Meal Prep Cost Calculator
Find your true cost per meal when batch-cooking, and see how much you save each week versus buying the same meals out.
How it works
Cost per meal = ingredient cost ÷ servings · Saving per meal = buy-out cost − cost per meal · Yearly = saving × meals per week × 52
Batch cooking spreads a single grocery run across many servings, so the real cost of a home meal is the ingredient total divided by how many portions it makes. Comparing that against what the same meal costs as takeout reveals the per-meal saving, which multiplies quickly across a week and a year. It is the clearest way to see whether meal prep is worth the effort for your kitchen.
Worked example
A $45 batch that yields 10 servings costs $4.50 a meal. If the equivalent takeout is $13, each prepped meal saves $8.50; eating 10 of them a week saves $85, or about $4,420 over a year.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate cost per meal?
Add up everything you spent on the ingredients for a batch and divide by the number of servings it produces. Include oils, spices and staples proportionally if you want to be precise, though many people just count the main ingredients bought for that recipe.
Is meal prep actually cheaper than takeout?
Almost always, because you skip the restaurant markup, labor and delivery fees. The savings are largest for meals that are cheap to cook in bulk — grains, beans, roasted vegetables and chicken — versus their pricey restaurant counterparts.
Should I value my prep time?
If you want a complete picture, subtract a rough dollar value for your cooking time from the savings. Even so, batch cooking usually wins because you spend the same one to two hours whether you make four servings or twelve.
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This calculator is for educational purposes. Double-check important results before acting on them.