Can you renovate a kitchen for AED 20,000 in Dubai?

Can you redo a kitchen for 20k? In Dubai the answer turns less on the size of the room than on what it keeps. AED 20,000 sits at the lower end of what UAE contractors publish for kitchen work, which makes it a refit budget rather than a new-plan budget, and the table below shows where the line falls at half that sum and at double it.

Three budgets, three kitchens

The jump from the first row to the second is the boxes: below about AED 12,000 on MBC's list, the old carcasses stay on the wall. The jump to the third is the appliances and a design stage, and Ray Fitout's basic refresh, published at AED 15,000 to 40,000, spans both of those rows. A change of plan appears in none of the three.

Send us your budget and a photo

Is 20k enough for a kitchen with new appliances?

Rarely, on the published figures. MBC's first kitchen that includes appliances, its full renovation with a design stage, runs AED 25,000 to 40,000, so AED 20,000 stops short of its starting point. The budget holds when the fridge, oven and hob you already own go back in. Measure them and give the sizes to the cabinet maker before anything is drawn, so the new openings are built around them.

What does a kitchen for 20k leave out?

• A new position for the sink or the hob. None of the published rows at this budget mentions moving a service. Moving one adds a plumber or a licensed gas contractor, and often a permit.
• A long worktop run. Worktops first appear on MBC's list with the 3 x 3 metre kitchen from AED 15,000; a longer run means more worktop than that row prices.
• New appliances of any kind. MBC first names appliances in its full kitchen at AED 25,000 to 40,000; the rows below it do not.
• The approvals. Community fees and deposits are paid outside the contractor's price, as the next section shows.
• Strip-out and waste. Ask whether the price includes taking the old kitchen away. If it does not, it is a line on top.

Can I redo my kitchen for $10,000?

In Dubai, $10,000 converts to about AED 36,700 at the dirham's fixed rate to the dollar, nearly double the budget this page began with. That sits inside MBC's full kitchen band of AED 25,000 to 40,000, where design, cabinets and appliances come together, and in the lower part of Design Divine's basic full fit-out at AED 30,000 to 55,000. It is still below the mid-range bands, which start at AED 45,000.

Which approvals come out of a 20k budget?

Any fee your community charges, because none of the contractor bands includes one. On a budget this size an approval can take a tenth of the money, so price it before the kitchen.

• Emaar communities: AED 1,000 for a minor-works NOC or AED 2,000 for major works, each figure including the AED 500 review fee.
• Town Square: AED 1,000 when the cabinets are replaced; new counters or a custom island are major works at AED 2,000, with an AED 5,000 deposit on top.
• Tilal Al Ghaf: its plan review costs AED 5,000, with AED 250 of VAT on top, so ask whether a kitchen refit is sent through it.
• Contractor access: in Town Square a vehicle pass costs AED 160 for one month.

Outside Dubai the maintenance permit is the usual line: AED 1,000 in Ajman, and AED 2,000 on Abu Dhabi plots within Tasareeh's scope. Our community rules page sets out what each Dubai developer asks for.

Three quotes against one 20k brief

A small budget gains most from a precise brief, because the contractor has less room to guess. Write down what stays, what is replaced and the budget itself, and ask each contractor to price the same list. We send that brief to licensed contractors near you and show their prices next to the published bands. The cost page keeps every band with its publisher, and our kitchen renovation service costs the homeowner nothing.