Homeowners are putting more into their outdoor kitchens, according to the 2026 Cost Study from RTA Outdoor Living. The report shows the median order rose 17.9% in 2026, from $16,409 to $19,355.
For its 2026 Cost Study, RTA compared orders placed from Jan. 1 through Sept. 21 in each year. The figures cover RTA product orders only, before installation or site work. RTA orders grew 20.8% over the same period.
The increase comes as overall renovation budgets hold steady. The 2026 U.S. Houzz & Home Study found median renovation spending was flat at $20,000 in 2025. Meanwhile, Houzz’s 2026 Outdoor Trends Study found that 95% of homeowners adding an outdoor kitchen are building one from scratch, up 7 percentage points since 2024.
Homeowners are going beyond putting an island with a grill and fridge on the patio.
“They’re planning a real second kitchen, with the prep space, storage and appliances to match,” said James King, vice president of design at RTA Outdoor Living. “That’s where the extra investment is going, and it shows in what homeowners are ordering.”
Bigger Kitchens, Not Just Higher Prices
RTA broke the increase into its parts. About 70% came from what homeowners chose to buy: larger or higher-spec kitchens accounted for roughly half of the growth, and more or upgraded appliances for about a fifth. Higher appliance prices, including new model generations, and higher kitchen component prices account for the remaining 30%.
Layout data points the same way. Comparing like layouts, median orders rose 7.9% for linear kitchens, 7.7% for L-shaped and 6.9% for U-shaped, well below the 17.9% overall increase. Much of the growth reflects what homeowners include in their kitchens, not just what each piece costs.
What an Outdoor Kitchen Costs in 2026
The middle 80% of 2026 RTA orders ranged from $10,330 to $33,807, up from $9,070 to $29,749 in 2025. Half of all 2026 orders fell between $14,014 and $25,793.
Median orders rose in all four U.S. Census regions. The Northeast led with a 27.1% increase to $20,565. The West rose 17.5% to $19,281, the South 16.7% to $18,662 and the Midwest 14.7% to $18,500. The figures reflect RTA orders shipped to each region.
More Kitchens Include a Sink
Homeowners are also adding more to their outdoor kitchens. Sinks posted the largest gain, appearing in 30.5% of 2026 orders, up from 24.5%. Refrigerators remained the most common, in 60.3% of orders, up from 55.7%. Every major appliance category appeared in a larger share of orders than in 2025.
“The first sketch is almost always built around the grill,” King said. “Then people walk through an actual meal. Where does the raw chicken get prepped? Where do you rinse a platter without running back inside? That’s when the sink and the prep space move up the list. The kitchens that get used every week are the ones that work like a real kitchen.”
What the Numbers Include
The RTA figures reflect outdoor kitchen orders that were shipped. Depending on the project, site preparation, foundations, permits, utility connections and installation may be separate.
Homeowners can find a full cost breakdown at rtaoutdoorliving.com/pricing-costs.
