How to budget for a kitchen remodel
Reviewed by Matt Kovalik, licensed Minnesota journeyworker electrician. License AJ703617 (verify). Updated October 2026.
Start from what homeowners paid
Nationally, the middle half of homeowners who hired a pro to remodel a kitchen paid $5,720 to $28,620, and the typical job came in at $14,290, according to the Census American Housing Survey. The kitchen remodel calculator shows the range for your region.
That range is wide because a remodel can mean new counters and paint or a full gut with new cabinets and moved plumbing, and the survey does not split them. Decide which kind of job you have before you pick a number.
Plan for what does not show up on the mood board
Budgets usually break on the work around the finishes, not the finishes themselves. Plan for permits, a dumpster, a temporary kitchen while yours is out of service, testing for lead or asbestos in older homes, subfloor repairs you cannot see until the old floor comes up, electrical work for new circuits, and moving plumbing or venting if the sink or range moves.
- Ask each contractor what is not in the bid. The exclusions are where change orders come from.
- Ask what each allowance assumes. A small allowance can make a bid look lower than it is.
Split the budget before you spend it
Divide the money into three parts before work starts: the must-haves you would regret skipping, the upgrades you want if there is room, and a contingency you do not touch until something turns up during demolition. If the contingency is still there near the end, that is when to talk about the nicer backsplash.
Where doing it yourself helps, and where it does not
Painting, a tile backsplash and demolition, after testing for lead or asbestos in older homes, are reasonable jobs for a careful homeowner. Cabinet installation, electrical, plumbing and gas work are not. Cabinets have to be set dead level for the counters to fit, and wiring and gas mistakes are costly and unsafe to fix later.
When to walk away from a bid
Be wary of a bid far below the others, since it is usually missing something that will return as a change order. Be wary of a bid that does not separate labor, materials and permits, because you cannot compare it. Get several bids, line them up item by item, and check each total with the calculator.