Skip to content
penang renovations

Cost guide · 7 min read

How much does a kitchen renovation cost in Penang?

A Penang kitchen renovation costs about RM 15,000 to RM 90,000, from a cabinet refresh to a full wet and dry rebuild. See the bands and what moves the price.

Published
2 Nov 2026
Updated
2 Nov 2026
Trade
kitchen-renovation

Estimate your cost

RM 30,000 to RM 55,000 total

Assumes mid-tier finish, George Town pricing.

This is an indicative estimate, not a quote. Your actual price depends on scope, materials, and site conditions.

Rates reviewed 2026-07-07. Source: cost guide.

Get exact quotes from a local contractor

Pricing cabinets by the foot? Try the kitchen cabinet calculator.

A kitchen renovation in Penang costs about RM 15,000 to RM 90,000, depending on how much of the room you change. A cabinet and countertop refresh sits at the bottom of that range. A full wet and dry kitchen with hacking, new plumbing and built-in appliances sits at the top. George Town heritage shophouse kitchens can go higher, as our George Town kitchen guide explains.

This guide covers the whole state: the island (George Town, Bayan Lepas, Tanjung Bungah, Air Itam) and the mainland (Butterworth, Bukit Mertajam, Seberang Perai). The figures come from published Malaysian price guides, listed at the end. They are planning ranges, not quotes.

The cost bands

Malaysian price guides agree on the overall spread. One puts a typical kitchen renovation at RM 15,000 to RM 50,000, with high-end projects reaching RM 100,000. Another puts the full range at RM 15,000 to RM 80,000 or more, with most homeowners spending RM 25,000 to RM 45,000. The bands below sit inside those ranges.

Basic refresh, RM 15,000 to RM 30,000

You keep the layout. The contractor replaces cabinet doors or a budget cabinet set, fits a new countertop, changes the sink and tap, and redoes the backsplash. Plumbing and power points stay where they are.

Small condo kitchens and rental units usually land here. Published ranges for a studio or small condo kitchen run RM 10,000 to RM 30,000, and a basic kitchen with modest materials and no appliances runs RM 20,000 to RM 32,000.

Mid-range renovation, RM 25,000 to RM 55,000

New cabinets throughout, a quartz countertop, new backsplash, hood and hob installation, and some electrical work. This is where most condo and terrace kitchens in Penang end up.

Two guides put a standard condo kitchen at RM 25,000 to RM 45,000. A third puts a mid-range kitchen of about 100 sq ft, with plywood or laminate cabinets and mid-tier appliances, at RM 40,000 to RM 55,000 all-in. The gap between those figures is mostly appliances and cabinet grade.

Full rebuild or wet and dry kitchen, RM 45,000 to RM 90,000

Tiles and old cabinets hacked out, plumbing moved, wiring upgraded, and a separate wet and dry kitchen built, often with an island. Landed homes and larger condos land here. One guide puts a mid-range wet and dry setup at RM 45,000 to RM 90,000. Another puts semi-detached and bungalow kitchens at RM 30,000 to RM 100,000.

Premium finishes, large islands and high-spec appliances can take a project past RM 90,000. For the split between the two rooms, see our wet kitchen and dry kitchen guide.

Pricing table

Item Typical published range
Basic refresh, whole kitchen RM 15,000 to RM 30,000
Mid-range renovation, whole kitchen RM 25,000 to RM 55,000
Full rebuild or wet and dry kitchen RM 45,000 to RM 90,000
Budget melamine cabinets about RM 200 per foot run
Premium cabinets RM 700 to RM 1,200+ per foot run
Quartz countertop about RM 250 to RM 350 per foot run
Kitchen tile hacking RM 800 to RM 3,000 per area

George Town compared with the rest of Penang

Our George Town kitchen guide uses four bands: cabinet refresh RM 18,000 to RM 28,000, mid-tier RM 30,000 to RM 55,000, full strip and rebuild RM 55,000 to RM 90,000, and heritage shophouse kitchens RM 75,000 to RM 92,000 or more. Those figures still apply in George Town. The statewide range in this guide starts lower because it includes small condo and rental kitchens outside the city centre.

Island versus mainland

Malaysian renovation guides put the premium for big-city work at around 10 to 20 percent over other areas. They name Kuala Lumpur and Penang as higher-cost centres, because of overheads, transport and demand. They do not publish a separate island figure. In practice, expect quotes on the island, especially for George Town and high-rise condos with lift booking rules, to sit nearer the top of each band. Mainland terrace kitchens in Butterworth or Bukit Mertajam often have more space to work in and easier access for lorries, which keeps labour and disposal costs down.

