Free Cost Guide · 2026
Cost to Install Kitchen Cabinets in 2026: Pricing by Tier and Linear Foot
The cost to install kitchen cabinets in 2026 runs $80 to $800 per linear foot installed, so a typical 40 linear foot kitchen lands between $4,000 and $32,000 depending on the tier you pick.
- Stock cabinets: $80 to $120 per linear foot, about $3,200 to $4,800 for a 40 foot kitchen.
- Semi-custom: $150 to $300 per linear foot, the range most homeowner remodels land in.
- Custom built to spec: $500 to $800 per linear foot for high-end or irregular layouts.
- Refacing existing boxes: $120 to $250 per linear foot, a 50 to 70 percent saving over custom.
What the cost to install kitchen cabinets actually covers
The cost to install kitchen cabinets is really four line items stacked together: the cabinet boxes and doors, the countertop, the hardware, and the labor to demo the old kitchen and hang the new one. Cabinets themselves drive most of the number. The tier you choose is the single biggest driver of the total, which is why a stock kitchen and a custom kitchen of the same size can differ by five figures.
Measure the job in linear feet before you price anything. A standard 10 by 10 ft L-shape kitchen has 20 linear feet of base cabinets and 20 linear feet of wall cabinets, 40 linear feet in total. Tall pantry and oven cabinets price per unit, so count them separately. Once you have the footage, the tier table below turns it into a real range.
Average cost to install kitchen cabinets by tier
These are 2026 installed ranges, cabinets plus labor, for the same 40 linear foot kitchen. Carpenter labor tracked from BLS Occupation 47-2031 is a meaningful share of the per foot total on a stock or semi-custom install.
| Cabinet tier | Per linear ft (installed) | 40 ft kitchen | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stock | $80 to $120 | $3,200 to $4,800 | Budget rental, flip, basic refresh |
| Semi-custom | $150 to $300 | $6,000 to $12,000 | Most homeowner remodels |
| Custom | $500 to $800 | $20,000 to $32,000 | High-end remodel, irregular layout |
| Refacing | $120 to $250 | $4,800 to $10,000 | Solid boxes, cosmetic refresh |
| Painting only | $45 to $90 | $1,800 to $3,600 | Tightest budget, paint-grade doors |
Price a cabinet install from a photo, free →
Countertops, hardware, and the extras that move the bid
Countertops are the next biggest line. Multiply linear feet by 2.5 for a rough countertop square footage, then price the slab: laminate runs $20 to $50 per square foot installed, quartz $50 to $100, granite $40 to $100, and marble $60 to $150. On a 40 foot kitchen with about 100 square feet of counter, quartz alone adds $5,000 to $10,000.
Hardware and trim round it out. Budget one handle or pull per door and drawer, which puts a typical 40 foot kitchen at 35 to 45 hardware points at $4 to $25 each. Soft-close hinges add $6 to $14 per door over standard hinges, and demolition plus disposal of the old cabinets runs $400 to $900.
Cost to install kitchen cabinets by region
The same 40 linear foot semi-custom kitchen swings widely by metro, so treat this as a sanity check on any quote you receive. Labor moves the number the same way it does on the cost to tile a bathroom, offered here as a rough regional sanity check.
| Region or metro | Semi-custom 40 ft total | vs national median |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco Bay Area | $14,000 to $24,000 | +35 to +50% |
| NYC metro | $13,000 to $22,500 | +28 to +42% |
| Boston, Seattle, Los Angeles | $11,500 to $19,500 | +15 to +28% |
| Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas, Denver | $9,000 to $14,500 | -3 to +5% |
| Phoenix, Tampa, Nashville | $7,800 to $12,500 | -15 to -8% |
| Rural Midwest, Appalachian | $6,000 to $10,000 | -30 to -18% |
How to lower the cost to install kitchen cabinets
Four moves cut a kitchen budget without cheapening the result. Reface solid boxes instead of replacing them to save 50 to 70 percent over custom. Design to standard stock sizes to keep the job in the $80 to $120 per foot tier. Pair quartz with a simple eased edge, since bullnose and waterfall profiles add 12 to 30 percent to the counter. And source hardware yourself, because cabinet shops mark up pulls and knobs 40 to 80 percent.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, SOC 47-2031 Carpenters. Median carpenter wage and regional labor dispersion.
- U.S. Census Bureau, Construction and County Business Patterns data. Contractor density used to normalize regional labor and markup.
- Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association, Cost of Doing Business. Overhead and profit benchmarks.
Price a kitchen cabinet job from a photo
Whether you are a contractor bidding the job or a homeowner checking a quote, the slow part is turning a walkthrough into real numbers. The SimplyWise Cost Estimator turns a photo of the kitchen into an itemized estimate in about 6 seconds, broken out by cabinet, countertop, and hardware, so you can price the work on site and hand over a clean number the same day. It is free to try. See how the SimplyWise Cost Estimator works, or compare the best photo to estimate apps for the field.
The tier you pick is the single biggest line in a kitchen cabinet budget, so price every tier before you commit.
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Cost to install kitchen cabinets: common questions
How much does it cost to install kitchen cabinets in 2026?
A typical 10 by 10 ft kitchen with 40 linear feet of cabinetry runs $4,000 to $32,000 installed in 2026, depending on tier. Stock cabinets run $80 to $120 per linear foot, semi-custom $150 to $300, custom $500 to $800, and refacing $120 to $250 per linear foot.
What is the difference between stock, semi-custom, and custom cabinets?
Stock cabinets ship pre-assembled in standard sizes and arrive in days. Semi-custom adds size, door style, and finish flexibility with a 4 to 8 week lead time. Custom is built to spec for any dimension and finish, with 8 to 16 week lead times and 3 to 5 times the cost of stock.
Is refacing worth it versus replacing kitchen cabinets?
Refacing at $120 to $250 per linear foot is worth it when the existing cabinet boxes are solid and the layout still works. It replaces doors, drawer fronts, and hardware and saves 50 to 70 percent versus a full custom install, but it does not fix layout or storage problems.
How much does a quartz countertop add to a kitchen cabinet project?
Quartz runs $50 to $100 per square foot installed in 2026. A 40 linear foot kitchen has roughly 100 square feet of countertop, so quartz adds $5,000 to $10,000 on top of the cabinetry. Edge profile, sink cutout, and faucet holes are usually included in the per square foot rate.
How long does a kitchen cabinet install take?
A 2-person crew installs 40 linear feet of stock or semi-custom cabinets in 2 to 3 days, plus 1 to 2 weeks for countertop template, fabrication, and install. Total project time from demolition to final walk-through is 3 to 6 weeks, and custom lead times can push it to 12 to 20 weeks.
Quote a kitchen cabinet install before you leave the driveway.
Snap a photo of the kitchen and get an itemized estimate in about 6 seconds, broken out by cabinet, countertop, and hardware. Price the work and send the number the same day. Free to try, no credit card.