Nobody in Miami wants to hear "it depends" — so here are real numbers, from a contractor who prices every kitchen with a written, line-item estimate.
After hundreds of South Florida kitchens, we can tell you exactly where your project is likely to land and why. Here's the honest breakdown.
Refresh — $18,000–$30,000. Cabinets stay, everything visible changes: quartz counters, backsplash, sink and faucet, paint, hardware, lighting. Layout untouched.
Standard full remodel — $30,000–$55,000. New semi-custom cabinetry, quartz or quartzite counters, new appliances, flooring in the kitchen, electrical brought to code. Same footprint.
Full gut with layout change — $55,000–$85,000. Walls move or come out, plumbing and electrical relocate, custom or premium semi-custom cabinetry, permit and inspection cycle included.
Luxury / estate scope — $85,000–$150,000+. Custom cabinetry, natural stone or porcelain slab surfaces, panel-ready appliances, structural changes, designer lighting plans. Common in Pinecrest and the Gables.
These are turnkey contractor prices — demolition, disposal, materials, labor, permits, and project management. If a bid looks dramatically lower, something on this list isn't in it.
The single biggest line. Stock boxes, semi-custom, and full custom can each double the one before it. In Miami's humidity, cabinet construction matters more than door style: plywood boxes and quality hinges are what keep doors aligned in August.
Installed quartz typically runs $70–$110/sq ft in Miami-Dade; quartzite and porcelain slab more. Waterfall edges add fabrication hours, not just material.
Moving the sink means moving drain lines in a concrete slab. Removing a wall may mean an engineered beam and county permits — see our open layout conversion service for what that involves. Budget $8,000–$25,000 when structure is involved.
Permits and inspections (unincorporated Miami-Dade vs. municipalities price and pace differently), condo logistics (elevator reservations, insurance certificates, work-hour windows), and hurricane-code items that surface once walls open. An experienced local contractor prices these up front instead of change-ordering them later.
Our Weston open-concept kitchen — wall removal, island, full flooring — landed in the full-gut band. The scallop-tile kitchen in Morningside — designer finishes in an existing footprint — priced as a standard-to-premium full remodel. And the Neymee kitchen-and-bath combo in Kendall West shows how combining rooms in one mobilization stretches the budget further than two separate projects.
1. Same scope? One bid's "new counters" is another's "counters, plumbing reconnect, and disposal." Force both onto the same line items. 2. Allowances that match reality. A $2,500 appliance allowance isn't real in 2026 — underfunded allowances are how lowball bids stay low. 3. Permits named, not implied. If the bid doesn't say who pulls the permit, assume you are. 4. Payment schedule tied to milestones, never to dates. 5. A license you can verify at MyFloridaLicense.com. More in our guide to getting a remodeling estimate you can trust.
The refresh package: counters, backsplash, paint, hardware, lighting. Roughly $18K–$30K for a kitchen that photographs like new.
If plumbing, electrical, or walls change — yes. Cosmetic swaps generally don't. Full breakdown in our Miami-Dade permit guide.
5–8 weeks of construction for most full remodels, after permits and cabinet lead times (currently 3–8 weeks for semi-custom).
Mid-range kitchen remodels consistently return 70%+ at resale here — and open-layout kitchens are the most requested feature in county listings.
Want your number instead of a range? We're based in Sunset / Glenvar Heights and estimate kitchens across Miami-Dade and Broward — free, on-site, in writing.