What a Kitchen Renovation Really Costs in SA (2026)

National guides put a complete kitchen fit-out at roughly R50,000 to R150,000. Full renovations — new cabinetry, countertops, appliances, moved water points and fresh tiling — can easily run from R60,000 up past R250,000. That's a wide window, but the gap is explainable.

Cabinetry in South Africa is priced per linear metre, and this is the number you need before you compare any two quotes. At Kannjane, custom kitchen cabinetry runs R9,000 to R15,000 per metre, built, fitted and installed.

A compact kitchen is often around three metres of cabinetry; a family kitchen runs four to five. Do the maths — three metres at R9,000 is R27,000, and five metres at R15,000 is R75,000. That's why two "R60,000 kitchens" can look nothing alike.

Why does the per-metre price vary?

Day labour for a skilled carpenter runs R1,100 to R1,600 a day, and on most kitchen jobs it's bundled into the per-metre price rather than charged separately. But there are costs that sneak in around the edges:

Moving a sink means moving a water point — re-piping a section of the house runs R6,000 to R15,000. Electrical changes (new plugs, extractor wiring, lighting) need a registered electrician and a COC. Tiling, backsplashes and painting are usually separate trades. And removing and dumping the old kitchen is often forgotten until day one.

Smaller built work adds up too: a full timber fit-out of a small room runs R15,000 to R25,000. The lesson is simple — get a quote that itemises what's in and what's out, in writing, before you commit. And if you're pricing built-in cupboards for the rest of the house at the same time, our per-metre guide covers what those should cost.

Most kitchen fit-outs take one to three weeks. A like-for-like cupboard swap with no plumbing or electrical moves can be done in a week. A full renovation with moved water points, new tiling and a stone countertop pushes closer to three.

Two things slow jobs down in small towns: stone top lead times and appliance delivery. Order your countertop and appliances early, and ask your builder to sequence the job so the team isn't sitting idle waiting for a slab.

For a like-for-like internal renovation — new cupboards, new tops, same layout — you generally don't need municipal approval. You do need it if you're moving walls, relocating water points or changing windows, because that alters the structure and the approved plans.

Electrical work must be signed off with a Certificate of Compliance (COC) by a registered electrician. Plumbing that changes supply lines should be done by a PIRB-registered plumber. These certificates protect you — and they matter when you eventually sell.

Here's the small-town reality: you don't have ten suppliers bidding for your job like you do in Johannesburg. You have a few decent teams, and the good ones book up. That makes it worth choosing a full-service outfit that handles the carpentry, plumbing and building under one roof — one quote, one team, one person to hold accountable.

Kitchen renovation costs in the Eastern Cape are driven by the same materials as anywhere else, but labour rates sit lower than the metros — and so does the risk of hiring someone who disappears mid-job. Kannjane Consultants does full kitchen work in Komani, Queenstown, Ezibeleni and the wider Eastern Cape: custom kitchens, built-in cupboards, joinery, plumbing and renovations. Local clients rate us 4.6 out of 5, and most of our kitchen work starts with a site visit rather than a phone estimate, because no two kitchens are the same.