How Much Do Kitchen Cabinets Cost?

Kitchen cabinets cost anywhere from about $120 to $780 per cabinet at wholesale prices in 2026, and a complete 10×10 kitchen set runs roughly $2,000 to $2,600 in ready-to-assemble (RTA) cabinets. Industry guides quote much wider national averages of $100 to $1,200 or more per linear foot, because that range mixes stock, semi-custom, and custom cabinets, and often includes installation. This guide gives you both: the published averages, and real prices from our own catalog itemized for a real 10×10 kitchen, so you can budget from actual figures instead of estimates.

Cabinets are a big chunk of any kitchen remodel. Some people manage with a couple of grand, while others end up spending tens of thousands. The gap comes down to the type of cabinets you choose, the material, and how custom you want to go. Let’s walk through average costs, what affects the final bill, and a few tricks for saving money without settling for cheap-looking cabinets. 

What is the Average Cost of Kitchen Cabinets?

There isn’t one magic number. Prices for kitchen cabinets swing wildly. On the low side, stock cabinets can be around $100 a linear foot. Go custom, and you might be looking at $1,200+ per linear foot. Most people fall somewhere in the middle. It really depends on how much flexibility you want in style and layout. 

Stock Cabinets

Stock is the budget option. They’re pre-built, have standard sizes, and are nothing fancy. You will usually spend $100 to $300 per linear foot. They work fine if you want something functional and affordable. However, there are a few downsides as well. There are fewer choices in design available, and sometimes they don’t fit tricky layouts very well. 

Semi-Custom Cabinets

Semi-custom cabinets give you more flexibility and autonomy. You can adjust sizes, pick from a wider range of finishes, and make the kitchen feel a bit more “yours.” They can cost from $150 to $650 per linear foot. This is where a lot of homeowners end up, because it feels like a good balance between cost and customization. 

Custom Cabinets

A custom cabinet is the all-in option. Everything is designed around your space: every drawer, every finish, exactly how you want it. They start around $500 per linear foot and can climb past $1,200 if you’re going with premium wood or specialty designs. It’s expensive, but it’s a perfect fit that usually lasts for decades.

RTA Cabinets

Ready-to-assemble (RTA) cabinets are the fourth bucket, and the one this site sells. Published RTA ranges run about $100 to $350 per linear foot, cabinets only. The catch with all four buckets is that they describe how cabinets are sold, not how they are built. RTA simply means the cabinet ships flat and you assemble it, which cuts freight and warehouse cost out of the price. The construction underneath can be bargain-bin or it can be semi-custom grade. Ours run plywood boxes, solid wood face frames on the framed lines, dovetail drawer boxes, and soft-close hardware as standard, at roughly $112 per linear foot in the 10×10 example below. Those four specs are the ones to ask about when you compare any RTA quote. For the RTA-specific math, see our post on how much RTA cabinets cost.

Kitchen Cabinet Prices at a Glance

The fastest way to understand cabinet pricing is to look at what individual cabinets actually cost. These are live prices from our White Shaker line, the framed line used for every example in this guide, at the sale pricing shown on the site today:

“From” prices are the smallest cabinet in each group.

Two things stand out. First, most everyday cabinets, the bases and walls that make up most of a kitchen, sit between $120 and $320 each. Second, the expensive pieces are predictable: tall pantries, deep drawer stacks, and corner units. If your budget is tight, that is where you trim.

Real Example: What a 10×10 Kitchen Costs

A “10×10 kitchen” is the industry’s common sample layout: two 10-foot walls in an L shape, about 10 to 12 cabinets total. Retailers quote 10×10 pricing as a benchmark. Here is ours, itemized with real SKUs and today’s prices, so you can check the math and swap cabinets to match your own layout:

That is a complete 10×10 White Shaker kitchen, cabinets only, for about $2,230 at current sale pricing. Plan a little extra for toe kicks, fillers, and end panels, which are priced as separate line items, and you land in the $2,400 to $2,600 range for the full order. Swap in wider drawer bases or taller wall cabinets and you can push toward $3,000; keep it lean and you can come in under $2,300.

Three useful numbers fall out of this example:

• Per linear foot: using the common 20-linear-foot convention for a 10×10 kitchen, $2,233 works out to about $112 per linear foot of cabinets. Keep that number in mind for the size table below.
• Per cabinet: the average cabinet in this kitchen costs about $223.
• Order minimum: our minimum order is $2,000, and a complete 10×10 kitchen clears it on its own. A single cabinet on its own will not reach the minimum.

