Quick answer: a kitchen renovation in Australia has no single price, because the same room can be refreshed for the cost of new cabinetry and benchtops or rebuilt with services moved, walls opened and an island added. One current Australian price guide, written for Melbourne kitchens, puts a typical small kitchen renovation at $15,000 to $30,000, a mid-size kitchen at $25,000 to $40,000, and a large or high-end kitchen at $35,000 or more. The single biggest lever on where you land is whether you keep the existing layout. This guide explains what sits behind those bands, which decisions move the number most, and how a kitchen fits into renovation finance. If you are adding floor area rather than reworking what is there, the numbers behave differently — see house extension cost.
What published price guides show
The figures below are from Kitchen Shack’s 2026 cost guide, last updated in July 2026. The publisher presents them as typical for Melbourne kitchens, and describes them as ranges rather than quotes:
| Kitchen | Typical renovation cost (publisher’s range) |
|---|---|
| Small kitchen | $15,000 – $30,000 |
| Mid-size kitchen | $25,000 – $40,000 |
| Large or high-end kitchen | $35,000+ |
The same guide breaks a renovation into three cost blocks — cabinetry at $8,000 to $18,000 from budget through to high-end ranges, benchtops at $3,000 to $9,000, and trades for installation at $5,000 to $8,000 — with appliances additional and dependent on what you choose. Those blocks are useful because they show where the money goes: cabinetry is normally the largest single line, and the trades component is largely independent of how much you spend on finishes.
Treat all of these as a starting point for a conversation with a builder or kitchen company, not as a budget. They are one publisher’s figures for one city, they exclude appliances, and every kitchen is priced on its own room.
The decision that moves the price most: keeping the layout
If you change nothing else, change this understanding. Keeping the sink, the cooktop and the fridge where they already are avoids relocating plumbing, gas, waste and power — and those relocations are what turn a cabinetry job into a construction job. The same source makes the point directly in its advice on reducing cost: keeping the same footprint as the existing kitchen avoids paying for extra plumbing and electrical relocation.
Moving services means opening walls or floors, coordinating a plumber and an electrician around the cabinetmaker’s schedule, and repairing what you opened. It also lengthens the job, which matters if the household is eating takeaway in the meantime. A layout change can absolutely be worth it — an unworkable galley kitchen is an unworkable galley kitchen — but it should be a deliberate purchase, not something that happens because a designer moved the sink two metres on a plan.
What else drives the number
- Kitchen size and cabinet count. Cost scales with the number of cabinets, not the room’s floor area. An island adds cabinetry, benchtop and often services.
- Cabinetry type. Flat-pack, pre-assembled and fully custom sit at different price points. The source notes that flat-pack is not automatically cheaper once assembly time and cost are counted, and that pre-assembled cabinets are often more cost-effective.
- Benchtop material. Laminate versus stone is one of the clearest single swaps available, and the source names it as a specific way to reduce cost. Note that since 1 July 2024, Australian WHS laws prohibit the manufacture, supply, processing and installation of engineered-stone benchtops, panels and slabs. If you are replacing a kitchen benchtop, check what material is actually being quoted, as alternative products such as qualifying porcelain or sintered stone are treated differently under the rules.
- Appliances. Excluded from the ranges above and effectively open-ended.
- Installation method. DIY or flat-pack lowers the invoice but adds time, planning and the risk of a job that stalls. Installed kitchens cost more and carry less project management.
- The condition of what is behind the old kitchen. Water damage, old wiring, asbestos in a pre-1990 wall sheet or an uneven floor are found after demolition, not before. A contingency of ten to fifteen per cent is a sensible discipline on any renovation.
- Where you are. The figures above are one publisher’s Melbourne guide; trade availability and rates differ between cities and regional areas.
Where a kitchen sits among other renovation costs
A kitchen is one of the most disruptive rooms in the house to renovate, because you lose the room you use most while the work is on. If you are weighing it against other work on the same house, the comparable guides are house extension cost for adding space, second storey addition cost for building up, and granny flat vs extension where the goal is another dwelling rather than a better one. Where the house itself is at the end of its life, knockdown rebuild finance and costs covers starting again.
