How Much Does a Newly Fitted Kitchen Cost in 2026?

In 2026, a newly fitted kitchen can be anything from a simple swap to a full “we might as well redo everything” renovation. The total changes because kitchens aren’t one cost. They’re a stack of costs. Units, worktops, appliances, plumbing, electrics, flooring, tiling, plastering, decorating, and the little finishing jobs that make it look intentional.

This guide gives you the kitchen costs for 2026, plus the parts that push the total up or keep it sensible.

 

Contents

• Average Cost of a Newly Fitted Kitchen in 2026
• What That Total Usually Includes
• Cost Breakdown by Kitchen Element
• Labour Costs in 2026
• Hidden Costs That Push the Total Up
• DIY vs Professional Fitting and the Cost Impact
• Where to Save and Where to Spend
• How to Get Quotes You Can Actually Compare
• How Long a Kitchen Fit Takes and Why Time Affects Cost
• How We Can Help You Budget Smarter

 

Average Cost of a Newly Fitted Kitchen in 2026

 

Most UK projects land in one of these brackets.

Budget: Roughly £6,000 to £12,000
This is usually flat-pack units, laminate worktops, basic appliances, and minimal layout changes.

Mid-Range: Around £12,000 to £25,000
This is the most common “proper refresh” zone. Better units, more worktop choice, a wider appliance spec, and professional fitting with the right trades involved.

Premium or Bespoke: Typically £25,000 to £50,000+
This is where fully bespoke cabinetry, premium worktops like marble, quartz or porcelain, lots of integrated appliances, and structural changes start showing up.

If you want a practical anchor for planning, a “typical” all-in total for a standard new kitchen often sits around £10,000 to £11,000 in 2026. Not because every kitchen costs that, but because it’s a common meeting point once you add kitchen supply, fitting, and the usual supporting work.

One cost truth that holds up almost everywhere: keeping your plumbing and electrics in roughly the same places is one of the biggest ways to keep the total down.

 

What That Total Usually Includes

 

When people say “newly fitted kitchen”, they usually mean two big piles of cost.

 

Materials and Supply

This is the kitchen itself and the parts you can point at. Units and doors, worktops, appliances, sink and tap, flooring, tiles, handles, panels, plinths, storage inserts, fixings, and the “small stuff” that quietly becomes a big number.

A realistic rule for 2026 is that materials often make up about 60% to 70% of the total, depending on how premium your choices are.

 

Labour and Installation

This is the fitting, plus the trades needed to make it safe, compliant, and properly finished.

Even if you’ve got “a fitter”, most kitchens still involve plumbing, electrics, gas work if needed, plastering, tiling, flooring, decorating, and waste removal. Labour often lands around 30% to 40% of the total in 2026, but it swings based on how much you change.

 

Cost Breakdown by Kitchen Element

 

These are 2026 UK ballparks to show where the money usually goes. Your final total depends on kitchen size, spec, layout changes, and where you live.

 

Units and Cabinetry

Units are often the biggest chunk because there are lots of them and quality varies massively.

As a broad 2026 reality check, units can range from about £1,500 for a small budget set-up to £10,000+ for larger, higher-spec runs. Bespoke cabinetry can go well beyond that.

Flat-pack units usually cost less up front. Pre-assembled and higher-quality units cost more, but they can feel sturdier and may reduce fitting time.

One easy-to-miss cost trap is storage style. Drawers are brilliant, but they tend to cost more than doors. If you go drawer-heavy across every run, the total climbs fast.

 

Worktops

Worktops are where budgets get emotional, partly because fabrication and fitting matter as much as the material.

For an average run, supply-only ballparks in 2026 often look like this:

• Laminate: £200 to £800
• Wood: £300 to £900
• Quartz: £500 to £1,100
• Granite: £550 to £1,150

Then there’s fitting. Worktop fitting is often £300 to £800, depending on material and complexity. Cut-outs, joins, and awkward corners are usually what move the price.

A simple way to keep costs sensible is mixing surfaces. Put the premium material where you prep most, then use a tougher, cheaper option elsewhere. It looks deliberate, and your budget stops crying.