If you want to sanity-check any line, every SKU above is on the White Shaker category page with its dimensions and current price.

Kitchen Cabinet Prices by Line (Live Price List)

Here is where our catalog starts, by line, at the discounts active today. Use it as a floor when you compare quotes: a price far below these numbers usually means a different box or door material, not a better deal.

A few notes on reading this table:

• Every line above uses plywood boxes and soft-close hardware as standard; framed lines add solid wood face frames. Painted doors use an MDF center panel inside a solid wood frame for a smooth painted finish that resists cracking at the panel line, with every panel within CARB2 limits.
• The unfinished line costs more than you might expect because unfinished is not “cheaper paint”, it is a solid birch, paint-ready door built for staining. If you plan to finish cabinets yourself, read our guide to painting and staining unfinished cabinets before you decide.
• We carry a wide range of colors and styles across 6 lines, so the three lines above are reference points, not the whole catalog. Every finish has the same category structure with live prices per size.
• Not sure about a finish? Sample doors cost $19.99 with free shipping, so you can check the finish and profile in your own kitchen before committing to a full order.

Key Factors That Affect Kitchen Cabinet Costs

Cabinet prices don’t stop at “stock vs. custom.” There are a few other things that can move your budget up or down. Some of these factors are listed below.

Material Choice

Material is where most of the price spread hides, and it splits into two questions: what the box is made of, and what the doors are made of.

Particleboard: the cheapest option, and a common quality gap hiding inside “cheap cabinets.” It does not hold up well to moisture and heavy use.

Plywood boxes: the strongest everyday option. Plywood holds screws, moisture, and weight far better than particleboard, which is why all of our lines use plywood boxes as standard rather than as an upgrade.

Solid wood doors and face frames: long-lasting, durable, and classic. Doors take the daily abuse, so this is where solid wood earns its cost. Painted doors with an MDF center panel are not a downgrade: MDF is dimensionally stable, so the panel does not shrink and crack the paint line the way a solid panel can.

Cabinet Style and Design

Flat-panel and shaker doors are simple and more affordable. Raised panels and ornate details add cost. Simpler designs keep you on a budget.

Size and Layout

More linear feet means more dollars. A big open kitchen with a long wall of upper cabinets will cost far more than a small galley kitchen. Corners, islands, and odd-shaped layouts all bump up the price. Cabinets come in 3-inch width increments. A layout planned around standard widths plus fillers avoids custom-size premiums entirely.

Hardware and Accessories

Soft-close hinges, pull-out trash bins, lazy Susans, and drawer organizers are nice, but they add up quickly. Hardware is often the “hidden” cost people forget about. 

Drawers are the clearest example. A drawer base costs more than a door base because each drawer adds a box, glides, and hardware. You can see it directly in the price table above: a double-door base starts at $246.75 while the two-drawer version of the same width runs $406.27. A smart middle path is drawers where you stand and cook, doors everywhere else. Tall pantries ($651 and up), Lazy Susans, and corner solutions are the priciest pieces per unit; if the budget is fixed, one pantry fewer pays for three wall cabinets.

Labor and Installation

Even the best cabinets won’t look good without proper installation. Depending on complexity, installation costs can run $50 to $250 per linear foot. Tearing out old cabinets or doing a complicated layout adds more labor costs. On a 20-linear-foot kitchen, that is $1,000 to $5,000 on top of the cabinets, sometimes more than the cabinets themselves. Every price in this guide is cabinets only unless a table says otherwise, because installation is a separate market with its own pricing.

Cost Breakdown by Kitchen Size

Here’s a quick look at how costs play out based on kitchen size. These are industry averages, and the numbers include average cabinet pricing plus installation.

It’s worth noting that this kitchen cabinet pricing is an average. If you pick all solid wood custom cabinetry or add a ton of extras like custom (or even semi-custom) inserts, you will be on the higher end of custom cabinet costs.

Now the same sizes, cabinets only, scaled from the itemized 10×10 example above so you can see what the installation share actually is:

Why Choose Buy Wholesale Cabinets for Kitchen Cabinets

There are numerous places to buy cabinets, including big box stores, boutique showrooms, and online direct sellers. Each channel prices the same kind of cabinet differently, so it helps to know what you are paying for in each case. Here is how buying direct from a wholesale seller like us compares, and what to check before you assume it is cheaper.

