Outdoor kitchens have gone from a rarity to something you see in half the garden design magazines — and the prices quoted range from a few hundred pounds to more than the cost of a small car. It is genuinely hard to work out what you should expect to pay.
So here is a straight answer, with no vague "it depends". Below are the real price bands for outdoor kitchens sold in the UK, what you actually get in each, and the extra costs that catch people out after they have already spent the money.
The short answer
For a ready-made outdoor kitchen bought as a unit, expect roughly:
- £200–£500 — a compact prep cart or storage-and-worktop unit you pair with your existing barbecue.
- £800–£1,700 — a proper freestanding kitchen with an integrated grill, worktop and cupboard space.
- £2,000–£3,500 — a full modular kitchen with multiple burners, decent storage and often a sink or fridge.
- £4,500–£8,000 — premium stainless-steel or stone-clad kitchens with six burners, side burners, fridges and near-indoor build quality.
A fully bespoke, built-in masonry kitchen designed and installed by a contractor sits above all of this — typically £10,000 and upwards once groundwork, utilities and labour are counted. That is a building project rather than a purchase, and it is a different conversation entirely.
What you actually get at each price
Under £500: the prep station
At this level you are not really buying a kitchen — you are buying worktop and storage to go alongside a barbecue you already own. Expect a resin or composite cart with a lift-up lid, a modest work surface, a shelf or cupboard underneath and maybe a bin store.
It sounds unglamorous, but do not dismiss it. The single biggest frustration of cooking outdoors is having nowhere to put things down. If your barbecue is fine and your problem is space, this solves the actual problem for a fraction of the money. Weather resistance is usually good, since resin does not rust.
£800–£1,700: the first real outdoor kitchen
This is where you get an integrated cooking surface rather than a separate barbecue — typically a two to four burner gas grill built into a frame, with a usable worktop either side and cupboards below. Some models in this band are designed to take a pizza oven on the counter.
For most UK gardens this band is the sweet spot. It looks intentional rather than improvised, it genuinely functions as an outdoor cooking area, and it does not require you to rethink your patio. Build quality varies a lot here though: check whether the frame is powder-coated steel or genuine stainless, because cheap steel in a British winter is a short-lived thing.
£2,000–£3,500: modular and serious
Now you are into modular systems — units that bolt together so you can specify a grill section, a prep section, a sink and sometimes a fridge. Four burners is standard, the worktops get wider, and materials move to proper 304-grade stainless steel or composite stone.
This is the point at which an outdoor kitchen starts replacing your indoor one for entertaining rather than just supplementing it. It is also where the hidden costs start to matter, because a sink needs water and a fridge needs power.
£4,500–£8,000: premium
Six burners, rotisserie kits, sear stations, integrated fridges, soft-close doors, and construction that will genuinely outlast the patio it stands on. The cooking performance at this level is excellent and the difference in build quality is real — heavier lids, better heat retention, far better corrosion resistance.
Whether it is worth it depends entirely on how often you cook outside. If you host most weekends from April to September, it is defensible. If it is four barbecues a summer, you are paying largely for the look.
The costs nobody quotes you
This is where budgets go wrong. The unit price is rarely the final figure.
| Extra | Why you may need it |
|---|---|
| Level, solid base | Most kitchens need a flat paved or concrete surface. Laying or extending a patio is often the single biggest add-on cost. |
| Outdoor electrics | Needed for a fridge, lighting or an electric grill. Must be installed by a qualified electrician to the correct outdoor standard. |
| Water and drainage | If you want a working sink rather than a decorative one, you need a supply and a way for waste water to go somewhere legal. |
| Gas supply | Bottled propane is simple. A permanent mains gas connection is a job for a Gas Safe registered engineer and costs accordingly. |
| Weather cover | Often sold separately, and genuinely essential in the UK. Budget for a proper fitted cover, not a tarpaulin. |
| Delivery and assembly | Large units are heavy, frequently kerbside-only delivery, and some need two people and several hours to build. |
Two of these deserve particular care. Outdoor electrical work needs to be done properly — Electrical Safety First is a good starting point for understanding what is and is not a DIY job outdoors. And if you are considering anything permanently built rather than freestanding, check the rules first — our guide to outdoor kitchen planning permission explains the height limits. And once you have built it, our guide to protecting an outdoor kitchen from UK weather covers the shelter, covers and winter prep that keep it lasting, building regs and the five situations where you genuinely need consent.
Freestanding or built-in?
Freestanding modular units are what almost everyone should buy. They arrive complete, they can be moved, you can take them with you if you move house, and if a component fails you replace that module rather than demolishing masonry.
Built-in masonry kitchens look superb and can add genuine appeal to a property, but they are permanent, they cost several times as much once labour is included, and any mistake in the layout is very expensive to correct. Unless you are certain about the position and you are already doing landscaping work, freestanding is the sensible choice.
How to work out your own budget
A practical way to approach it:
- Count your cooking. Under ten sessions a year? Stay under £1,000. Every other weekend in summer? The £2,000–£3,500 band will feel worth it.
- Measure honestly. Modular kitchens are wider than people expect — two metres is common. Mark it out on the patio with tape before ordering.
- Decide about water and power now. Retrofitting either is far more expensive than including it in the original plan.
- Set aside 15–20% on top. Cover, base preparation and delivery will find that money whether you budgeted it or not.
The verdict
Most UK buyers land somewhere between £800 and £3,500, and that is a sensible place to be. Below that you are buying prep space rather than a kitchen; above it you are paying for build quality and features that only make sense if you cook outdoors constantly.
The mistake to avoid is spending your entire budget on the unit and nothing on the ground it sits on or the cover that protects it. A £1,500 kitchen on a level base with a proper cover will still be excellent in five years. A £3,000 one sitting on uneven slabs, uncovered through three British winters, will not.
