Planning · Kitchen remodel
Kitchen remodel budget calculator.
Enter your total, hold back a contingency, and see a dollar amount for each line item. Every percentage is editable.
Inputs
Your budget split
Enter the numbers above.
How this works
A kitchen budget works best as a split: decide the total, then give each line item a share so you can see where a quote is out of line. This calculator holds back your contingency first, then divides the rest across ten line items by percentage. Amount = (total - contingency) x (item percent / sum of percents). If your percentages do not add to 100, they are scaled so the amounts always add to the spendable total.
The preset shares (cabinets 30, installation labour 20, appliances 15, countertops 10, and so on) are a common rule of thumb, not a published standard, and no one split fits every kitchen. Overwrite them with the shares from your own quotes. This page has no regional price data, so enter your own total.
Worked example. A $40,000 total with a 10 percent contingency holds back $4,000 and leaves $36,000 to spend. With the preset shares that is $10,800 for cabinets (30 percent), $7,200 for installation labour (20 percent), $5,400 for appliances (15 percent) and $3,600 for countertops (10 percent), with the rest split across flooring, electrical, plumbing, paint, permits and other.
Frequently asked questions
What percent of a kitchen remodel budget goes to cabinets?
A common rule of thumb puts cabinets near 30 percent, the largest single line, but this is not a published standard. Your quotes decide the real number, so edit the percentage to match.
Should contingency be inside or outside the kitchen budget?
This calculator holds the contingency back from your total so the line items add up to what you can actually commit. If you prefer to add it on top, use the whole-project renovation budget calculator.
What if my percentages do not add up to 100?
The calculator scales them proportionally so the dollar amounts still add to the spendable total, and it tells you your percentages summed to something else.
Does this include regional prices?
No. You enter the total, and the calculator only divides it. Get written local quotes for real prices.
Sources
Checked
- HUD, FHA Single Family Housing Policy Handbook 4000.1 (PDF), 203(k) Rehabilitation Mortgage Insurance Program, "Standard 203(k) Financeable Contingency Reserve", opened 8 October 2026. the copy opened carries a transmittal effective 15 October 2019, so check HUD for the current text. Says a contingency reserve covers unforeseen project costs and, for structures 30 years or older, is required at a minimum of 10 percent and a maximum of 20 percent of the financeable repair and improvement costs
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Planning note
Estimates only, not financial, legal or professional advice. You supply every price; this page contains no regional cost data. Confirm real costs with written quotes from licensed local contractors.