Under cabinet lighting cost
Under-cabinet lighting costs $200 to $900 installed. It is the highest-value lighting change in a kitchen, because it puts light on the worktop rather than behind the person standing at it.
National average
$200
per each
Under-cabinet lighting costs $200 to $900 installed for a typical kitchen, or $80 to $250 per fixture. Plug-in LED strips are $50 to $200 and take an afternoon. Hardwired lighting on a wall switch is $400 to $1,200 and is the version that looks built in.
It is the highest-value lighting change in a kitchen by a wide margin, because it puts light on the worktop rather than behind the person standing at it.
What it costs
| Option | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Plug-in LED strip kit, DIY | $50 to $200 |
| Plug-in puck lights, DIY | $40 to $150 |
| Hardwired LED strip, per linear foot | $20 to $60 |
| Hardwired linear bar fixtures, each | $80 to $250 |
| Whole kitchen, hardwired, 12 to 20 feet | $400 to $1,200 |
| Adding a wall switch | $150 to $400 |
| Adding a dimmer | $120 to $300 |
| Driver or transformer for a low-voltage run | $80 to $300 |
| Running power from an existing outlet | $150 to $500 |
| New circuit, if needed | $350 to $900 |
| Adding an aluminium channel and diffuser | $8 to $25 per linear foot |
| Doing it during a kitchen remodel | $300 to $800 |
The last row is the one to note. During a remodel, with the backsplash off and the cabinets out, the wiring is trivial. Afterwards it means fishing cable behind a tiled wall.
Strip, bar, or puck
LED tape or strip in an aluminium channel is what most people should fit. It gives a continuous, even line of light with no hot spots, it is thin enough to hide behind the cabinet's front rail, and in a channel with a frosted diffuser it looks like a built-in detail rather than a strip stuck under a cupboard.
The channel matters. Bare LED tape reflects as a row of dots in a glossy worktop or a tiled backsplash, and that is the single most common complaint.
Linear bar fixtures are rigid, easy to fit, and link together. Slightly less even than tape in a channel, and much easier to install. A reasonable middle.
Puck lights produce pools of light with dark gaps and visible scallops on the backsplash. They were the standard for years and they are the worst-looking option now that tape is cheap.
The details that make it look right
Mount at the front. The fixture belongs just behind the cabinet's front edge, not at the back against the wall. At the back, it lights the backsplash and puts your own shadow on the worktop.
Use a channel with a diffuser on anything with a glossy surface below it.
Warm colour temperature. 2700K to 3000K. Anything cooler makes food look grey and makes a kitchen feel like a shop.
High colour rendering. CRI 90 or above. Cheap LED at CRI 80 makes vegetables and skin look wrong, and this is a room where that is noticeable.
Dim it. Under-cabinet lighting at full output is too bright as evening lighting and about right as task lighting. A dimmer costs $120 to $300 and doubles what the installation is for.
Hide the driver. Inside a cabinet, accessible, not sealed behind a panel. It will fail before the LEDs do.
Frequently asked questions
Can I do this myself?
Plug-in kits, yes, comfortably. They stick on with adhesive and plug into an outlet inside a cabinet. The compromise is a visible cord and a switch on the fixture rather than on the wall.
Hardwired work needs an electrician in most places, and it is the version that gets switched from the door.
Will adhesive-backed tape stay up?
Not indefinitely, particularly over a hob where heat and grease reach it. An aluminium channel screwed to the cabinet solves it permanently and looks better.
How much light do I need?
Roughly 200 to 400 lumens per linear foot of worktop for task lighting. Most decent tape is in that range at full output, which is why a dimmer is worth having.
Should it be on the same switch as the ceiling lights?
No. The point is being able to have the worktop lit without the room lit, and vice versa. A separate switch, ideally dimmed, is what makes it useful in the evening.
Is it worth doing in a rental?
Plug-in tape with removable adhesive, yes. It is $80, it takes an hour, and it makes a poorly lit rental kitchen genuinely better. Take it with you.
Read next
Recessed lighting cost$100 to $300per eachRecessed lighting costs $100 to $300 per downlight installed, typically $200. Six lights do not cost six times one light; they cost about three times.
Light switch installation cost$120 to $400per eachInstalling a light switch costs $120 to $400, typically $200. The device is $3 to $60; everything else on the bill is the visit and the access.
Electrical outlet installation cost$140 to $350per eachAdding an outlet costs $140 to $350, most often $230. Nearly all of that is the visit: the device costs $5 and the work takes half an hour, so do them in batches.
Chandelier installation cost$200 to $900per eachInstalling a chandelier costs $200 to $900, typically $400. A two-storey foyer fixture reaches $1,500 to $3,000 in labour alone. The weight and the box decide whether it is a simple job.
Electrician cost by state$80 to $180per hourAn electrician bills $85 an hour in Arkansas and $140 in Illinois. A 65% spread on the same hour of the same work, and it is almost entirely wages.