How Much Does a New Kitchen Cost in the UK? (A Straight-Talking Guide)

It’s one of those questions that sounds simple but turns out to be anything but. “How much does a new kitchen cost?” People ask me this all the time — usually after they’ve had a quote from somewhere and they’re not sure whether to laugh or cry.

The honest answer is: it depends. And I know that’s not what you want to hear. But bear with me, because I’m going to give you some actual numbers, explain what drives the cost up and down, and tell you where the real money gets wasted — and where it doesn’t have to be.

I’ve been in this industry for over 20 years. I’ve seen the full range, from budget builds in rental properties to full-spec kitchens in new builds and renovations. I know what things actually cost, and I know where the big kitchen brands are making their margins. So let me give you a straight answer.

The Honest Cost Breakdown: What You’re Actually Paying For

When people talk about the cost of a new kitchen, they usually mean one of three things: the cost of the units and doors, the cost of the worktops, or the total cost including fitting, appliances, and everything else. These are very different numbers, and mixing them up is how people end up confused or disappointed.

Let’s split it out properly.

Supply-Only Kitchen Costs (Units and Doors)

This is the bit I can speak to directly, because it’s what we do at SJB. A supply-only kitchen — meaning the carcasses, doors, hinges, drawer boxes, and any accessories — will typically cost the following for a standard UK kitchen of 10 to 20 units:

• Budget range: £1,500 – £3,500 (flat-pack, standard sizes, basic door finish)
• Mid-range: £3,500 – £7,000 (rigid construction, good quality doors, proper hardware)
• Premium: £7,000 – £15,000+ (bespoke sizing, high-spec doors, painted or handleless finish)

At SJB, most of our kitchens land in the mid-range bracket — rigid, made-to-measure, with Blum hardware as standard. But because we supply direct at trade prices, customers typically get a mid-to-upper-mid spec kitchen for what they’d pay for a budget kitchen at a high-street showroom. That gap is real, and it’s significant.

Worktops

Worktops are a separate cost and they vary enormously depending on material. As a rough guide:

• Laminate: £200 – £600 for a typical kitchen
• Solid wood: £400 – £1,200
• Quartz or composite stone: £800 – £2,500+
• Granite or marble: £1,500 – £4,000+

We don’t supply worktops directly at SJB, but we work with customers on the overall design and can point you in the right direction. The worktop choice has a big impact on the final look of the kitchen — it’s worth spending a bit more here if you can.

Fitting Costs

Labour is often the biggest single cost in a kitchen renovation, and it’s the one that catches people out most often. Unlike a lot of trades, kitchen fitters rarely charge a day rate — they’ll typically quote you a fixed price to fit the kitchen, and that price varies widely depending on the size of the job, the complexity of the layout, and the fitter themselves. For a standard kitchen, you might be quoted anywhere from £800 to £2,500 or more just for the fitting. Don’t be surprised if it’s at the higher end — a good kitchen fitter is worth every penny.

And that brings me to something I feel strongly about: when it comes to fitting, use a proper kitchen fitter. Not a joiner who’s fitted a few kitchens on the side. Not someone who says they’re handy and has watched a few YouTube videos. A specialist kitchen fitter who does this day in, day out. They’ll be faster, they’ll spot problems before they become expensive, and the finish will be better. It’s one of those areas where cutting corners costs you more in the long run.

On top of the fitting, you’ll also need to budget for the associated trades — plumber, electrician, tiler, and possibly a plasterer depending on the state of your walls. Add those in and the total labour cost for a full kitchen renovation can easily reach £3,000 to £6,000 or more.

This is why the choice between rigid and flat-pack kitchens matters more than most people realise. A flat-pack kitchen takes longer to fit — sometimes a full extra day or two — because the fitter has to build every carcass on site before they can start installing. With a rigid kitchen from SJB, the carcasses arrive already built. The fitter installs them, not assembles them. That time saving goes straight back into your pocket. You can read more about that difference in our post on rigid vs flat-pack kitchens.

The Total Cost of a New Kitchen: What to Budget

If you’re planning a full kitchen renovation — new units, worktop, fitting, and the associated trades — here’s a realistic range for what to expect in the UK in 2025 and 2026:

• Budget renovation: £5,000 – £10,000 (flat-pack units, laminate worktop, basic fitting)
• Mid-range renovation: £10,000 – £20,000 (rigid units, stone or solid wood worktop, full fitting and trades)
• Premium renovation: £20,000 – £40,000+ (bespoke or high-spec units, stone worktop, full project management)

These figures include units, worktop, fitting, and the associated trades (plumber, electrician, tiler). They don’t include appliances, which are a separate budget entirely.

