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Angi's national average is $26,940; Houzz's major-remodel median is $55,000.
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Kitchen Scopebook · Costs
Kitchen remodel cost guide for 2026: what each scope costs and what moves the number
In 2026 a kitchen remodel runs from roughly $10,000 for a cosmetic refresh to $130,000 or more for a full redesign with wall removal, or $75 to $250 per square foot by HomeAdvisor's measure. Angi's average from 13,100 projects is $26,940; Houzz's median major remodel is $55,000. Cabinets take 30 to 40 percent of any budget, labor about a quarter, and regional labor rates can move the total by a third.
By Kitchen Scopebook editorial · Updated 2026-09-25
Kitchen cost figures are easy to find and hard to use, because each publisher measures something different. Angi and HomeAdvisor average every job their pros completed, including small ones. Houzz asks its own renovating homeowners what they spent on a major remodel. Fixr builds tiers from contractor pricing. None of them is wrong, and none of them is your kitchen. This guide lays the figures side by side, explains what each one measures, and then shows how a bid is actually built.
The second half of the guide is about reading proposals. Two bids for the same kitchen can differ by $20,000 because one includes appliances, a realistic tile allowance or the panel upgrade an induction range needs, and the other does not. Knowing where the money sits lets you find those gaps before signing.
What do the national cost figures actually measure?
Angi's project data from 13,100 kitchen jobs lands at $26,940, with most homeowners paying $14,588 to $41,550. HomeAdvisor, drawing on more than 10,000 surveyed customers, publishes a nearly identical $26,945 and a per-square-foot range of $75 to $250. Fixr's 2026 guide puts the average at $27,000. These are project-mix averages: they include cabinet-only jobs and counter swaps alongside full renovations, which pulls the average below what a complete renovation costs.
Houzz measures differently. Its 2026 Kitchen Trends Study, drawn from 1,780 homeowners surveyed in July 2025, puts the median major remodel at $55,000 and a minor remodel at $20,000, with the top 10% of large-kitchen spenders reaching $150,000. Because it asks only about kitchens that were substantially remodeled, it lands well above the Angi and HomeAdvisor averages. Size matters inside that sample too: Houzz found medians of $75,000 vs $46,000 for kitchens of 250 square feet or more versus smaller ones.
HIRI's tracker adds a third lens. Its 2025 Project Decision Study shows a $9,500 median and $16,023 average for kitchen remodels of $5,000 or more, and its Q1 2026 tracker finds 15% of homeowners planning one in the next year. Pick the benchmark that matches your scope, and say which one you used when you talk to a pro.
What does each scope cost in 2026?
Fixr's tiers are the clearest scope ladder: cosmetic remodels at $10,000 to $25,000, midrange at $25,000 to $60,000 and high-end at $60,000 to $130,000. HomeAdvisor's bands are similar, with minor remodels at $10,000 to $20,000 and total makeovers at $65,000 to $130,000 or more. A cosmetic job keeps the boxes and the layout: refaced or painted fronts, new counters, sink, faucet, lighting and paint. Midrange replaces cabinets and counters inside the same layout with mid-tier appliances. High-end changes layout, moves utilities and often removes a wall.
The site's complete renovation cost guide breaks the top two tiers down further: a same-layout renovation with semi-custom cabinets, a layout change inside existing walls, and a renovation with wall removal or expansion, with a bearing-wall beam and a slab sink relocation as separate lines. Those are the three jumps that matter. Each one adds trades, inspections and days, and each one is a choice rather than an inevitability.
Zonda's 2025 Cost vs. Value report offers a useful benchmark at the lower end: it prices a minor midrange kitchen remodel at $28,458 nationally and finds it recoups 112.9% at resale, the strongest return of any interior project it tracks. That scope is refaced fronts, new counters, sink, appliances and flooring. It is a good description of what a well-run cosmetic-plus project costs and what it is worth.
| Scope | 2026 range | What is included |
|---|---|---|
| Cosmetic refresh | $10,000–$25,000 | Fronts refaced or painted, counters, sink, lighting, paint |
| Same-layout renovation | $25,000–$60,000 | New cabinets and counters, flooring, mid-tier appliances |
| Layout change, same walls | $45,000–$90,000 | Above plus relocated sink or range, new rough-in, inspections |
| Wall removal or expansion | $65,000–$130,000+ | Above plus beam, engineer, framing, extra finish |
How much does a kitchen remodel cost by size?
