A replacement kitchen using quality local joinery typically costs AED 45,000 to 90,000 supplied and fitted. A bespoke kitchen with an island, stone worktops and integrated appliances usually falls between AED 90,000 and 180,000. Imported European kitchens commonly run AED 180,000 to 400,000 and above. Moving services, removing walls or extending adds to all of these.
Where a kitchen budget actually goes
On a mid-range Dubai kitchen the split is roughly 40% joinery, 20% stone, 20% appliances and 20% builders work and services. On a premium kitchen the stone and appliances climb sharply while builders work stays broadly flat.
Clients consistently expect cabinetry to dominate. It does, but not by as much as people assume — and the 20% for builders work and services is the portion most often missing from a cheap quotation.
The item most often left out
The extract. If your hob is moving to an island, the ducting has to travel from that island to an external wall. In a villa with a concrete slab that is neither cheap nor trivial, and in an apartment it may not be possible at all.
Ask any contractor quoting you to point at the extract route on the drawing. If they cannot, the price is not complete. A recirculating filter is not an equivalent solution in a kitchen that gets used properly.
What actually drives the price up
Three things, in order. First, whether services move — a like-for-like replacement is a fraction of the cost of relocating sink, hob and extract. Second, the worktop: engineered quartz, porcelain, sintered stone and natural marble span an enormous range. Third, appliances, which can quietly account for a third of the budget on their own.
Wall removal is the fourth. Knocking through to the living area typically adds AED 35,000 to 90,000 where the wall is load-bearing, because it needs a steel beam, an engineer's design and a permit.
Lead times matter more than you think
Locally manufactured joinery runs four to eight weeks from approved drawings. Imported European runs eight to fourteen. Both need ordering before demolition rather than after.
This is the most common cause of a kitchen project stalling: the old kitchen comes out, and then everyone waits. We specify and order joinery at pricing stage precisely to avoid it.
| Specification | What it includes | Indicative range |
|---|---|---|
| Replacement | Quality local joinery, quartz worktop, like-for-like services | AED 45k – 90k |
| Bespoke | Made-to-measure joinery, island, upgraded stone, integrated appliances | AED 90k – 180k |
| Imported / premium | European cabinetry, book-matched stone, specialist appliances | AED 180k – 400k+ |
| Knock-through | Wall removal with structural steel, permit, making good | + AED 35k – 90k |
If the kitchen is part of a wider project, the renovation cost calculator will give you an indicative all-in range for the whole property in about thirty seconds.
What Decides the Price
The things worth knowing before you set a budget.
Cabinetry specification
Our European kitchens guide sets out what imported cabinetry actually buys against quality local joinery. Carcass material, hinges and drawer runners decide most of the price and all of the longevity. Two kitchens that look identical on day one diverge sharply by year five, and the difference is invisible behind closed doors.
Worktop material
Quartz, granite, porcelain and sintered stone sit at very different price points and behave differently in use. The worktop is also the longest lead item in the kitchen.
Appliance schedule
Appliances are frequently excluded from a kitchen quotation entirely and can add tens of thousands. Establish whether they are in or out before comparing two prices.
Services behind the units
Electrical capacity, plumbing alterations and extraction ducting. The consumer unit is often the limiting factor on a modern appliance list, and nobody checks it until second fix.
Structural work
A knock-through into the living space means an engineer, a drawing, a permit and a beam. It is the most-requested item in Dubai and the most frequently under-priced.
Installation and making good
Scribing to out-of-square walls, levelling floors between rooms, tiling, decorating and the final fit. The part of the price that a cabinetry-only quotation does not contain.
Approvals and Programme
What has to be in place before work starts, and how long it realistically takes.
When a kitchen needs a permit
A like-for-like kitchen replacement generally needs only your community or building NOC. The moment a wall comes out, drainage moves or the layout changes, a Dubai Municipality modification permit is required as well, with consultant drawings behind it.
Gas connections
Adding, moving or capping a gas supply is handled separately by most developers and needs its own NOC. If you are switching from gas to induction, the existing connection still has to be capped and signed off properly.
These sit with us. We prepare the drawings, make the submissions and carry the correspondence. There is a plain explanation of when a permit is actually needed and of what happens if work goes ahead without one.
| Stage | Duration |
|---|---|
| Survey, design, appliance schedule and measured bill of quantities | 2 – 3 weeks |
| Community NOC, and permit where structural work is involved | 2 – 6 weeks |
| Strip-out, structure and first fix | 2 – 3 weeks |
| Cabinetry install, worktop template and fit | 4 – 8 weeks |
| Appliances, second fix, snagging and handover | 1 – 2 weeks |
How We Price a Kitchen
Benstead is run by a quantity surveyor. We do not price work by looking at it and naming a figure. We measure it.
After the survey you receive a bill of quantities — every element listed, quantified and rated, so you can see what each part costs and what it is you are agreeing to. That document is what the fixed price is built on, and it is what we get measured against later. You can set it against another contractor’s quotation line by line instead of guessing why one number is bigger.
Worth ten minutes before you sign anything: why renovation quotes vary so much, red flags in a renovation quote and what a bill of quantities actually is. For an indicative range in about a minute, use the Dubai renovation cost calculator.
Related Questions
Is an imported kitchen worth the premium?
Sometimes. Imported European joinery generally has better hardware, more consistent finishes and wider material choice.
Well-specified local manufacture is close enough for most projects at substantially lower cost. Where the premium earns its place is a highly visible open-plan kitchen — less so behind a door.
What worktop should I choose in Dubai?
Engineered quartz is the most practical for most kitchens — non-porous, consistent, no sealing.
Natural marble is the most beautiful but stains and etches; in a family kitchen it will patinate. Porcelain and sintered stone suit large islands, with bigger slabs and fewer joints.
What is actually included in a kitchen quotation?
Frequently less than you assume. A low figure usually covers cabinetry and worktop only. Appliances, electrical alterations, plumbing, extraction ducting, tiling, decorating, floor levelling and any structural work are often excluded and arrive later as variations. Ask for the scope itemised rather than a single number, which is the only way two quotations can be compared.
Why is the worktop the longest lead item?
Because imported stone runs six to ten weeks and can only be templated once the cabinetry is physically installed. It cannot be ordered in advance from a drawing, because the template has to reflect what was actually built. That makes it the critical path on almost every kitchen programme, and it is entirely plannable if it is acknowledged at the start.
Does a new kitchen add value to a Dubai property?
It is one of the two rooms that most affects a buyer's or tenant's decision, alongside the master bathroom. Whether it returns its cost depends on the specification relative to the property — a very expensive kitchen in a mid-market apartment rarely returns the premium, while a tired kitchen in a good property reliably costs more at sale than replacing it would have.
Should I budget for a knock-through?
Only after establishing whether the wall is load-bearing, which needs an engineer rather than an opinion. If it is structural, allow for the drawing, the permit and a steel or concrete beam, plus several weeks of programme. If it is not, the cost is modest. Finding out which, at survey, costs nothing and changes the budget materially.