Kitchen Renovation Cost NZ: Cabinetry, Benchtops and the Floor

A kitchen is priced by the lineal metre of cabinetry, and the number moves more with the level of finish than with the size of the room. This guide sets out what a New Zealand kitchen costs across three levels, what the benchtop and the floor add, and where the money can move without the room losing its shape. All figures exclude GST and are indicative ranges drawn from published New Zealand cost guides, refined by what we see across the projects we supply; the real number is settled with your kitchen maker and builder.

Cabinetry: the biggest line, and the widest range

Installed, excluding benchtops, per lineal metre of cabinetry:

Considered, $1,300 to $2,100 a metre. Melamine carcasses and fronts, a good range of matt and timber-look finishes, standard hardware. A well-chosen melamine in a tone matched to the floor looks right and lasts.

Elevated, $2,200 to $3,200 a metre. Melamine carcass with oak veneer fronts, soft-close hardware throughout, more drawers than doors. The level most of the kitchens we see in new builds land at.

Bespoke, $3,200 to $4,800 a metre. Oak veneer throughout, custom profiles, integrated appliances, the joinery matched to the floor as at Dorset Street.

A typical New Zealand kitchen runs 10 to 14 lineal metres including an island, so cabinetry alone spans roughly $13,000 at the bottom of Considered to $67,000 at the top of Bespoke. Laundry and vanities are priced the same way and usually add another 3 to 5 metres.

Benchtops: per lineal metre, installed

Engineered stone, $650 to $1,000 a metre. Porcelain, $800 to $1,100. Natural stone, $900 to $1,700, with the range set by the slab. A 7 to 9 metre run of benchtop is usual, so $5,000 to $15,000 for most kitchens. The design rule is that either the benchtop or the floor carries the pattern, not both, which is why a quiet engineered stone often suits a brushed oak better than a veined slab does.

The floor under it

The kitchen floor is usually part of the living-area floor, and the oak holds its price at every level of finish. Marchand engineered European oak is $190 a square metre supply in all twelve colours, with installation typically $55 to $80 depending on pattern and substrate. On a 40 square metre kitchen and dining area that is about $10,000 to $11,000 installed, and it is the one line that does not move when the finish level changes.

What is not in these figures

Appliances, plumbing and electrical, splashback, removal of the old kitchen in a renovation, and any change to the floor plan. In a renovation the demolition and the services are often what turn a $40,000 kitchen into a $60,000 one, so ask the builder for them as separate lines.

A worked example

A 12 metre kitchen at the Elevated level, an 8 metre porcelain benchtop and 40 square metres of oak flooring: cabinetry $26,000 to $38,000, benchtop $6,400 to $8,800, flooring $9,800 to $10,800, giving $43,000 to $58,000 before appliances and services, excluding GST. Move to Considered cabinetry and the same kitchen sits at $32,000 to $45,000; move to Bespoke and it runs $54,000 to $77,000. The floor is the same in all three.

Where the money moves

Cabinetry and stone are where the swings sit; the floor is the constant. When a budget needs to come down, the order we suggest is benchtop first (porcelain instead of natural stone), then the veneer question (veneer fronts on the visible runs, melamine in the pantry and laundry), and the floor last, because it is the largest surface in the house, the one you will change least often, and the one that sets the tone for the cabinetry you are choosing.

Put your own numbers in

Our interior finishes calculator gives an indicative budget for the kitchen, benchtops, floor and everything around them by mood and level of finish, in about two minutes. It is a guide rather than a quote, and it is useful for checking the PC sums in a builder's contract before you sign. For the look rather than the number, our kitchen ideas guide works through cabinetry colours against each floor, and a concept box puts the samples in your hand.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a new kitchen cost in NZ?

For cabinetry and benchtop, roughly $20,000 at a Considered level to $80,000 at Bespoke, excluding GST, appliances and services, for a typical 10 to 14 metre kitchen. Most new-build kitchens sit between $35,000 and $55,000.

How much does kitchen cabinetry cost per lineal metre?

Installed and excluding benchtops: $1,300 to $2,100 for melamine, $2,200 to $3,200 for oak veneer fronts, $3,200 to $4,800 for veneer throughout and custom work.

What is the cheapest way to get an oak look kitchen?

Oak veneer fronts on a melamine carcass, with melamine in the pantry, laundry and inside the island. Keep the visible runs in veneer and the rest in a matched melamine.

Does the kitchen floor cost more than the kitchen?

Rarely. A 40 square metre oak floor is around $10,000 to $11,000 installed; the cabinetry and benchtop for the same kitchen are usually three to five times that.

Are these prices including GST?

No. All figures on this page exclude GST. Add 15 per cent to compare with a quote shown inclusive.

 

Last reviewed September 2026. Ranges drawn from published New Zealand kitchen and benchtop cost guides and reviewed yearly.