Appliances

Appliances can be a contained spend or a runaway train, depending on how many you’re replacing and whether you’re going integrated or premium.

As a 2026 ballpark: a basic built-in set like cooker, hob, and hood can start around £450, while a fuller suite with fridge-freezer, dishwasher, microwave, and premium brands can push towards £5,200+.

Installation costs depend on whether it’s like-for-like. The expensive bit often isn’t the appliance fitting. It’s what the appliance forces you to change around it, like extra sockets, rerouted plumbing, ventilation upgrades, and making-good.

Plumbing, Taps, and Sinks

Plumbing costs stay lower when the sink and dishwasher stay put.

For many kitchens, plumbing as part of the job often sits around £200 to £600, but it can rise if services move or pipework needs replacing. Plumbers often charge £40 to £60 per hour, or £325 to £375 per day.

For individual fitting tasks, you’ll often see: installing a sink and taps at £150 to £300, depending on complexity.

If you’ve got gas appliances, you’ll need a Gas Safe engineer for connections and disconnections. This is a must.

Electrics and Lighting

Electrics vary hugely based on scope, but for many installs you’ll see a ballpark of £300 to £1,000, rising if you’re adding lots of sockets, changing circuits, upgrading ventilation, or doing bigger alterations.

If you’re planning under-cabinet lighting, extra downlights, or moving switches, budget it early. It’s rarely expensive as a planned line item. It gets expensive when it becomes a last-minute change.

 

Flooring and Tiling

Flooring is usually supply plus fitting, and kitchens aren’t always square, which adds time.

Supply-only ballparks in 2026 often sit around:

• Vinyl: £10 to £40 per m²
• LVT: £15 to £60 per m²
• Laminate: £20 to £60 per m²
• Wood: £35 to £80+ per m²
• Tiles: £20 to £400+ per m²

For wall tiling like a splashback, labour is often priced per square metre. A realistic 2026 ballpark is £40 to £60 per m², depending on prep and tile choice.

Plastering, Decorating, and Making Good

This is the stuff that turns “installed” into “finished”, and it’s also where older kitchens can surprise you.

If walls need re-skimming after the old kitchen comes out, plastering can become a bigger line item than people expect. Decorating costs then stack on top, especially if you want everything finished quickly while trades are already on site.

If you’re looking for safe DIY savings, painting and decorating is often the best place to do it. It’s high impact, low risk, and doesn’t involve reconnecting anything that could leak, spark, or both.

 

Waste Removal and Disposal

Some quotes include removal of the old kitchen. Some include removal but not disposal. Some include neither. Confirm it early, because a “surprise pile of units” is not a vibe.

If you want to manage the cost, you’ve got options. You might dismantle parts yourself, hire a skip, use a clearance service, or dispose via your local council where allowed. The key is agreeing who does what before work starts, not after your kitchen becomes a jigsaw.

If your home is older, keep one extra risk on your radar: hazardous materials, like asbestos in certain older finishes. If it’s found, you’ll need specialist removal, and that can shift the budget.

 

Labour Costs in 2026

 

Labour is the part that changes most because it’s tied to time, complexity, and how many trades you need.

A typical kitchen fitter day rate in 2026 is often £250 to £350 per day, and can be higher in London and the South East. For labour-only fitting, a common 2026 range for a small-to-large kitchen is £2,200 to £4,600, with simpler installs sometimes coming in lower if it’s close to a dry fit with minimal trade work.

Labour tends to rise when you move the sink or appliances, change gas or electrics significantly, discover walls and floors need more prep than expected, or choose heavier and more complex worktops that take longer to cut and fit.

 

Location Matters

Where you live affects what you pay. Cities, especially London and the South East, tend to come with higher labour rates. Some areas in the North and Midlands can be more competitive. Rural and remote locations can cost more simply because travel and availability become part of the job.

Materials can be affected too. If you’re far from suppliers, delivery fees and lead times can creep in. It’s not always dramatic, but it’s worth accounting for early.

 

Hidden Costs That Push the Total Up

 

This is where budgets wobble, usually after the old kitchen is out.

Old kitchens hide problems. Uneven walls, damaged plaster, damp patches, floors that aren’t level, and tired wiring or pipework you can’t see until everything is stripped back.

