Labor alone typically runs $38–$80 per hour or about $50–$300 per linear foot (TaskRabbit, updated Sept. 1, 2026; Builders Surplus, May 22, 2026). Counting materials too, a full kitchen installed runs $2,000–$11,000, averaging around $6,188 (Google AI Overview citing Angi, pulled live 2026-09-19), or $486–$736 per cabinet on Homewyse's national average (May 2026). Removing old cabinets first adds roughly $300–$600.
- Labor-only runs $38–$80/hour or $50–$300/linear ft — TaskRabbit (updated Sept. 1, 2026) and Builders Surplus (May 22, 2026). That's separate from the materials cost.
- Full kitchen, labor + materials: $2,000–$11,000, averaging ~$6,188 (Google AI Overview citing Angi, live 2026-09-19), or $4,500–$15,000 for stock through custom (Builders Surplus).
- Pro install takes 2–4 days for a standard kitchen, 2–3 hours for a single cabinet (TaskRabbit time estimates).
- Removing old cabinets first adds about $300–$600 if you don't do it yourself (Builders Surplus).
- RTA changes the labor math. Lily Ann's own cabinets ship flat and assemble in about 30 minutes for the first one, faster after (per Lily Ann's own published install guide) — that's DIY time on top of, not instead of, mounting them.
- This page is labor only. For materials cost per linear foot, see our cost per linear foot guide.
- Not sure which route fits you? Our DIY vs. professional installation guide walks through the pros and cons of each.
What Installing Kitchen Cabinets Actually Costs
Installation labor by itself runs $38–$80 an hour or roughly $50–$300 per linear foot. Add materials and a full kitchen installed runs $2,000–$11,000, averaging around $6,188. The number that fits your project depends on whether you're pricing labor alone, a full installed kitchen, or somewhere in between.
Every figure below comes from a named source with a real 2026 date, not an estimate. Rates vary by region, cabinet count, and site conditions — use these as a planning range, then get a real quote for your kitchen.
| Pricing method | Labor only | Labor + materials (installed) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per hour | $38–$80/hr | — | TaskRabbit (updated Sep. 1, 2026); Builders Surplus (May 22, 2026) |
| Per linear foot | $50–$300/lf | $100–$1,200+/lf by tier | Builders Surplus (May 22, 2026); Google AI Overview citing Angi (live 2026-09-19) |
| Per cabinet | — | $486–$736/cabinet | Homewyse national average (May 2026) |
| Full kitchen | — | $2,000–$11,000 (avg. ~$6,188); $4,500–$15,000 stock through custom | Google AI Overview citing Angi (live 2026-09-19); Builders Surplus (May 22, 2026) |
| Removing old cabinets | +$300–$600 | — | Builders Surplus (May 22, 2026) |
Materials pricing isn't on this page on purpose — see our kitchen cabinet cost per linear foot guide for real Lily Ann RTA pricing by the linear foot.
Labor Cost by the Hour, the Linear Foot, or the Cabinet
Installers quote in one of three ways, and it's worth knowing which one you're looking at before you compare bids.
By the hour
TaskRabbit, which tracks real completed jobs, puts the national average at $38 an hour for cabinet installation tasks (updated September 1, 2026). Rates vary a lot by city:
| City | Avg. hourly rate |
|---|---|
| New York City | $65 |
| Seattle | $65 |
| SF Bay Area | $62 |
| Washington DC | $58 |
| Chicago | $57 |
| Boston | $60 |
| Austin | $54 |
| Denver | $54 |
| LA & OC | $50 |
| Miami | $46 |
Builders Surplus quotes a similar range independently: $40–$80 an hour for installation labor (May 22, 2026).
By the linear foot
Builders Surplus prices installation labor at $50–$300 per linear foot, separate from the cabinets themselves. A 10x10 kitchen runs roughly 20 linear feet of cabinets (about 10 feet of base run plus 10 feet of wall run) — multiply that out and labor alone can land anywhere from $1,000 to $6,000 before a single cabinet is bought.
By the cabinet
Homewyse's cost calculator, which bundles basic labor with typical job supplies, puts the national average at $486–$736 per cabinet installed (May 2026) — that figure includes both materials and labor rolled together, not labor alone, which is why it reads higher than the per-hour or per-linear-foot labor numbers above.
What Pushes Installation Labor Up or Down
The same kitchen can price out very differently depending on a handful of real factors installers price into a quote:
- Removing the old cabinets first. Most installers charge extra to demo and haul away what's already there — Builders Surplus estimates $300–$600 for this step. Doing it yourself before the installer arrives is one of the easiest ways to cut the bill.
