A kitchen renovation in Australia costs about $10,000 to $22,000 for a budget refresh with flat-pack cabinetry and laminate benchtops, $22,000 to $45,000 for a mid-range renovation with custom cabinetry and stone, and $45,000 or more for a high-end kitchen with bespoke joinery, premium appliances and natural stone. Renovation companies quote higher brackets for fully managed projects, and the most recent large survey found Australians who renovated a kitchen spent a median of $30,000.
This guide shows what each tier includes, where the money goes, and what moves a kitchen from one bracket to the next. All figures are Australian dollars. Most consumer cost guides do not state GST, so treat their figures as consumer-facing totals and confirm GST with the builder.
The short answer
| Tier | Range | GST | What it includes | Source and date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Budget or cosmetic | $10,000 to $22,000 | Not stated | Painting, new hardware, replaced benchtops; flat-pack cabinetry, laminate benchtops, basic appliances | hipages brackets via Three Birds Renovations, 1 January 2025 |
| Mid-range | $22,000 to $45,000 | Not stated | Replace cabinets, drawers, benchtops, splashbacks and fittings; engineered stone, custom cabinetry, better appliances | hipages via Three Birds, 1 January 2025 |
| High-end | $45,000 and up | Not stated | Custom cabinetry with storage inclusions, premium appliances, natural stone benchtops and splashback | hipages via Three Birds, 1 January 2025 |
| Basic, renovation company | $20,000 to $35,000 | Not stated | Plumbing and electrical kept in place, laminate benchtops, tile splashback | Refresh Renovations, Australian page, undated |
| Mid-range, renovation company | $35,000 to $55,000 | Not stated | Floorplan changes, new doors or windows, engineered stone, island, LED lighting, soft-close drawers | Refresh Renovations, undated |
| High-end, renovation company | $55,000 to $80,000+ | Not stated | Bespoke design, indoor-outdoor flow, premium appliances | Refresh Renovations, undated |
| Median spend, homeowners who renovated in 2022 | $30,000 | Not stated | Survey of more than 1,500 Australian homeowners | Houzz, 2023 Australia Houzz and Home Study, 1 July 2023 |
| Median spend, homeowners who renovated in 2021 | $20,000 | Not stated | Spend data from 2,267 homeowners | Houzz, 2023 Australian Kitchen Trends Study, 28 February 2023 |
Sources: Three Birds Renovations, How much does a kitchen renovation cost, quoting hipages, 1 January 2025; Refresh Renovations, Kitchen renovation cost in Australia, undated; Houzz, 2023 Australia Houzz and Home Study, 1 July 2023; Houzz, 2023 Australian Kitchen Trends Study, 28 February 2023. Checked 7 October 2026.
The two Houzz medians are a year apart and $10,000 apart. Part of that is cost inflation through 2022; part is survey composition. Treat them as a floor for a real renovation, not a target.
Where the money goes
| Share of budget | Item | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 30 to 40 percent | Cabinetry | hipages via Three Birds, January 2025 |
| 40 to 50 percent | Labour | hipages via Three Birds, January 2025 |
| $500 to $1,500 | Permits, standard kitchen | hipages via Three Birds, January 2025 |
| 10 to 20 percent | Recommended contingency | hipages via Three Birds, January 2025 |
Cabinetry is the single biggest swing. Flat-pack from a retailer and custom joinery from a cabinet maker can differ by tens of thousands of dollars for the same layout.
What changes the price
- Cabinetry. Flat-pack versus semi-custom versus fully custom joinery, and the hardware inside: soft-close, drawer systems, pull-out pantries, integrated bins.
- Benchtops and splashbacks. Laminate, timber, porcelain, engineered or natural stone. Check the current rules on engineered stone with your supplier before you select; product availability has changed and so has pricing.
- Layout changes. Moving the sink, gas or power, or opening a wall, brings a plumber, electrician and sometimes an engineer. Refresh Renovations puts a kitchen at $40,000 or more once the floorplan changes.
