RTA Outdoor Living just released a cost study that shows consumers are spending more on their outdoor kitchens. The median RTA outdoor kitchen order rose to $19,355 in 2026 from $16,409 in 2025, a 17.9% increase.
The cause of the increase is mostly from consumers buying larger outdoor kitchens that have more features. Only about 30% of the increase in order size was from price increases.
This data is supported by the previous Houzz study that showed similar conclusions. Outdoor kitchen projects are getting larger and more complex.
People aren’t just putting an island with a grill and fridge the patio anymore. They’re planning a real second kitchen, with the prep space, storage and appliances to match. That’s where the extra investment is going, and it shows in what homeowners are ordering.
James King, vice president of design at RTA Outdoor Living
80% of RTA orders were in the price range of $10,330 to $33,807, which is up from $9,070 to $29,749 in 2025. When you look at the middle 50%, the order size was between $14,014 and $25,793. RTA broke down the median order by outdoor kitchen shape.
- Linear kitchens had an order size of $14,410
- L-shaped outdoor kitchens had a median of $22,521
- U-shaped designs had the highest order size at $33,994
To confirm that the median order size is increasing from additional size a features, the overall mix of kitchen shape hasn’t dramatically changed. Median orders rose 7.9% for linear kitchens, 7.7% for L-shaped and 6.9% for U-shaped, so they all saw increases.
RTA saw median orders rise in all four U.S. Census regions. The Northeast had the highest order size increase at 27.1% with a median order size of $20,565. The West had an increase of 17.5% to $19,281, in the South it was 16.7% at $18,662, and the Midwest had the lowest at a 14.7% increase to $18,500.
Beyond overall size increases, consumers are ordering them with more appliances. Every major appliance category increased in order share compared to 2025. Even with more appliances, a grill is still what anchors the space.
The first sketch is almost always built around the grill. 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.
James King, vice president of design at RTA Outdoor Living
Comparing appliance categories, more homeowners wanted sinks in their builds. Sinks had the largest share gain, being included in 30.5% of orders this year, up from 24.5% in 2025. Refrigerators are still the most common appliance, appearing 60.3% of orders, an increase from 55.7% last year.
Grills are always the cornerstone, but other cooking products saw increases in order share. We’re seeing more griddles being released for outdoor kitchens and that’s because it’s what people want.
Griddles increased in order share to 21.8% of orders from 19.7% last year. Pizza ovens increased to 13.0% from 9.7%, and smokers also saw an increase to 8.0% from 6.5% in 2025.
The data from RTA Outdoor Living comes from orders placed from January 1st through September 21st in each respective year. The numbers only reflect product orders and not any installation. RTA orders in total grew 20.8% over that period.
With the K-shaped economy playing out, and home sales find a bottom, I think there’s more growth in outdoor kitchens in the near term. The data from RTA would support that.
It’s important information for understanding what features consumers want and identifying price points. It’s also good information for merchandising and designing stock builds.
