How much does a kitchen remodel cost?

Published national ranges for a kitchen remodel by tier and per square foot, plus cabinets, countertops, tile, design fees and permits.

Updated October 1, 202628 official sources

On this page8 sections

1What a kitchen remodel costs
2By the square foot
3Changing the layout
4Cabinets, countertops and finishes
5Design and permits
6Other figures you may see
7How long it takes
8Comparing quotes

The figures here are published national ranges from cost guides. They aren't quotes, we didn't measure them, and local prices vary. Use them to plan a budget, then get quotes from remodelers near you if you'd like to compare.

What a kitchen remodel costs

The cost guides sort kitchen remodels by how much of the room changes.

Kind of remodel	Published range
Minor or cosmetic	$10,000 to $25,000^1-4
Mid-range	$20,000 to $60,000^1-4
High-end	$60,000 to $130,000 or more^2-3
A typical kitchen remodel	$15,000 to $45,000, with the guides' averages about $27,000^2-4

The tiers overlap, so a job near the line could fall in either. Ask each remodeler which tier they'd call your job, and what it includes.

By the square foot

Kind of remodel	Published range
Most remodels	$75 to $250 per square foot^1-4
High-end remodels	$250 to $350 or more per square foot¹

Ask each remodeler how many square feet their price covers, so you can compare quotes on the same room.

Changing the layout

Moving the sink, the range or a wall makes a bigger job. The cost guides price a whole remodel that includes a layout change, not the change on its own.

Job	Published range
A kitchen remodel with a layout change	$50,000 or more for the whole remodel. Neither guide prices the layout change on its own^{1, 3}
A structural engineer for a load-bearing wall	$250 to $1,000 for a review^5-6

If you're thinking about moving plumbing, gas or electrical lines, ask each remodeler to price that part of the job on its own line.

Cabinets, countertops and finishes

Cabinets and countertops are priced in more detail in the cabinets and countertops guide.

Part of the job	Published range
Cabinets for an average kitchen	$4,000 to $15,000^7-9
Countertops for a kitchen	$1,500 to $6,000, typically about $3,000^{4, 10-11}
A kitchen backsplash	$500 to $1,700, averaging about $1,000; tile $15 to $40 per square foot^12-14
Tile, installed	$10 to $50 per square foot; ceramic mostly $10 to $40; labor alone $8 to $20 per square foot^15-17
Luxury vinyl plank flooring	$5 to $13 per square foot installed^{3-4, 18}
Tile flooring	$10 to $20 per square foot installed^{3-4, 18}
Recessed lighting	$100 to $300 a light^1-2

Design and permits

Job	Published range
A kitchen designer by the hour	$50 to $250 an hour^{1, 3, 19}
A flat fee to design a kitchen	$450 to $3,000^{1, 3, 19}
An architect for a remodel	10% to 20% of the construction cost^20-21
A kitchen or bath permit	a few hundred dollars; kitchens up to about $1,500, and large jobs up to $2,500^{3-4, 22-23}

Permit fees are set by your city or county. Here's what two cities charge, from their 2026 fee schedules:

Pleasanton, California charges $535 for a kitchen permit and $375 for a bath, plus a 5% technology fee, state fees, and plan review when plans are needed.²⁴
Falls Church, Virginia charges about $175 for a kitchen electrical permit and $200 to $350 for kitchen or bath plumbing, plus a building permit by square foot.²⁵

The permits and lead-safe guide covers what state rules say about permits, and the rules for work in homes built before 1978.

Other figures you may see

You may come across higher or lower numbers than the ranges above. They measure something different, so we show them as context only.

A professional estimate. Cost vs Value 2025's professional estimates for one defined 200 square foot kitchen: a minor midrange remodel $28,458, a major midrange remodel $82,793 and a major upscale remodel $164,104.²⁶ Each prices one fully specified project, so the figures sit above the cost guides' ranges.

What homeowners spent. In the 2021 American Housing Survey, homeowners' median spend on a kitchen remodel was $6,000 and on a bath remodel $3,500, counting work they did themselves.²⁷ They're context, not contractor prices.

Share of all spending. Kitchen remodels were 10.1% and bath remodels 8.3% of the $405 billion owners spent improving their homes in 2023.²⁸

How long it takes

A kitchen remodel takes 6 to 10 weeks of construction, and 3 to 5 months with a layout or structural change.^1-2 The remodel timeline guide covers what to plan before the work starts.

The kitchen and bath cost estimator shows these ranges for the job you pick.

Comparing quotes

Ask every remodeler to put the same things in writing, so you can compare them line by line:

What the price covers: demolition, cabinets, countertops, backsplash, flooring, lighting, and whether appliances are in it.
The cabinet grade and how many linear feet of cabinets, and the countertop material and how many square feet.
Whether any wall, plumbing, gas or electrical line moves, and whether an engineer needs to review it.
Whether the job needs a permit, who applies for it, and whether the fee is in the price.
If your home was built before 1978, whether the firm is Lead-Safe Certified.
When the work starts, how long it should take, and how much of a deposit they want. The contracts guide covers what state rules say about deposits and canceling.

If one quote leaves an item out, ask for it to be priced before you compare. The verify guide shows where to check a remodeler's license or registration. When you're ready, you can ask for quotes from remodelers near you.

Ranges compiled from HomeGuide, HomeAdvisor, Fixr and Forbes Home; examples from Cost vs Value 2025, the U.S. Census Bureau, Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies and two cities' permit fee schedules, checked October 2026.