- Appliances. Reusing what you have, buying mid-range, or specifying integrated European appliances.
- Labour and sequencing. Demolition, decommissioning and recommissioning of services, plastering, electrical, plumbing, installation, tiling, painting. Labour is 40 to 50 percent of the total.
- Approvals. Often none for like-for-like replacement. Where a permit is needed, $500 to $1,500 is typical for a standard kitchen, more if the work is structural. In New South Wales, residential building work over $5,000 including GST requires a licensed contractor, per the NSW Government, updated 23 June 2026. In Victoria, any domestic building work over $10,000 requires a major domestic building contract with a registered builder, per Consumer Affairs Victoria, updated 8 July 2025.
Fixed price or cost plus: ask which one you are being quoted
Two pricing models are common for kitchen and whole-home renovation in Australia, and a quote under one is not comparable line by line with a quote under the other. A fixed-price contract sets the total before work starts and carries the risk of hidden conditions in the price. A cost-plus contract charges actual costs plus an agreed margin, so the total moves with what is found behind the walls.
Build Gronow, a renovation and extension builder in Melbourne's north-west, publishes that it works on fixed-price contracts with permit and heritage-overlay applications coordinated, and gives a whole-home renovation planning range of $250,000 to $800,000 depending on scope and complexity. Source: Build Gronow, Home renovations, checked 8 October 2026. That is a whole-home figure, not a kitchen figure; it is useful here because a kitchen is often one room of a wider renovation and the contract model is set for the whole job.
Disclosure: Contractor Scale, which operates Bracen, provides marketing services to this builder. The statement is quoted from the builder's own published page, checked 8 October 2026, and is the builder's description of its own pricing or construction method, not a Bracen assessment.
Keeping a kitchen under $35,000
Refresh Renovations' basic bracket shows how: keep plumbing and electrical where they are, reuse appliances, choose laminate benchtops and a tile splashback, and keep the footprint. Every one of those decisions removes a trade visit or a premium material.
A checklist for comparable quotes
Give each renovator or cabinet maker the same measured plan, photos and selection list, and ask for a written inclusions schedule covering:
- demolition, disposal and protection of adjoining rooms;
- plumbing, gas and electrical work, including decommissioning and recommissioning;
- cabinetry specification, hardware, and whether installation is included;
- benchtop material, thickness, edge profile and templating;
- splashback, lighting, flooring and painting;
- appliances supplied, installed or excluded;
- approvals, GST, provisional allowances, contingency and payment stages.
If the kitchen is part of a wider project, our bathroom renovation cost guide and home extension cost guide cover the adjoining work.
The estimator below this article gives a modelled starting range from your answers, in Australian dollars. It does not inspect your kitchen or replace a priced scope.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a kitchen renovation cost in Australia?
About $10,000 to $22,000 budget, $22,000 to $45,000 mid-range and $45,000 or more high-end, according to hipages brackets published by Three Birds Renovations in January 2025. Renovation companies such as Refresh Renovations quote $20,000 to $35,000 basic, $35,000 to $55,000 mid-range and $55,000 or more high-end for fully managed projects.
What is the median kitchen renovation spend?
$30,000 for kitchens renovated in 2022, according to the 2023 Australia Houzz and Home Study released 1 July 2023. The separate 2023 Houzz Kitchen Trends Study reported a $20,000 median for 2021 renovations.
Where does the money go in a kitchen renovation?
Cabinetry takes 30 to 40 percent of the budget and labour 40 to 50 percent, according to hipages via Three Birds. Benchtops, appliances and any layout change make up most of the rest.
How can I keep a kitchen renovation under $35,000?
Keep the plumbing and electrical in place, reuse your appliances, choose laminate benchtops and a tile splashback, and keep the existing footprint. Each change to layout or services adds trades and cost.
Do I need a permit for a kitchen renovation?
Often not for like-for-like replacement. Where one is required, allow $500 to $1,500 for a standard kitchen and more if the work is structural. In Victoria, any domestic building work over $10,000 requires a major domestic building contract with a registered builder.