The Cost Desk

Cost estimate

Kitchen remodel (without appliances)

What remodeling a kitchen can cost per linear foot of cabinets at three finish levels, without appliances, built from published wages and shelf prices.

Data last checked . Every input is dated below.

Which finish level?

Stock cabinets, laminate counters, basic tile backsplash, a stainless sink and low-cost vinyl plank floor.

ft

Measure the run of cabinets along the floor. A small galley kitchen is about 12 feet, a typical 10 by 12 foot kitchen about 20 and a large one 30 or more. Wall cabinets over about 60% of the run are included.

Adjusts labor (state wages for this trade), materials and permits (state price levels). Permit fees are a rough stand-in; towns vary.

Fine-tune the estimateoptional

Know what your materials cost or how long the crew will take? Move a slider and the estimate follows. It stays in your browser.

6.3 hours per foot
2.5Ours: 5 to 7.511.3
$170 per foot
$70Ours: $140 to $200$300

Stays in your browser. We only place it against the range.

Typical cost

Planning range $8,300 to $19,000

About $680 per foot, typical.

Where the money goes

  • Labor$4,75035%
  • Materials$3,65027%
  • Permits and inspections$2001%
  • Haul-away and disposal$6004%
  • Contractor overhead and profit$4,45033%

For information only. A planning range, not a quote. We take care, but our sources can lag and so can we, so a figure may be out of date. It combines the low end of every input and the high end of every input, so it is deliberately wide. Real quotes can still fall outside it.

What moves the price

The same job can quote very differently. These are the usual reasons.

Cabinets
They are the biggest line. Stock, semi-custom and custom cabinets differ several times over in price.
Countertops
Laminate is the lowest-cost option. Butcher block, quartz and stone cost more per foot, and stone needs templating and fabrication.
Layout changes
Moving the sink, stove or walls adds plumbing, electrical and structural work. A kept layout costs much less.
Appliances
Appliances are not included. A basic set and a premium set can differ by many thousands of dollars.
What is behind the walls
Old wiring, plumbing and uneven floors or walls are often found after demolition.
Permits and older homes
Electrical, plumbing and sometimes structural permits vary by town. Homes built before 1978 may need lead-safe practices.

The same job at other sizes, and in each state

Both tables use the same estimate as the calculator above and its first choice, basic. They are here to read across; the calculator takes your own size and state.

Estimate at five sizes, US average
SizeTypicalRangePer ft
8 ft$8,000$8,000 to $8,000$1,000
16 ft$11,600$8,000 to $15,300$727
24 ft$16,400$10,000 to $22,700$681
32 ft$21,700$13,300 to $30,100$678
40 ft$27,100$16,600 to $37,500$676

Small jobs cost more per ft because a contractor has a minimum charge, and the per-unit figure falls as the job grows until the minimum no longer applies.

Cost by state, at 20 ft
Estimate by state and the District of Columbia at 20 ft
StateTypicalRangeAgainst the US average
Alabama$11,500$7,200 to $15,800−16%
Alaska$15,900$9,800 to $22,100+17%
Arizona$12,600$7,700 to $17,500−8%
Arkansas$11,600$7,200 to $16,000−16%
California$15,700$9,600 to $21,900+15%
Colorado$13,700$8,300 to $19,100about the same
Connecticut$13,900$8,400 to $19,400+2%
Delaware$13,100$8,000 to $18,200−4%
District of Columbia$14,100$8,600 to $19,600+3%
Florida$12,000$7,400 to $16,600−12%
Georgia$11,700$7,300 to $16,200−14%
Hawaii$17,200$10,600 to $23,800+26%
Idaho$12,300$7,600 to $17,000−10%
Illinois$15,800$9,700 to $21,900+16%
Indiana$13,300$8,100 to $18,600−3%
Iowa$12,300$7,600 to $17,100−10%
Kansas$12,600$7,700 to $17,500−8%
Kentucky$12,100$7,500 to $16,800−11%
Louisiana$11,600$7,200 to $16,000−15%
Maine$13,200$8,100 to $18,400−3%
Maryland$14,200$8,700 to $19,800+4%
Massachusetts$15,600$9,700 to $21,500+14%
Michigan$13,000$7,900 to $18,100−5%
Minnesota$14,300$8,700 to $19,900+4%
Mississippi$11,400$7,100 to $15,800−16%
Missouri$13,400$8,100 to $18,600−2%
Montana$12,700$7,800 to $17,700−7%
Nebraska$12,000$7,400 to $16,700−12%
Nevada$13,900$8,400 to $19,400+2%
New Hampshire$13,400$8,200 to $18,700−2%
New Jersey$14,900$9,000 to $20,700+9%
New Mexico$12,500$7,600 to $17,300−9%
New York$15,400$9,300 to $21,400+12%
North Carolina$11,600$7,200 to $16,000−15%
North Dakota$12,500$7,700 to $17,300−9%
Ohio$12,900$7,900 to $18,000−5%
Oklahoma$11,400$7,000 to $15,700−17%
Oregon$14,600$8,900 to $20,300+7%
Pennsylvania$13,300$8,200 to $18,500−2%
Rhode Island$13,400$8,100 to $18,600−2%
South Carolina$12,200$7,500 to $16,900−11%
South Dakota$11,700$7,200 to $16,100−15%
Tennessee$12,000$7,400 to $16,600−12%
Texas$11,800$7,300 to $16,200−14%
Utah$12,200$7,500 to $16,900−11%
Vermont$13,100$8,000 to $18,200−4%
Virginia$12,700$7,800 to $17,600−7%
Washington$15,700$9,600 to $21,800+15%
West Virginia$12,200$7,500 to $16,900−11%
Wisconsin$13,300$8,100 to $18,600−3%
Wyoming$12,600$7,700 to $17,500−8%

