DATA-BACKED GUIDE · UPDATED JULY 2026
New kitchen cost in the UK: what a full fitted kitchen really adds up to
The price on a kitchen showroom ticket is only the start. By the time you add fitting, worktops, appliances, plumbing, electrics and the bits nobody mentions, a new kitchen usually costs a lot more than the units alone. The real prices on this page come from actual jobs, so you can see where the money genuinely goes rather than what a brochure implies it costs.
The quick version
- The cabinets are often the smallest slice of the bill once labour, worktops and appliances are added.
- Worktops, splashbacks and appliances can quietly match or beat the cost of the units themselves.
- Most of this work carries 20% VAT, so check whether a quote includes it or not before you compare two prices.
- The finished, fitted total is what to budget for, not the flat-pack sticker price on the units.
- Moving a sink or hob to a new position adds plumbing and electrical work that a like-for-like swap avoids.
- Two quotes for what sounds like the same kitchen can differ sharply once you check what each one actually includes.
What people actually paid
Real prices, in people's own words
- £2,000“His bill was around £2k”
- £2,000“His bill was around £2k”
- £3,300“I recently paid £3300 for rip out and install.”
- £3,300“I recently paid £3300 for rip out and install”
- £4,500“£3,439 kitchen fitter + £625 electrician + £500 plasterer. So that's about £4,500.”
- £10,000“a Wickes flat pack kitchen which cost just under £4000 totalled just under £10,000 all in”
Genuine amounts posted publicly. We publish the price and the quote, never the person.
Why the price varies so much
No two kitchens cost the same because no two are the same shape. A galley kitchen in a flat is a world away from a large open-plan room where walls come down and a steel goes in to hold the house up. The choice of units drives a big chunk of it, but so does the worktop material, the number of appliances being wired and plumbed, and whether the layout stays put or moves. Moving the sink or hob means new plumbing runs and electrics, and that pushes the labour up on its own. Older houses throw up surprises too, uneven walls, tired wiring, or a floor that is not level, and all of that has to be sorted before anything looks finished. Who does the work matters as well: a small local fitter working alone will price differently to a kitchen showroom that supplies, project-manages and subcontracts the plumbing and electrics, and that showroom's overheads end up in your total either way. Region plays a part too, since labour rates and the pool of available fitters are not the same everywhere. That gap between the materials cost and the fitted, finished result is exactly where most people underestimate.
How to pay less
- Keep the sink, hob and appliances roughly where they are so you avoid new plumbing and electrical runs.
- Get three written quotes that each spell out units, worktop, appliances and labour separately, so you can compare like for like rather than one lump sum against another.
- Mix and match: a mid-range carcass with a nicer worktop or handles often looks dearer than it cost.
- Buy appliances yourself in the sales rather than through the fitter, and confirm the fitter is happy to install them without adding a markup for supply.
- Ask whether tiling, plastering and making good after the old kitchen comes out are included, since these are common places for a quote to look cheap and then grow.
- If your walls and wiring are original to the house, budget some contingency for the fitter finding problems once the old units are stripped out.
Common questions
Does a new kitchen price usually include fitting?
Not always. A showroom or flat-pack price is often just the units, sometimes with a worktop. Fitting, plumbing, electrics, tiling and appliance installation are frequently quoted separately, which is why the finished total lands well above the sticker. Always ask what is and is not included before you compare two prices.
What costs the most in a new kitchen?
It varies, but the biggest single hits tend to be the worktop, the appliances and the labour rather than the cabinets. Solid worktops, plenty of integrated appliances and any structural or layout changes are what stretch a budget. The real prices on this page show how the split actually falls.
Do I pay VAT on a new kitchen?
In most cases yes. Standard home improvement work carries 20% VAT on both materials and labour when the trader is VAT registered. Check whether the figure you have been given already includes it, as that one detail can change your comparison significantly and make a cheaper-looking quote actually the pricier one.
Is it cheaper to keep the same kitchen layout?
Generally yes. Keeping the sink, hob and major appliances where they already are means the existing plumbing and electrical runs can be reused rather than replaced. Moving them, even by a metre or two, brings in extra labour for new pipework and cabling that a straight swap avoids entirely.
Should I buy the units and appliances myself or let the fitter supply them?
Either can work, but they are priced differently. Fitters who supply the kitchen often build a margin into the units and appliances, while buying your own in a sale and having the fitter install them can bring the total down. Just confirm upfront that the fitter is happy to install goods they have not supplied, as some are not.
How much should I set aside beyond the quoted price?
It is sensible to hold back some contingency, especially in an older house, because problems behind the old units such as damp, uneven walls or outdated wiring only become visible once the kitchen is stripped out. A quote is a plan, not a guarantee, and the real prices on this page reflect what people actually ended up paying once the job was finished.