Takeout vs Cooking at Home Calculator
See how much you save per month and per year by cooking your regular takeout meals at home.
How it is calculated
- For each meal, enter the delivered price, what the ingredients cost if you make it yourself, and how many times a week you eat it. For the delivered price, include delivery fees and anything extra you order to reach the minimum — that is closer to what you really pay.
- Monthly takeout cost = delivered price × times per week × 4.33 weeks, and the monthly ingredient cost is worked out the same way. 4.33 is 52 weeks divided by 12 months.
- The difference between the two is your monthly saving; multiply it by 12 for the yearly saving.
- The savings rate is the percentage of your takeout spending that you save.
Worked examples
| Situation | Saved per month | Saved per year | Savings rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Living alone, weekend takeout Fried chicken $23.00→$9.00 ×1/week, Pizza $26.00→$11.00 ×0.5/week | $93.09 | $1,117.08 | 60% |
| Office worker ordering four times a week Burrito bowl $16.00→$5.00 ×2/week, Curry $12.00→$4.50 ×2/week | $160.21 | $1,922.52 | 66% |
| Three people, dinner at home Ribs $38.00→$18.00 ×1/week, Noodle combo $27.00→$9.00 ×1/week, Steak dinner $45.00→$27.00 ×1/week | $242.48 | $2,909.76 | 51% |
The amounts in the table come from the same function as the calculator on this page. 0.5 times a week means once every two weeks.
How to estimate the ingredient cost accurately
- Count only what one meal uses. If you buy 1 kg of meat and use half twice, one meal's ingredients cost half. For things that last — soy sauce, oil, spices — a few cents per meal is enough.
- Think about what you throw away. People living alone often cannot use all their vegetables before they spoil. Adding a little for that waste gives a more realistic saving.
- Gas, electricity and water are small. The utilities for cooking one meal are usually a few cents, so they hardly change the result.
- Time is a cost too. Shopping, cooking and washing up are not included. Look at the money you save and the time you spend together when you choose which meals to switch.
When to use it
When you look at your delivery-app history and wonder why this month's food delivery cost so much, check how much you would save by switching just a few of your most frequent orders to home cooking. You do not need to change every meal — one or two regular orders can make a surprisingly big difference.
Frequently asked questions
Should I add the delivery fee separately?
Enter the amount you actually pay in the delivered-price field, food and delivery fee together. If you often use coupons, the price after the coupon is more accurate.
Why is a month counted as 4.33 weeks?
A year has 52 weeks; divided by 12 months that is about 4.33 weeks per month. Counting 4 weeks would understate the monthly cost.
What if cooking comes out more expensive?
If the ingredient cost is higher than the delivered price, the saving is zero or negative. For that meal, delivery is actually the cheaper option.
Is what I type saved?
No. The calculation happens only in your browser; nothing is sent to a server or stored.
More free tools
Add it to your home screen and it opens like an app — after the first visit it works offline too. What you type never leaves your device.