Even with a like-for-like layout, you might still pay for sensible upgrades, like more sockets, better lighting, ventilation changes, or plumbing refreshes.

Then there’s the line item that stops the whole project turning into “we’ll finish next month”. A sensible contingency in 2026 is usually 10% to 15% of your total budget. If your home is older or you suspect issues behind the units, 20% can be a safer buffer.

 

DIY vs Professional Fitting and the Cost Impact

 

DIY can reduce the total. It can also increase the total if a mistake needs correcting.

DIY savings tend to work best when you stick to low-risk jobs like painting, decorating, and some tiling if you’re patient and properly tooled up. Assembling flat-pack units can also reduce labour time if you’re careful and methodical.

Some jobs are still best left to the pros, mainly because the cost of getting it wrong is higher than the cost of paying someone once. Electrics, gas work, and plumbing connections hidden behind brand-new units sit firmly in that category. Heavy lifting does too. Big appliances and hefty worktops are awkward, and they can be dangerous without the right kit and experience.

If you want the savings without the chaos, the sweet spot for a lot of people is DIY decorating and simple prep, then pay for certified work where it matters.

 

Where to Save and Where to Spend

 

If your goal is to keep the total sensible in 2026, these moves reliably help.

Keep the layout if it already works. Avoiding major plumbing and electrical moves can save a lot.

• Mix drawers and doors, so you’re not paying drawer prices across the whole kitchen.
• Mix worktop materials, so you get the premium feel in the places that matter most.

If you’re spending, spend where it protects the kitchen long-term. Fit quality matters. Cabinet carcass quality matters. Flooring durability matters. A cheaper kitchen can look great if it’s fitted properly. An expensive one can look cheap if it isn’t.

One more that saves money by avoiding waste: try not to change your mind mid-project. Late changes are where costs and delays multiply.

 

How to Get Quotes You Can Actually Compare

 

Quotes only help if they’re comparable.

Get at least three. Ask for an itemised breakdown so you can see what’s included, what’s excluded, and who’s supplying what. Make sure it’s clear whether removal and disposal are included.

Ask for a schedule of works, and what happens if something’s delayed. Ask how changes are priced, because “just a small tweak” is how budgets get eaten alive.

It’s also smart to let each supplier price the job properly before you mention competitor quotes. Compare the detail first, not just the final number.

Finally, protect yourself on payments. Clear terms matter. Payment protection matters. Cash-only deals can look tempting right up until they don’t.

And yes, check reviews. Then check them again. Cowboys can be very charming right up until they aren’t.

 

How Long a Kitchen Fit Takes and Why Time Affects Cost

 

In 2026, the fitting stage itself is commonly 5 to 10 days, depending on size and complexity.

But a newly fitted kitchen often includes prep, drying time, and multiple trades. That’s why many projects stretch into one to two weeks, and full renovations can run two to four weeks once you include plastering, flooring, electrics, and decorating.

Time matters because time is often what you’re paying for. More days on site can mean more labour cost, more trade coordination, and more chances for delays like missing parts or late deliveries.

 

Prep Your Home So the Job Runs Smoother

A smoother job is often a cheaper job, because it avoids wasted time.

• Check deliveries as soon as they arrive, not on fitting day.
• Clear a dry space for units and appliances if they’re delivered early.
• Sort access and parking, especially if permits or tight streets are involved.
• Plan how you’ll live for a week without a sink, because you’ll still want a brew.

 

How We Can Help You Budget Smarter

 

If you’re planning a 2026 kitchen refresh, start by writing a clear list of what you’re actually replacing. Units, worktops, appliances, sink and tap, flooring, tiling, and any layout changes.

Then get quotes with that list in hand so you’re comparing like with like and you can spot what’s included straight away.

If you’re doing the project in stages, focus on the day-to-day essentials first. Reliable taps, hard-wearing sinks, and practical finishing choices can make a kitchen feel new before you go full refit.

When you’re ready for more planning help, explore our DIY Tips and Design & Inspiration blogs too. The right plan saves money long before anyone picks up a drill. If this guide helped, share it with someone who’s about to start a kitchen project.