What is the average kitchen renovation cost in Canada?

HomeStars publishes an average, described and linked in the benchmark section above. That section does not establish a representative current national sample. Use it as an attributed reference and obtain quotes for your own scope.

What should a kitchen renovation quote include?

Ask for the cabinet and counter specifications, installation, appliances, service changes, finishes, exclusions, allowances and taxes. Identify who supplies each item and avoid adding costs already included elsewhere.

Should I budget using a fixed labour percentage?

Use the breakdown in your own estimate. Labour may already be included in installed-product prices, and combining unrelated percentages can double-count costs.

Do I need a permit for a kitchen renovation?

Confirm the proposed work with your local authority, including any changes to walls or services. The Vancouver example in the article is local guidance, not a rule for every Canadian municipality.

How much will a kitchen renovation add to resale value?

This guide does not establish a resale-return percentage for your property. If resale drives the project, obtain advice specific to the home and local market before choosing its scope.

Kitchen Renovation Costs in Canada: Scope

To budget for a kitchen renovation, decide what you are keeping, what you are replacing and whether the layout will change. A headline renovation price is useful only when you can see what it includes. Use the published benchmark below for context, then request prices for a defined project.

What does the published cost figure actually mean?

HomeStars’ kitchen cost guide, updated August 21, 2026, reports an average of $30,944 and a reported spending range of $16,402–$45,618. These are HomeStars’ figures, not an independent Experts.ca estimate. Its average-cost section does not identify a collection period, sample size or regional weighting, so we cannot establish from that section that the result represents today’s projects throughout Canada.

The figures were checked October 14, 2026. Do not treat the range as a minimum or maximum quote, or use it to conclude that one city is more expensive than another. Confirm taxes, appliances and the exact installation scope in a written estimate. We have not combined different publishers’ renovation tiers into a new national average.

Turn your plans into a quote specification

Use these questions to make offers comparable. They are a practical estimating worksheet, not a standard package that every contractor must include.

Cabinetry: Which units stay, which are refaced and which are replaced? Specify cabinet boxes, door finish, hardware, internal fittings and installation. Ask whether removal and disposal are included.
Counters and backsplash: Which material and finish are priced? Ask about measurement, cut-outs, edges, delivery, installation and the exact backsplash area. Record any product allowance that is still provisional.
Appliances: List the models and who supplies them. Ask whether delivery, removal of old units and required connections are included. Do not add appliances again if they are already part of the main price.
Layout and services: Identify proposed moves to sinks, appliances and walls. Ask the contractor to price those changes separately from an option that retains their locations.
Finishes and reinstatement: Identify flooring, painting, trim and repairs to adjoining areas. Ask where the contractor’s work stops so you can budget for anything you will arrange separately.
Project coordination: Who measures, orders, supervises and resolves a product that does not fit? Ask which design and management charges are included and which are additional.

Compare complete totals rather than budget percentages

For each quote, record the base amount, stated inclusions, product allowances, exclusions and tax treatment. Add separately purchased items only after checking that the main price does not already cover them. A low base quote with undecided cabinet and appliance allowances is not directly comparable to a fully specified offer.

Avoid mixing a cabinetry percentage from one guide with a labour percentage from another. Installed-cabinet prices may already contain labour. Instead, have each contractor explain the same list of deliverables in dollars and identify the assumptions that could change the total.

The Office of Consumer Affairs advises comparing estimates based on the same specifications and including applicable taxes and extra charges. Its contract guidance calls for responsibilities, costs, payment arrangements and dates to be recorded. Put your chosen products and any remaining allowances alongside that written scope.

Separate priorities from optional upgrades

The Canadian Home Builders’ Association recommends setting renovation priorities and considering work in phases. For a kitchen, prepare a required-work list and a separately priced list of optional upgrades. Discuss sequencing with the renovator before postponing an item that may affect another part of the work.

Set a budget you can fund without assuming the renovation will repay a fixed percentage at resale. The sources reviewed here do not establish a dependable return for your property. Ask for advice based on comparable local properties if resale is your main reason for the work.

Permits depend on scope and location

The City of Vancouver lists cabinet, fixture and flooring replacement separately from work such as moving or installing plumbing, electrical or gas lines and moving interior walls. Its guidance identifies permits for those alterations. Confirm your own scope with the relevant local authority; this example is limited to Vancouver. Ask who will obtain approvals and coordinate inspections.

Plan for the period without a working kitchen

Ask the contractor when cabinets will be ordered, when products must be on site, when demolition starts and when the sink and appliances will be usable. Request a plan for delays and changes, including how they affect the handover date. A cabinet refacing project and a structural redesign should not inherit the same schedule just because both are called kitchen renovations.

Keep an uncommitted reserve visible in your budget. Agree on its purpose and on how unforeseen work is documented and approved. No universal reserve percentage or national completion time is established by this guide; the unresolved conditions in your home need to be discussed before a firm plan is made.

Get the next estimate

Send the same specification to the contractors you are considering and ask them to identify every exclusion. If you also need a bathroom estimate, use our bathroom renovation guide. For plumbing scope and billing questions, read our plumber cost guide and hiring checklist.

How Much Does a Kitchen Renovation Cost in Canada?