Direct Wholesale Pricing

Direct sellers skip the showroom and the distributor, and that markup is where most of the price gap comes from. As our comparison of wholesale vs big-box store cabinets explains, for the same construction the gap is often 30 to 40%.

Two caveats keep that number honest. First, direct pricing usually comes with a minimum order (ours is $2,000). Second, compare like with like: a cabinet with a particleboard box is not the same product as one with a plywood box, whichever is cheaper. Use the per-cabinet prices above as your benchmark and ask any seller for the same three specs: box material, door material, drawer construction.

High-Quality Cabinets at Affordable Prices

Price is not a reliable proxy for build quality in this category, so read the spec sheet instead of the price tag. Three things decide how a cabinet holds up to spills, heavy dishes, and daily drawer use: the box material (plywood or particleboard), the door and face-frame material, and the drawer construction (a dovetail box on soft-close glides, or a stapled box on side-mount glides). Ours are plywood boxes, solid wood face frames on the framed lines, and dovetail soft-close drawers as standard. Those specs are listed on every category page, so you can compare them with any other quote line by line.

Wide Selection of Styles and Finishes to Suit Any Kitchen

We carry 25 door styles, 16 framed and 9 frameless, from flat-panel to shaker, in whites, grays, blues, greens, and dark finishes. Two practical points if you are mixing finishes, for example a dark island with a white perimeter: price both lines separately, because discounts differ by line, and order a sample door for each finish before you commit.

And if you’re feeling adventurous, you can mix finishes without feeling guilty about the cost. It’s nice knowing you don’t have to compromise style for price. These options make it easy to get the kitchen of your dreams. 

Fast Shipping Across the U.S.

Lead time is a real cost once a remodel is under way. Custom cabinetry is commonly quoted in weeks to months; in-stock RTA orders from us ship flat and arrive in 7–10 business days. Plan the sequence around that: order cabinets first, template the countertop after the boxes are assembled and set, and book any installer for the week after delivery rather than the day of.

Tips to Save Money When Buying Kitchen Cabinets

Cabinets can eat your whole kitchen renovation budget if you’re not careful. Here are a few ways to keep costs in check. 

Shop During Sales or Clearance Events

Cabinet promotions rotate. Our lines currently run 30 to 40 percent off list, and the pricing is collected on the cabinet sale page. If your kitchen is not an emergency, price your cabinet list twice a few weeks apart before you buy. One caution: a discontinued finish on clearance is a poor choice if you may need to add or replace a cabinet later, because matching it will be hard.

Choose Budget-Friendly Materials

You don’t have to go all solid wood. Plywood boxes with solid wood doors and frames are the standard mid-market build: solid wood boxes add cost, and particleboard boxes save money you are likely to spend again on repairs. Put the budget where it shows and where it takes the wear: doors, drawer fronts, and drawer boxes.

Order a Sample Door First

Finish colors read differently under your kitchen lighting than on a screen. A $19.99 sample door lets you check the color and door profile against your floor, counter, and wall paint before you order 10 to 15 cabinets in it.

Select Simpler Door Styles

Here’s a tip: doors can quietly blow your budget if you’re not careful. Shaker doors are classic, clean, and affordable. Flat-panel doors? Even cheaper and minimal. Skip intricate designs that cost more but don’t necessarily add much function. 

Keeping your doors simple isn’t just about saving money. Simple doors are easier to clean and easier to update later with new hardware or paint.

Use Open Shelving

Swapping some upper cabinets for open shelves saves money and makes a small kitchen feel larger. The trade-off is that everything on the shelf is on display and collects grease and dust faster than it would behind a door, so it works best for items you use daily. Keep at least one run of closed wall cabinets for the things you do not want to see.

DIY Installation

If you’re handy, RTA (ready-to-assemble) cabinets are a money saver, because the labor you would pay for splits into two jobs you can take on separately.

Assembly is the first job. Our cabinets ship flat and assemble with basic hand tools. Hanging is the second. Confident DIYers set their own cabinets with a level, a drill, shims, and a helper for the wall cabinets. If you would rather hire out the hanging, you still saved the assembly cost, and hanging assembled boxes is a smaller job to quote than a full cabinet install. Corners, islands, and out-of-level floors are the parts most DIYers hand to a pro, so budget for that possibility.

RTA cabinets take patience and careful measuring, and even doing half the kitchen yourself cuts labor costs.