Getting a quote you can actually compare
- Fix the scope before you ask for prices. Same layout or new layout, and whether appliances are in or out.
- Ask for the same inclusions from everyone — demolition, disposal, cabinetry, benchtop, splashback, plumbing, electrical, tiling, painting, appliance installation.
- Check who holds the licence for the plumbing and electrical work, and who is coordinating trades.
- Ask what is provisional. Provisional sums for unknown work behind the wall are normal; a quote without them is often a quote that will move.
- Confirm the timeline and the payment schedule, and whether progress payments align with stages.
Financing a kitchen renovation
Kitchen renovations sit awkwardly between “too large for savings” and “too small for a construction loan”, which is why the funding path matters. The common options are a renovation loan or a top-up on an existing home loan where there is equity, a personal loan for smaller scopes, or a construction-style facility with progress payments where the work is structural. Which is appropriate depends on the scope, the equity position, and whether a licensed builder is contracted for the whole job. The differences are set out in renovation loans, and where the work extends into structural change the progress-payment mechanics are explained in how construction loans work.
Two practical points. First, lenders assess the project, not just the borrower — a clear fixed-price contract from a licensed builder makes a renovation facility considerably simpler than a series of separate trade quotes. Second, decide the contingency before you apply, not after demolition.
Little Home Loans can help you work out which finance path suits a kitchen renovation. Start an enquiry, call 1300 391 390, or get in touch.
Kitchen renovation cost FAQs
How much does a kitchen renovation cost in Australia?
One current Australian price guide, written for Melbourne kitchens and last updated in July 2026, gives typical ranges of $15,000 to $30,000 for a small kitchen, $25,000 to $40,000 for a mid-size kitchen and $35,000 or more for a large or high-end kitchen. Appliances are additional and every kitchen is priced on its own room.
What part of a kitchen renovation costs the most?
Cabinetry is normally the largest single line. The same guide puts cabinetry at $8,000 to $18,000 across budget to high-end ranges, benchtops at $3,000 to $9,000, and installation trades at $5,000 to $8,000.
How can I reduce the cost of a kitchen renovation?
The two levers the source names are keeping the existing footprint, which avoids paying to relocate plumbing and electrical services, and choosing laminate benchtops instead of stone.
Are flat-pack kitchens cheaper?
Not necessarily. The guide notes there is a time and cost factor in assembling flat-pack cabinets and that pre-assembled cabinets are often more cost-effective once that is counted.
Is a kitchen renovation different from a kitchen extension?
Yes. A renovation reworks the existing footprint. An extension adds floor area and brings in structural work, footings, roofing and approvals, which is a different cost base — that is covered in our house extension cost guide.
Should I budget a contingency?
Yes. Damage, old wiring, uneven floors and hazardous materials are usually found after the old kitchen comes out. Ten to fifteen per cent of the contract value is a common discipline.
Can a kitchen renovation be financed?
Commonly through a renovation loan or a top-up on an existing home loan where there is equity, a personal loan for smaller scopes, or a construction-style facility with progress payments where the work is structural. What is available depends on the scope, the equity position and the contract, and is subject to lender assessment.
Little Home Loans refers finance enquiries to Alpha390 Finance.
Planning outdoor work as well? See our guide to pool finance.
Written and reviewed by the team at Little Home Loans.
This article is general information only and does not constitute credit, financial, building or legal advice. Costs shown are published examples from a named third party, presented by that publisher as Melbourne ranges and as estimates only; they will differ for your project, your city and your builder. Finance enquiries are referred to Alpha390 Finance, which operates under Australian Credit Licence 506065 (Five Tees Pty Ltd). Lending is subject to approval, lending criteria, terms, conditions and fees.
Doing the bathroom as well? See bathroom renovation cost.
