resale is the goal, the partial-to-full range is where the math works hardest, because going from dated to clean and updated moves value far more than going from updated to magazine cover.
Square footage sets the floor of your budget, not the ceiling, because finishes and scope matter more once the size is fixed. As a planning guide: kitchens under 100 square feet (small galley kitchens) typically fall between $10,000 and $45,000 depending on scope; 100 to 200 square foot kitchens (the most common size) between $20,000 and $80,000; 200 to 300 square foot kitchens between $35,000 and $130,000; and open-concept kitchens over 300 square feet from $85,000 upward. The per square foot figure is most useful for comparing quotes: divide any contractor bid by your square footage and check it against these bands. Two identical-footprint kitchens can differ by $30,000 or more purely on cabinet grade and whether plumbing moves, so always compare the scope line by line, not just the total.
Cabinets are the most expensive part of a kitchen remodel, typically 25 to 40 percent of the total. Stock cabinets are the value pick and usually cost $4,000 to $8,000 installed; semi-custom cabinets are the sweet spot for most homes at $8,000 to $16,000 installed; custom cabinets can exceed $40,000 and only earn it in unusual spaces or luxury projects. Refacing existing cabinets runs $4,000 to $14,000 versus $8,000 to $20,000 for semi-custom replacement, so refacing beats replacing when the boxes are sound. For countertops, the best countertop material for most kitchens is quartz: it is non-porous, needs no sealing, and holds strong buyer appeal. Installed prices run roughly $15 to $40 per square foot for laminate, $40 to $100 for butcher block, $50 to $150 for granite, $60 to $160 for quartz, and $80 to $250 for marble. Appliances deserve a separate budget line because packages range from $1,500 for budget sets to $60,000 for luxury brands; buying floor models or holiday sale packages saves 20 to 40 percent. Labor, including demolition, plumbing, electrical and installation, is the second biggest line at 20 to 35 percent, climbing past 40 percent when walls or plumbing move.
The highest-impact way to save money is keeping the original layout: moving the sink, dishwasher or range can increase your kitchen remodel cost by $2,000 to $8,000 in plumbing and electrical work alone. Reface instead of replace cabinets when the boxes are solid, saving $5,000 to $10,000. Renovating with DIY-friendly tasks like demolition, painting, and installing LVP flooring or under-cabinet LED strips can save $1,500 to $3,000 without touching code-regulated work. Buy appliances during holiday sales, choose quartz remnants from fabricators at 30 to 50 percent off full slabs, and handle faucet, disposal and dishwasher installs yourself to save another few hundred dollars each. Stack these strategies and a $35,000 mid-range remodel often drops to $22,000 to $26,000 with no visible quality loss. One caution: never skip a permit for plumbing, electrical or structural work, since unpermitted work becomes an inspection red flag and can complicate insurance claims years later.
A kitchen remodel is worth it for resale mainly at the minor to mid-range tiers. Industry cost-versus-value data puts recovery around 67 to 75 percent of project cost for kitchen renovations, well above most other home improvements, with minor remodels (refacing, new counters, appliances, fixtures, paint) recovering the highest share and major upscale remodels with layout changes recovering closer to 50 percent. The pattern is consistent: taking a dated kitchen to clean and updated moves resale value hard, while going from clean and updated to luxury barely moves it further. A useful rule of thumb is to plan 6 to 10 percent of your home value for a mid-range remodel and up to 15 percent for high-end; spending more than your neighborhood ceiling supports rarely returns at sale. If you plan to stay five or more years, prioritize the layout and durability you will enjoy daily when you renovate; if you plan to sell soon, prioritize the broadly appealing mid-range tier and get the kitchen professionally finished before listing.
Cabinets, by a wide margin. They typically run 25 to 40 percent of the total budget, so on a $40,000 mid-range remodel that is $10,000 to $16,000 on cabinets alone. Labor is the second largest line at 20 to 35 percent, which is why keeping the layout and refacing instead of replacing cabinets saves so much.
How much you pay depends almost entirely on scope. Published 2026 data puts a cosmetic refresh at $5,000 to $15,000, a partial remodel at $20,000 to $50,000, a full remodel at $35,000 to $80,000, and a gut renovation at $65,000 to $150,000 or more. Per square foot, most projects land between $150 and $400. Use the calculator above with your size and scope instead of relying on a single national number.
A cosmetic refresh takes 1 to 2 weeks. A partial remodel runs 3 to 6 weeks. A full remodel that keeps the existing layout takes 6 to 12 weeks. A gut renovation with a layout change typically runs 3 to 6 months once permit approval and cabinet lead time are factored in. Countertop templating and fabrication alone can add 2 to 4 weeks between cabinet install and sink hookup.
Reface if the cabinet boxes are structurally sound and you are keeping the layout; refacing runs $4,000 to $14,000 and delivers most of the visual impact. Replace if the boxes are water-damaged, warped, or you want a different layout or more storage. Semi-custom replacement is the sweet spot for most homes, giving most of the finish flexibility of custom at 30 to 60 percent less cost.
Yes, especially at the minor to mid-range tier, where industry data shows recovery of roughly 67 to 75 percent of cost at resale, among the highest of any home improvement. The math gets worse the more you spend past what your neighborhood home values support, so keep the scope in line with your home value and skip luxury finishes unless you are staying long term.
Keep the original layout to avoid plumbing and electrical relocation, reface instead of replace cabinets, do your own demolition, painting and simple installs, buy appliances during holiday sales, and choose quartz remnants over full slabs. Stacked together, these strategies can take a $35,000 mid-range project down to $22,000 to $26,000 without noticeable quality loss.
Quartz, for most homeowners. It is non-porous, needs no sealing, and holds the strongest buyer appeal year over year. Granite runs slightly cheaper but needs annual sealing. Laminate is the budget option, and modern versions mimic stone convincingly at a fraction of the price. Choose marble only if you cook seriously and do not mind patina.
Yes, significantly. Moving a sink, dishwasher, gas line or range typically adds $2,000 to $8,000 for plumbing and electrical relocation, and labor share can climb past 40 percent when multiple trades must sequence around each other. Keeping fixtures in their current locations is the single most effective way to control a kitchen remodel budget.
Yes. This calculator gives a planning estimate, not a bid. Actual cost depends on your region, material choices and the specific contractor, so get at least three itemized written quotes from licensed local professionals before committing. Check that each quote covers the same scope, verify license and insurance, and never pay more than 10 to 25 percent upfront.
The calculator multiplies your kitchen size in square feet by a scope-tier rate ($75 cosmetic refresh, $160 partial, $240 full remodel, $380 gut renovation), then by your finish level multiplier (0.85 to 1.8). Cabinet and countertop choices adjust that base by a percentage, layout changes and your appliance budget are added, and a 15 percent contingency is included. The cost per square foot result is the final estimated total divided by your kitchen size.
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