If you’re a homeowner in Oldham, Stockport, Bury, Bolton, Rochdale, Tameside, or anywhere across Greater Manchester, these numbers are broadly representative of what you’ll be quoted. London and the South East tend to run 20 to 30% higher on labour costs, but the materials are the same price wherever you are.

Where the Big Kitchen Brands Make Their Money

I’m going to say something that might surprise you: the big kitchen showrooms — the Howdens, the Wrens, the Magnets of this world — are not necessarily selling you a better kitchen. They’re selling you a better showroom experience. And you’re paying for that experience whether you realise it or not.

Howdens, for example, operates on a trade-only model with a network of depots across the UK. Their pricing is opaque — you get a quote based on whatever the local depot manager decides to charge you, and the “trade discount” you’re offered is off a list price that nobody actually pays. It’s a system designed to make you feel like you’re getting a deal. Whether you actually are depends on the depot and the day.

Wren and Magnet operate through retail showrooms with design consultants, which means you’re paying for the showroom, the consultant’s time, and the brand overhead, all built into the price of the units. That’s not necessarily wrong — some people value that experience — but it’s worth knowing what you’re paying for.

At SJB, we don’t have a big showroom with a dozen staff. We have a small display space in Manchester and me. That’s it. Which means the money you spend goes on the kitchen, not the overhead. Our cabinet quality is the same as — or better than — what you’d get from the big names, at a price that reflects what things actually cost to make.

How to Get the Best Value on a New Kitchen

After 20 years in this industry, here’s what I’d tell a friend who was planning a new kitchen.

Separate the costs and compare like for like

When you get a quote from a kitchen showroom, ask them to break it down: units, worktop, fitting, and trades separately. A lot of showrooms bundle everything together to make comparison harder. Once you can see the individual costs, you can make a proper decision.

Don’t underestimate the fitting cost

A lot of people spend months agonising over door colours and handles, then get a nasty surprise when the fitting quote comes in. Budget for fitting from the start. And remember — a rigid kitchen will cost less to fit than a flat-pack one, because there’s less labour involved on site.

Invest in the hardware

The hinges and drawer boxes are the parts of a kitchen you interact with every single day. Cheap hinges drop. Cheap drawer runners stick. Blum hardware — which is what we fit as standard — is guaranteed for life and works as well on day 3,000 as it did on day one. It’s not a luxury; it’s just sensible.

Think about the long game

A kitchen is a 15 to 20 year investment. The difference between a kitchen that looks tired after five years and one that still looks great after fifteen is mostly in the quality of the carcasses and the hardware — not the door colour. Spend the money where it counts.

Consider going direct to a trade supplier

If you’re a homeowner, you can buy directly from a trade supplier like SJB without needing a fitter as a middleman. You get trade prices, trade quality, and you choose your own fitter. It’s how a growing number of homeowners across Greater Manchester are getting a better kitchen for less money. You can find out more on our DIY kitchens page if you’re planning to manage the project yourself.

What Does a Kitchen from SJB Actually Cost?

I get asked this a lot, and I’m always happy to give a straight answer. A typical SJB kitchen — rigid construction, Kronospan or Egger board, Blum hardware, made to your exact measurements — will cost between £3,000 and £8,000 for the supply-only package depending on the size of the kitchen and the door style you choose.

That’s for the units, doors, hinges, drawer boxes, and any accessories. Worktops, appliances, and fitting are separate.

To put that in context: a comparable kitchen from a high-street showroom would typically cost 30 to 60% more for the same specification. The difference is that we don’t have a showroom in every town, a design consultant on commission, or a marketing budget the size of a small country. We have a factory, a team, and a very direct relationship with our customers.

If you’re a builder, developer, or kitchen fitter working across the North West, the numbers look even better. Open a trade account with us and you’ll get trade pricing on every order, consistent lead times, and a supplier who actually picks up the phone.

Ready to Get a Proper Quote?

The best way to find out what your kitchen will cost is to talk to me directly. Send me your measurements, tell me what you’re looking for, and I’ll come back to you with a proper quote — not a ballpark figure, not a “starting from” price, but an actual number for your actual kitchen.

You can get in touch through our contact page, give us a call on 0161 509 4221, or if you’d like to see the quality in person first, book a visit to our showroom in Manchester. No hard sell, no pressure — just a proper conversation about what you need and what it’ll cost.

You can also browse our full range of kitchen styles and cabinets on the website to get a feel for what we offer before you get in touch.

Trade prices. Honest answers. Kitchens that last.

SJ Ball Ltd is a trade kitchen supplier based in Oldham, Greater Manchester, supplying rigid, made-to-measure kitchens to homeowners and tradespeople across the UK. All cabinets are made to order with a 10-day lead time from confirmed order.