- Uneven walls or floors. Shimming and scribing to a wall that isn't flat takes real time. TaskRabbit's own guide flags this as a reason to hire a pro rather than DIY it.
- Upper cabinets vs. base cabinets. Wall cabinets are heavier to hold in place and require secure anchoring into studs — more labor-intensive and riskier than setting a base cabinet on the floor.
- Plumbing or electrical nearby. Anything that requires moving a supply line or an outlet adds a specialist and more hours.
- Layout complexity. A straight run is the fastest install. U-shaped kitchens, islands, and multi-cabinet runs that all need to align add time.
- Custom trim. Scribe molding, crown, and fitted fillers take precise cuts and add labor hours beyond hanging the boxes themselves.
How Long Installation Actually Takes
Since labor is priced by the hour as often as by the job, time is the other half of the cost equation. TaskRabbit's real-job data breaks it down by project size:
| Project | Typical time |
|---|---|
| Single cabinet (replacement or simple install) | 2–3 hours |
| Bathroom or small room | 1/2 to 1 full day |
| Standard kitchen (full set of base and wall cabinets) | 2–4 days |
| Custom kitchen or large project | 3–7+ days |
Multiply the low end of a standard kitchen (2 days, roughly 16 working hours) by a $38–$80 hourly rate and labor alone lands around $600–$1,300 — consistent with the per-linear-foot and per-cabinet ranges above.
DIY vs. Hiring a Pro: The Real Trade-off
Skipping a professional installer saves the $38–$80-an-hour labor rate, but it trades that savings for your own time and a real learning curve on the first cabinet or two. TaskRabbit's own guidance: DIY suits a single pre-assembled cabinet in a clear space with no plumbing or electrical to move; hiring help makes more sense for upper cabinets, uneven walls, multi-cabinet runs, or custom trim.
That's the short version. For the full pros-and-cons breakdown — cost savings, time commitment, risk of mistakes, what a professional actually brings to the job — see our DIY vs. professional cabinet installation guide.
RTA Cabinets Change the Labor Math
Ready-to-assemble cabinets add a step the cost guides above don't separate out: assembly. RTA cabinets ship flat and get built before they're mounted, which is real time even if you hire an installer for the mounting itself.
Lily Ann's own customers have reported that their first RTA cabinet took no longer than 30 minutes to assemble, with each one after that going faster (per Lily Ann's own installation guide). For a standard 10x10 kitchen of roughly 12–15 cabinets, that puts total assembly time somewhere around 4–7 hours, done at your own pace before mounting starts.
The trade-off works two ways:
- Assemble it yourself, hire out the mounting. You skip the shipping and warehousing cost baked into pre-assembled cabinet pricing, and an installer's hourly rate only covers the mounting, not the build.
- Assemble and install it yourself. You skip the $38–$80/hour labor rate entirely, at the cost of your own time on both steps — realistic for a single cabinet or small run, harder to justify alone on a full kitchen with wall cabinets.
Every RTA cabinet ships with free printed assembly instructions, and Lily Ann's step-by-step RTA assembly guide and cabinet assembly 101 walk through the process piece by piece. Once assembled, our cabinet installation guide covers hanging and leveling.
Materials Cost Is a Different Number Than Labor Cost
Everything above is what it costs to put cabinets in place — it doesn't include what the cabinets themselves cost. Lily Ann's own current RTA base cabinets run $116–$215 per linear foot, materials only, which is lower than the "installed" industry ranges above because assembly and installation labor aren't baked into that number. For the full materials breakdown by cabinet tier, see our kitchen cabinet cost per linear foot guide.
How to Keep Installation Costs Down
- Remove the old cabinets yourself. That's a $300–$600 line item most installers charge for.
- Get two or three quotes. Hourly rates alone range $38–$80 by city and installer — a wide enough spread that shopping around genuinely matters.
- Assemble RTA cabinets yourself, hire help only for mounting. You keep the assembly time but skip paying an hourly rate for it.
- Keep plumbing and electrical where they are. Moving a sink or outlet brings in a second trade and more hours.
- Ask about their slow season. Installers are often less booked in winter, which can mean more availability and room to negotiate.
Not sure how many linear feet or cabinets your kitchen needs before you start pricing labor? Lily Ann's free 3D kitchen design service can lay out your kitchen from your measurements, and our RTA kitchen cabinets ship flat nationwide.
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