Floor area sets the range before finish grade does. HomeAdvisor's June 2026 guide applies its $75 to $250 per-square-foot span to four common sizes, and the Houzz column shows what its 2026 study found renovators actually spent on major remodels: $75,000 vs $46,000 for kitchens of 250 square feet or more against smaller ones. The 250-square-foot HomeAdvisor row is our arithmetic at the same per-foot rate.
HomeAdvisor's bands run from a light refresh to a full remodel; Houzz's medians cover only major remodels. A 150-square-foot kitchen with semi-custom cabinets and a new layout lands near the top of HomeAdvisor's band and close to Houzz's $46,000. The complete renovation cost breakdown prices those line items one by one.
| Kitchen size | HomeAdvisor range | Houzz major-remodel median |
|---|---|---|
| 75 sq ft | $5,600–$17,500 | $46,000 (under 250 sq ft) |
| 100 sq ft | $7,500–$25,000 | $46,000 (under 250 sq ft) |
| 150 sq ft | $11,250–$37,500 | $46,000 (under 250 sq ft) |
| 200 sq ft | $15,000–$50,000 | $46,000 (under 250 sq ft) |
| 250 sq ft | $18,750–$62,500 (calculated) | $75,000 (250 sq ft or more) |
Where does the money go: cabinets, labor, counters, everything else?
Cabinets lead every published breakdown. HomeAdvisor puts them at ~30% of a kitchen budget with labor at about 25%; Fixr allocates 40% to cabinetry, 18% to flooring, 14% to countertops, 11% to utilities and fixtures and 6% to appliances. The gap between 30% and 40% is mostly whether installation labor is counted with the cabinets or separately. Either way, a decision that halves the cabinet line, such as refacing, moves the total more than any other choice.
Labor's share rises with complexity. A cosmetic job is material-heavy, because the labor is a few days of installation. A layout change adds a plumber, an electrician, possibly a framer and the inspections that follow each, and labor climbs toward a third of the total. Wall removal adds an engineer's fee and a beam crew. When a proposal shows labor well under 20% on a layout-change job, something has been left out or priced as an allowance.
What pushes the price up, and what brings it down?
Up: moving the sink, especially on a slab; changing cooking fuel; removing a bearing wall; custom cabinets; quartzite, marble or porcelain counters; a ducted hood over 400 CFM that triggers make-up air; a panel upgrade; flooring that has to run into adjoining rooms to match. Each of those is a separate line in a good proposal, and each is a place where a homeowner can ask what the cheaper alternative would be.
Down: keeping the layout, which Houzz found 68% of renovators did; refacing sound boxes instead of replacing them; semi-custom instead of custom; level-1 granite or a mid-grade quartz; a stock-size island; keeping the flooring; reusing appliances that are less than ten years old, though our analysis of the EIA's 2024 household survey found 26.6% of homes running a main refrigerator at least that old. Choosing where to save before the bid arrives is better than discovering it after.
How much does region change a kitchen bid?
The national figures hide a wide labor spread. HomeAdvisor's June 2026 guide breaks its kitchen remodel range into eight regions, listed in the regional table in this section: the Northwest runs highest at $25,600 to $61,100, while the Midwest ($10,300 to $34,300) and Southeast ($12,000 to $32,200) sit near the national average. Coastal metros routinely run 15 to 35 percent above the averages on the labor portion, and material delivery adds cost in rural areas. The site's regional page covers the pattern in detail. The point for a bid reader is that a $60,000 proposal in one market can be the same scope as a $45,000 proposal in another, so the comparison that matters is between local bids, not between a local bid and a national average.