Two more options before you buy. If your existing boxes are structurally sound, new doors or refacing may cost less than replacement; our guide to replacing kitchen cabinets on a budget covers when each route pays off. And if you find a comparable cabinet listed for less elsewhere, we price-match; the terms are on the affordable kitchen cabinets page.

Conclusion

Figuring out how much kitchen cabinets cost can feel like staring at a million numbers and getting a headache. The truth is, there’s no single answer. Stock cabinets are cheap and practical; they’ll get the job done without emptying your wallet. Semi-custom gives you a bit of freedom to make things feel like your own space without going full-on luxury. And custom? Well, it’s gorgeous, fits perfectly, and it’s pricey. But sometimes it’s worth splurging if it means your kitchen finally feels right.

For 2026 budgeting purposes, here is the short version: individual RTA cabinets run about $120 to $780 each, a complete 10×10 kitchen in our White Shaker line prices out at $2,233 in cabinets at current sale pricing, and the national per-linear-foot averages of $100 to $1,200+ mostly measure how the cabinets are sold rather than how they are built. Get your layout on paper, count your linear feet, price the actual SKUs, and add installation only if you are hiring it out. That turns “how much do kitchen cabinets cost” from a guess into a line-item budget you can defend.

The trick is thinking beyond just the cost per foot. How do you use your kitchen? How long do you plan to stay in this house? A few extra dollars on box and drawer construction now saves repairs later; or you may prefer to save on cabinets and put the difference into a countertop you use every day. Either way, the numbers above give you a real baseline to decide from.

FAQs

How much do custom kitchen cabinets cost?

Custom kitchen cabinets usually cost $500 to $1,200 per linear foot. The kitchen cabinet cost depends highly on materials and cabinet design.

Are custom cabinets more expensive than stock cabinets?

Yes. Stock cabinets can be as low as $100 per linear foot, while custom cabinets can be 5-10 times that. 

How much do cabinets cost for a 12×12 kitchen?

1. Stock kitchen cabinets cost $3,500 – $8,000
2. Semi-custom kitchen cabinets cost $5,000 – $12,000
3. Custom kitchen cabinets cost $10,000 – $20,000+

Those ranges include installation. Cabinets only, a 12×12 kitchen runs about 24 linear feet; scaled from our itemized 10×10 example, a 12×12 White Shaker kitchen prices out around $2,700 to $3,100 in RTA cabinets.

Can I save money by buying ready-made cabinets?

Yes. RTA cabinets (or factory cabinets) are quality kitchen cabinets. They are usually cheaper, especially if you handle installation yourself. 

Where can I buy affordable kitchen cabinets online?

Direct-to-consumer RTA sellers, including Buy Wholesale Cabinets, sell online at wholesale-level pricing. Ours ship across the U.S. in 7–10 business days with a $2,000 minimum order. Before comparing prices between sellers, compare box material, door material, and drawer construction.

What is a good budget for kitchen cabinets?

For a standard 10×10 kitchen, a realistic 2026 budget is $2,000 to $3,000 for quality RTA cabinets, $3,000 to $13,000 for semi-custom, and $10,000 or more for custom work. As a rule of thumb, industry estimates put cabinets at about 25 to 35 percent of a full kitchen remodel budget.

Is $10,000 enough for new kitchen cabinets?

Yes, comfortably, unless you are buying custom. $10,000 covers a large RTA or stock kitchen with professional installation, or a mid-size semi-custom kitchen. In our catalog, $10,000 buys roughly four 10×10 kitchens’ worth of cabinets at current sale pricing.

What is the most expensive part of a kitchen remodel?

Cabinets, in many remodels. Industry estimates put them at roughly 25 to 35 percent of the total budget, ahead of countertops, appliances, and labor. That is also why cabinets are one of the most effective places to save: a 30 to 40 percent cabinet discount moves the whole project budget.

Can you redo a kitchen for $5,000?

 Yes, if you keep the layout and do the labor yourself. A complete 10×10 RTA cabinet set at about $2,233 leaves room in a $5,000 budget for a modest countertop, sink, and hardware, provided plumbing and appliances stay where they are and you assemble and install the cabinets yourself.

Why are kitchen cabinets so expensive?

You are buying 10 to 15 pieces of furniture at once, each with a finished box, doors, drawers, and hardware. Materials drive the spread: plywood boxes, solid wood doors, dovetail drawers, and soft-close hardware cost more to build than particleboard and stapled drawers. Sales channel matters too, which is why factory-direct RTA pricing undercuts showroom pricing for the same construction.