Cabinets are usually the biggest line item in a kitchen remodel — often 30–40% of the whole budget. Here’s a straight answer on what they cost in 2026 and what actually drives the number.
The short answer
For most homeowners, new kitchen cabinets fall somewhere between $4,000 and $15,000, with the average remodel landing in the middle. Ready-to-assemble (RTA) cabinets — the kind we specialize in — typically come in well under pre-assembled or custom cabinets for the same look and construction, because you’re not paying for a showroom, a middleman, or assembly labor.
What drives the price
- Kitchen size. The single biggest factor. Cabinets are usually priced by the linear foot, so a galley kitchen costs far less than a large L-shaped one with an island.
- Construction quality. All-plywood boxes, solid-wood doors, soft-close hinges, and dovetailed drawers cost more than particleboard and stapled joints — but they last decades longer. (Everything we sell is the former.)
- Door style and finish. A simple Shaker in a standard paint is the value sweet spot. Glazed, specialty, and multi-step finishes cost more.
- Accessories. Pull-outs, lazy Susans, spice racks, trash pull-outs, and decorative panels add up — worth it where they earn their keep.
Where RTA saves you money
Ready-to-assemble cabinets ship flat and are assembled at home (by you or an installer), which cuts two of the biggest costs in the industry: freight (flat boxes ship far cheaper than bulky assembled ones) and labor. You get the same solid-wood doors and plywood boxes as a premium assembled cabinet, often for 30–50% less. The trade-off is assembly time — and that’s a trade a lot of people are happy to make.
How to get an exact number
Every kitchen is different, so any real price starts with your actual layout. That’s exactly what our free 3D design gives you: send us rough measurements, and we’ll design your kitchen, show it to you in 3D, and price it out to the dollar — before you commit to anything. It’s the fastest way to turn a ballpark into a real budget.