Region also changes the utility scope. EIA's preliminary 2024 RECS shows 40.4% of Northeast homes cook on natural gas against 16.0% in the South, where electric ranges dominate. A Southern kitchen is far more likely to already have the 240-volt circuit an induction range needs; a Northeast kitchen switching from gas will often need that circuit run, and sometimes a panel upgrade. By our analysis of the same survey, dishwasher ownership runs from 67.5% in the Northeast to 78.6% in the South against 75.1% nationally, so adding one in the Northeast often means new plumbing and a circuit.
| HomeAdvisor region | Typical kitchen remodel range |
|---|---|
| Northwest | $25,600–$61,100 |
| Rocky Mountains | $12,700–$39,600 |
| Southwest | $12,350–$33,950 |
| Mountain Prairie | $6,000–$37,400 |
| Midwest | $10,300–$34,300 |
| Southeast | $12,000–$32,200 |
| Mideast | $13,600–$37,650 |
| Northeast | $10,800–$40,400 |
Which hidden costs show up after the proposal is signed?
The most common are behind the walls: wiring that does not meet current code once it is exposed, plumbing that must be replaced to the stack, subfloor damage under the old dishwasher or sink, and framing that was notched by an earlier remodel. Then come the ones that were never in the scope: the flooring that has to continue into the hallway, the ceiling that needs patching after the hood duct is run, the window trim that no longer meets the new backsplash.
Soft costs are easy to miss. Design fees run $1,500 to $8,000 for an independent designer, often credited by design-build firms. Permit fees vary by jurisdiction and scope; HomeAdvisor's national planning range is $460 to $2,770. Eating out or a temporary kitchen for six to ten weeks is a real line for a family. Dumpster and disposal, appliance delivery and haul-away, and a final clean are small individually and add up.
Financing has a cost too. NAR's 2025 report found 54% of remodelers used home equity loans or lines of credit, and Houzz's 2026 Houzz & Home Study found credit card use rose to 34% of renovators. Interest on a card balance carried through a four-month project is a hidden cost of the remodel, and one that a HELOC arranged before signing usually avoids.
How do you read a kitchen bid line by line?
A usable proposal has a scope description, a line-item price list, stated allowances, a payment schedule tied to milestones, a change-order procedure, named permit responsibility and a start and duration estimate. Read the scope description first and check it against your brief. Then find the cabinet line and confirm the tier and construction. Then find every allowance and ask whether it would actually buy what you want; a $1,500 tile allowance will not cover a handmade backsplash.
Finally, compare the three bids on the same basis. Add appliances to the ones that excluded them, normalise the allowances to the same figures and set the totals side by side. Use the cost calculator as a sanity check on the normalised figure, then use the permits guide to confirm the inspection lines are present.
- Scope description matches your brief
- Cabinet tier and construction named
- Every allowance stated and realistic
- Appliances in or out, stated
- Dedicated circuits, hood ducting, make-up air listed
- Removal, disposal, reconnection and paint included
- Permit responsibility and inspection sequence named
- Milestone payments, change-order procedure, duration
Is the spend worth it, and how should you think about payback?
Resale is one measure. Zonda's 2025 Cost vs. Value finds a minor midrange kitchen remodel recoups more than its cost, while NAR's 2025 Remodeling Impact Report estimates a complete renovation recovers 71% and a minor upgrade 60%, using Realtor estimates rather than appraisals. NAR also found 48% of Realtors named kitchen upgrades as the project with the biggest jump in buyer demand. The pattern is consistent: the modest scope returns best, and the full scope returns most in absolute dollars. Zonda's 2025 edition, published in September 2025, is the latest Cost vs. Value report, and the minor kitchen remodel is the only interior project in its top five by return.
The other measure is use. NAR assigns kitchen upgrades a Joy Score of 10 / 10, the highest it records. Kitchens are used daily, which is why NKBA and John Burns forecast $235B in 2025 kitchen and bath revenue and why Houzz found kitchens tied for the most-renovated interior room at 24% of renovators. Decide the scope on how long you will stay and how much the current kitchen bothers you, then use the complete renovation guide to price the pieces.
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Questions homeowners ask
Why do Houzz and Angi publish such different average kitchen costs?
They measure different things. Angi averages 13,100 completed jobs of every size, including counter swaps and cabinet-only work, landing at $26,940. Houzz asks its renovating homeowners what they spent on a major remodel specifically, producing a $55,000 median. Both are accurate for their samples. Use Angi or HomeAdvisor for a mixed-scope benchmark and Houzz for a full renovation with new cabinets, counters and appliances.