Each state's wages for this trade, material price level and permit level are applied to the same job. They are statewide averages; towns within a state differ, and an expensive city and a rural county can sit far apart.

How we got these numbers

Labor, parts, overhead and permits, added up. Each assumption below says how solid it is.

Checked sourcePublished, secondhandOur estimate
  • Checked sourceThe wage is a time-weighted blend of five trades: carpenters 50%, floor layers 20% (standing in for tile setters), plumbers 10%, electricians 10% and painters 10%, using BLS OEWS May 2025 25th to 75th percentile wages. The state factor uses carpenter wages.
  • Our estimateLabor hours of 5 to 7.5 a linear foot for a basic kitchen (about 100 to 150 hours across the crew for 20 feet) are our estimate: we found no time study.
  • Checked sourceMaterials of $140 to $200 a linear foot for a basic kitchen start from Lowe's shelf prices on 5 Nov 2026: base cabinets at $51 to $81 a foot, wall cabinets at $27 to $38 a foot of run, laminate counters at $17 to $21 a foot, a sink, faucet, lights, tile and about 120 sq ft of vinyl plank floor spread over 20 feet. The quantities and allowances are our arithmetic.
  • Our estimate8% waste covers cuts and breakage.
  • Our estimateDisposal of $20 to $40 a foot covers a dumpster or haul-off for demolition debris.
  • Checked sourcePermit fees of $100 to $300: Pleasanton CA charges a flat $120 for a kitchen remodel including the trades (plus plan review of 75% and technology of 5%) and Albany NY charges $100 plus $8 per $1,000 of cost over $5,000.
  • Checked sourcePayroll costs of 17% to 24% of wages follow the Census 2022 figure for residential remodelers (fringe benefits 19.1% of payroll).
  • Checked sourceOverhead and profit of 35% to 55% is added on top of wages with payroll costs, materials, permits and disposal. Census 2022: residential remodelers' receipts were 43.2% above direct cost, matching NAHB's remodeler study at 43%.
  • Checked sourceCross-check: the Census figure for residential remodelers puts the value of work at about $211 per field labor-hour, but these firms subcontract 19% of what they sell, so that figure is overstated. Our figures per labor-hour are about half of it. No federal cost database covers kitchen remodels.
  • Not includedAppliances, moving walls, new windows or doors, structural work, a larger or open-plan layout, custom cabinetry, designer fees and mold or asbestos work are not included.
  • Our estimateMid-range: Hours of 6.5 to 9 a linear foot (more tile and finish work) are our estimate.
  • Checked sourceMid-range: Materials of $220 to $330 a linear foot start from Lowe's shelf prices: cabinets at about $81 to $100 a foot for base and $45 to $56 for wall units over 60% of the run, butcher block at $31 to $36 a foot or a composite kit at $70, tile at $9 to $17, a sink and faucet, and a mid-priced floor.
  • Our estimateHigh-end: Hours of 8 to 12 a linear foot (precise fitting, stone templates, detailed tile) are our estimate.
  • Our estimateHigh-end: Materials of $400 to $700 a linear foot are mostly our estimate: Lowe's does not show shelf prices for quartz or stone counters or for semi-custom cabinets, and the most expensive cabinets we priced were about $116 a foot. This tier is the least certain.

Sources

Where each input comes from, and when we last looked.

Related project costs