How Much Does a New Kitchen Cost in the UK? (2026 Prices)

New kitchen prices by size

Where the money goes

Read the small print on kitchen adverts: an advertised price usually means the units only, without appliances, worktops or fitting, and budget flat-pack kitchens often leave out worktops and fitting too. These are the parts every complete quote is made of:

Units are usually the biggest single cost, roughly a third of the total, with worktops, appliances and fitting each a sixth to a fifth.

Units: what they're made of, rigid or flat-pack

Most affordable kitchens are chipboard. MDF is the usual base for painted or vinyl-wrapped doors and has to be properly sealed. Solid wood is the premium choice. The per-unit prices in the table above follow those three.

Fitting: who does what, and how long it takes

A typical refit runs in this order, over one to two weeks:

1. The old kitchen comes out.
2. First fix: pipes and cables moved by a plumber, an electrician and, for gas, a Gas Safe engineer.
3. Plastering, if needed.
4. Units fitted, level and fixed.
5. Worktops: laminate and wood are cut on site; stone is templated once the units are in and fitted a week or two later.
6. Second fix: sink, taps and appliances connected; tiling, flooring and decorating.

Ask whether a quote is a dry fit (units, worktops and doors, with no plumbing or electrics) or a wet fit (the complete job, with the sink, taps and appliances connected). Some fitters only do the dry fit and expect you to bring your own plumber and electrician. More on stone in our worktops guide.

The rules: planning, building regs, gas, electrics and ventilation

Planning. The Planning Portal says a planning application for a kitchen is generally not needed unless it's part of an extension. If the building is listed, ask the council first.

Building regulations. Refitting a kitchen with new units doesn't generally need approval, though drainage or electrical work in the refit may. Putting a kitchen in a room that wasn't one before is likely to need approval, for ventilation, drainage, structure and fire safety.

Gas. Disconnecting, moving or connecting a gas hob or cooker must be done by a Gas Safe registered engineer: it's the law, not advice. Ask for their Gas Safe ID card: the back lists the kinds of gas work they're qualified for. See checking a gas engineer.

Electrics. In England a kitchen isn't a "special location", so adding sockets or lights to an existing kitchen circuit isn't notifiable (it must still meet the wiring regulations). A new circuit, such as one for a cooker or induction hob, and a new consumer unit are notifiable: a registered electrician self-certifies them. Government guidance gives a built-in cooker as its example: not notifiable unless it needs a new circuit.

Ventilation. Approved Document F says an existing extract fan or ducted cooker hood should be kept or replaced, and checked, when work is done in a kitchen. You don't have to add extraction to a kitchen that never had it, unless the work makes ventilation worse. Replacing a hood on its existing wiring isn't notifiable. If you are fitting extraction:

The hood should be at least as wide as the hob and, unless the maker says otherwise, 650 to 750mm above it.

How to save, and what not to pay for

• Keep the layout. Moving the sink or cooker adds £500 to £1,600 on our estimates before you've bought a cupboard.
• Consider buying the kitchen yourself and hiring a fitter. It's common and can cost less than a supplier's fitting service, but check first whether using your own installer affects the kitchen's warranty.
• Price appliances separately. Get the model numbers on the plan and compare them before you sign.
• Mix worktops. I'd put stone on an island or a short run and laminate or wood on the long runs.
• Ignore "was" prices. One quartz fabricator we checked in October 2026 was advertising 40 to 50% off its list price. Compare fitted totals.
• Look at used kitchens. Pre-owned kitchens are sold through specialist dealers, some of which will also buy your old one.

Spend on the basics. In Magnet's survey of 2,000 people who'd bought a kitchen in the last ten years, 15% wished they'd spent more on flooring, 10% on cabinets and 11% on storage, and 20% regretted not adding underfloor heating. Smart gadgets averaged £1,188, and plenty skip them to save.

Hiring a fitter and paying safely

Citizens Advice's guidance for England, applied to a kitchen:

• Get written quotes (a fixed price) from at least three traders, not estimates (a rough guess). A trader can't charge more than the quote unless you agree extra work or they made a genuine mistake.
• A quote should list the work and materials separately, say how long it's valid and whether it includes VAT, and say when the price can change.
• Check the trader's insurance and tell your own buildings insurer about the work.
• Get a written contract covering dates, tidying up and who pays for skips, materials, subcontractors and payments. You may be able to cancel within 14 days.
• Pay by card, in stages. Avoid deposits; if one is unavoidable on a long job, don't agree to more than 25%. Paying by credit card for work costing £100.01 to £30,000 gives you a section 75 claim if things go wrong.

Frequently asked questions