What share of a kitchen budget should go to cabinets?
Between 30 and 40 percent, depending on how installation labor is counted. HomeAdvisor puts cabinets near 30% with labor around 25%; Fixr allocates 40% to cabinetry, 18% to flooring and 14% to counters. If a proposal shows cabinets well outside that band, either the tier is unusual or something else in the budget is out of proportion. Refacing is the usual way to bring the cabinet line down without shrinking the room.
How much more does a layout change cost than a same-layout renovation?
Roughly 30 percent more inside the existing walls, and more again with wall removal. The site's cost table puts a same-layout renovation at $25,000 to $60,000 and a layout change at $45,000 to $90,000. The difference is rough plumbing and electrical, inspections, and on slab foundations, concrete cutting for a moved sink. Houzz found 68% of renovators stayed inside the footprint, so most projects avoid the higher band.
Do kitchen bids normally include appliances?
Often not. Many contractors exclude appliances and note that the homeowner supplies them, which is fine as long as every bid is read the same way. A mid-tier package of range, refrigerator, dishwasher and microwave installed runs around $8,000 in the site's calculator; pro-style appliances can exceed the cabinet line. Before comparing totals, add the same appliance figure to every bid that excluded them.
How much contingency should I hold for a kitchen remodel?
Ten to fifteen percent of the contract, held outside it and spent only on hidden conditions such as wiring that fails inspection once exposed, subfloor rot under the sink or plumbing that must be replaced to the stack. In houses built before 1960, plan for the top of that range. A contingency is not a slush fund for upgrades; Houzz found 37% of renovators overspent, mostly through material upgrades and scope growth.
Which kitchen upgrades return the most at resale?
The modest ones. Zonda's 2025 Cost vs. Value report finds a $28,458 minor midrange kitchen remodel recoups 112.9% at resale, the best interior return it tracks. NAR's Realtor estimates put a complete renovation at 71%. Decide scope on how long you will stay.
What is the cheapest way to lower a kitchen bid without shrinking the scope?
Keep the layout, reface sound cabinet boxes rather than replacing them, choose semi-custom over custom, pick a level-1 granite or mid-grade quartz, keep flooring that is in good condition and reuse appliances under ten years old. Each of those is a line in a proposal, so ask the pro to price the alternative. HomeAdvisor puts cabinets at about 30% of a kitchen budget, so refacing is often the biggest single saving.
Services covered in this article
Service guideComplete Kitchen RenovationA complete kitchen renovation replaces cabinets, counters, flooring, lighting and usually appliances under a single plan, and may relocate plumbing, gas and electrical or remove a wall.
Service guideCabinet Refacing & InstallationCabinet refacing replaces doors, drawer fronts and hardware and covers the exposed box faces with matching veneer, leaving the layout unchanged.
Service guideCountertop InstallationCountertop installation replaces the work surface, sink and often the backsplash on cabinets you keep.
Service guideKitchen Island Design & BuildA kitchen island is a freestanding cabinet unit with its own countertop, often with seating, storage, a sink or a cooktop.
More planning articles
PlanningHow to plan a kitchen remodel: the sequence that keeps decisions from undoing each otherPlan a kitchen remodel in a fixed order: decide the scope, confirm the layout, choose cabinets, lock appliance models, then pick surfaces and lighting.
MaterialsKitchen materials and options: choosing by how you cook, not how the showroom looksKitchen materials should be chosen in the order they are installed: cabinet box construction first, then door material and finish, then countertop surface, then flooring, lighting and ventilation.
PermitsKitchen remodel permits and codes: what needs one, who pulls it, and what happens without itMost cosmetic kitchen work needs no permit, but moving plumbing, adding or relocating circuits, running a gas line, changing ventilation or touching a bearing wall almost always does.
Free planning tools
Free toolKitchen remodel cost calculatorSize, material tier and complexity in, a realistic budget range out.
Free toolKitchen comparisons: the five decisions that move the budgetSide-by-side tables for the decisions that change the price most.
Free toolKitchen remodel quiz: find your scope and check the numbers10 questions that show what you already know and what to check next.
Free toolKitchen remodel polls: see what other homeowners are choosingSee what other planners chose and add your vote.
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