Heritage shophouses

A kitchen inside a George Town heritage shophouse needs conservation-grade materials and permit handling. That is a separate cost structure. Use the heritage band in the George Town guide and read our heritage shophouse restoration guide before you ask for quotes.

What changes the price

Cabinet material

Cabinets are the largest single line in most kitchen quotes. Published per-foot-run prices are:

  • Budget melamine or particle board: about RM 200 per foot run, with ranges from RM 100 to RM 300
  • Mid-range plywood: RM 320 to RM 550 per foot run
  • Premium finishes and hardware: RM 700 to RM 1,200 or more per foot run

Penang is humid, and a wet kitchen sees water every day. Guides warn that particle board in a wet kitchen swells and fails early. A cheap carcass is often a delayed replacement cost.

Countertop

Local quartz is the usual mid-range choice, at about RM 250 to RM 350 per foot run in published guides. Solid surface is cheaper but scratches and handles heat poorly. Sintered stone and premium quartz cost more. For a 14-foot run, the countertop choice alone can move the total by several thousand ringgit.

Hacking and disposal

Tile hacking for a kitchen floor and walls runs RM 800 to RM 2,500 in one guide and RM 1,500 to RM 3,000 per area in another. Debris disposal is extra, usually per lorry load. Quotes that do not list hacking and disposal as separate lines are the most common source of overruns. See our hacking and demolition cost guide for the full breakdown.

Plumbing and electrical

Moving the sink, adding a water point for a dishwasher or adding power points for an oven and induction hob all add cost. Older Penang houses may also need a wiring upgrade before a built-in oven and induction hob can run at the same time. Guides list plumbing relocation, electrical upgrades and hood ducting among the most common hidden costs.

Appliances

Most cabinet quotes do not include appliances. Budget them from the start, because built-in appliances fix the cabinet cut-outs. Confirm the model sizes with your cabinet maker before the drawings are final.

Condo rules

High-rise kitchens add management approval, a renovation deposit, fixed hacking hours and lift protection. These do not change the work itself, but they add time and cost. Our condo renovation rules guide covers them.

How to compare quotes

  1. Get three quotes for the same written scope. List the cabinet run in feet, the countertop material, and whether hacking, plumbing and electrical work are included.
  2. Ask for the carcass material by name. "Kitchen cabinet RM 18,000" means nothing without it. Plywood, particle board and aluminium carcasses price very differently.
  3. Ask for the countertop by brand and thickness. "Stone top" can mean solid surface, local quartz or sintered stone.
  4. Check that hacking and disposal are itemised. A low package price that leaves them out will rise once work starts.
  5. Ask who supplies the appliances. If you buy them yourself, give the contractor the model numbers before carpentry starts.
  6. Hold back a contingency. Older kitchens often hide cracked screed, old pipes or several layers of tiles. Keep a buffer for what the contractor finds after hacking.

Related guides

Browse verified kitchen renovation contractors in George Town to compare profiles and ask for site visits.

Sources

Rates checked against the public sources above on 2 November 2026. Compiled by Wei Han, founder of Penang Renovations.

This guide was drafted with AI assistance from the public sources listed above. Prices are planning ranges, not quotes, and will be revised periodically. If you spot an inaccuracy or have a recent quote to share, contact us at penangrenovations.com@gmail.com.

Want a real quote for your job?

Tell us the job in 8 short questions. We pass it to a local Kitchen Renovation in Penang.

Get a free quote

Common questions

How much does a kitchen renovation cost in Penang?
A Penang kitchen renovation costs about RM 15,000 to RM 90,000. A basic refresh runs RM 15,000 to RM 30,000, a mid-range renovation RM 25,000 to RM 55,000, and a full rebuild or wet and dry kitchen RM 45,000 to RM 90,000. George Town heritage shophouse kitchens can go higher.
How much do kitchen cabinets cost per foot run in Malaysia?
Published guides put budget melamine cabinets at about RM 200 per foot run, mid-range plywood at RM 320 to RM 550, and premium finishes at RM 700 to RM 1,200 or more. Local quartz countertops add about RM 250 to RM 350 per foot run.
Is a kitchen renovation cheaper on the Penang mainland than on the island?
Malaysian guides put the premium for big-city work, including Penang, at around 10 to 20 percent over other areas, but publish no separate island figure. Expect island quotes, especially George Town and high-rise condos, to sit nearer the top of each band.
What are the hidden costs in a Penang kitchen renovation?
Hacking and disposal, plumbing relocation, electrical upgrades, hood ducting and appliances are the usual hidden costs. Tile hacking for a kitchen floor and walls runs RM 800 to RM 3,000, and most cabinet quotes exclude appliances. Ask for each as a separate line.