Free · Updated 2026
A free calculator built from real Southern California bid data — kitchens closed between 2024 and 2026, line-itemed by tier and city.
No email signup. No paywall. No "we'll send you a personalized estimate after we qualify you." Just numbers.
Kitchen Remodel Cost Calculator
Built from real Southern California bid data. Outputs a fixed-bid range, not a guess.
Estimated fixed-bid range
$39,800 – $60,800
Typical timeline: 8–11 weeks demo to final inspection.
Line-item breakdown
Tier comparison
Prices assume a 120 sq ft kitchen at Ventura County inland pricing. Scale proportionally with size and region in the calculator above.
$70–$150 / sf
$8K – $18K
Fixed-bid range · 120 sf
Timeline
1–2 weeks
Permit
No permit
Typical scope
Best for
Sellers prepping a listing, renters turning between tenants, homeowners who just want it to feel new.
$180–$230 / sf
$22K – $32K
Fixed-bid range · 120 sf
Timeline
4–6 weeks
Permit
Usually no permit
Typical scope
Best for
Upgrade on a usable layout, rental turns, pre-sale refresh with cabinet work.
$320–$480 / sf
$38K – $65K
Fixed-bid range · 120 sf
Timeline
8–11 weeks
Permit
Permit required
Typical scope
Best for
Forever-home kitchens, same layout or minor tweaks. The 75% majority.
$620–$980 / sf
$74K – $118K+
Fixed-bid range · 120 sf
Timeline
12–18 weeks
Permit
Structural permit + plan check
Typical scope
Best for
Layout change, structural work, magazine-grade finishes, Ojai / Lake Sherwood market.
Picking the right tier
Cabinets drive 35–45% of your total, so they also drive the tier. If you can live with paint-grade shaker cabinets from a reputable brand, mid-range lands where most remodels should. If you're adding an island, moving the sink to an exterior wall, or removing a load-bearing wall — you're in premium territory regardless of cabinet choice. Read the full breakdown in our Ventura County kitchen cost guide.
Five inputs feed a calibrated model that outputs a fixed-bid range — the kind of number a real Southern California general contractor would quote you in writing.
Size
Square footage of the kitchen footprint, including any island. We size by usable kitchen area, not the full open-plan space.
Finish tier
Economy refresh ($180–$230/sf), mid-range full remodel ($320–$480/sf), or premium custom ($620–$980/sf). Tier is mostly driven by cabinets and counters.
Region
Pricing varies by region. Coastal zones add 5–7% for marine-grade materials. LA Westside and beach cities run 15–20% above Ventura inland.
Layout change
Same layout: $0 add. Moving sink/appliances: +$2.4K–$4.8K. Removing a wall (structural): +$9.8K–$22.4K plus engineering and plan-check time.
Permit required
Permit fees + plan check run $1.4K–$3.2K depending on city. We default to checked because most kitchens that touch plumbing or electrical legally require one.
Output
A fixed-bid range and typical timeline. Most users land within this range when they get real quotes. It's calibrated to closed bids, not advertised "starting at" prices.
Read full methodology and sources →
Most "kitchen remodel cost" pages online either show a giant national average that's useless for Southern California, or trap you behind an email wall to get a personalized estimate that's just a sales lead.
We built this calculator so any homeowner — whether they're getting bids from us or anyone else — can ground-check a number before they walk into their first contractor meeting. Fixed-bid ranges, calibrated to real local data, in 30 seconds.
If a contractor's quote falls outside the range the calculator predicts, that's worth a conversation. Either the scope is different than what you described, the contractor knows something the model doesn't, or one of you is wrong.
The calculator outputs a fixed-bid range calibrated against real Southern California closed-bid data from 2024–2026. Most users land within the range when they receive real quotes. The biggest variance drivers are cabinet selection (35–45% of total) and structural complexity. For an exact number, a contractor needs to walk the kitchen.
A fixed-bid range is the typical contract price reputable Southern California general contractors will quote in writing for the scope you input. It's not a labor-only estimate or a materials-only estimate — it's the all-in number including labor, materials, project management, and (when checked) city permit fees.
Coastal-zone parcels (Pierpont, Ventura Keys, ocean-facing Oxnard, LA Westside, beach cities) need marine-grade hardware, corrosion-resistant fasteners, and moisture-control measures. The premium is roughly 5–8% on a typical kitchen — about $2K–$5K on a mid-range bid.
Cosmetic-only kitchens (refacing, counters, fixtures swapped in place) usually don't. Moving plumbing, gas, electrical circuits, or removing walls always requires a permit. Cities vary on what counts as cosmetic — when in doubt, leave the permit checkbox checked.
Below 60 sq ft, you're typically in galley territory — drop the per-sf-low number to ~$160 for an economy galley refresh. Above 300 sq ft, custom design fees become a meaningful line item ($4K–$10K). Both extremes benefit more from a real consult than from a calculator.
Transparency
Kitchen Remodel Near Me is operated by Safeway Construction, a licensed Simi Valley general contractor (CSLB #1066117). We publish this tool because better-informed homeowners ask better questions and end up with better contracts — whether or not they hire us.
No ads. No affiliate links. No email wall. The "Get a real fixed bid" button on the calculator goes to our parent company — disclosed plainly. See about and methodology for the full disclosure.