★ COMPARISONS · FOOD · DELIVERY VS HOME COOKING
Cooking wins by $89.37 a week — delivery $102.87/wk vs cooking $13.50/wk. 3 orders a week, $22.00 of food, $4.99 delivery fee, 15% service fee, $4.00 tip. Enter your orders and fees to work out yours.
The menu price is never the meal price. This calculator stacks the food subtotal, the delivery fee, the service fee, and the tip into one per-order total, and compares it with the same meal cooked at home — per order, per week, per month, and per year.
The menu price is never the meal price. A DoorDash order is four charges stacked on top of each other: the food subtotal, the delivery fee, the service fee, and the tip. The service fee is a percentage of the food subtotal: $22.00 × 15 / 100 = $3.30. The per-order delivery total is the sum of all four: $22.00 + $4.99 + $3.30 + $4.00 = $34.29. That is $12.29 of fees and tip on top of $22.00 of food — the fees alone are more than half the food. The weekly delivery bill is the per-order total times the orders a week: $34.29 × 3 = $102.87. The monthly bill is the weekly bill times 52 / 12, because there are 52 weeks in a year and 12 months: $102.87 × 52 / 12 = $445.77. The annual bill is the weekly bill times 52: $102.87 × 52 = $5,349.24. Home cooking is the same shape without the stack: $4.50 a meal × 3 orders a week = $13.50 a week, $58.50 a month, $702.00 a year. The savings are the delivery bill minus the cooking bill: $89.37 a week, $387.27 a month, $4,647.24 a year. The ratio is the per-order delivery total divided by the home meal: $34.29 / $4.50 = 7.62× — one delivered meal costs as much as seven and a half home-cooked ones. This page is different from the three-way meal kit vs delivery vs cooking comparison, which prices a meal kit, a delivery meal, and a home-cooked meal per meal: this page models the DoorDash fee stack itself, per order, and finds the home-cooked cost that breaks even with it.
| Scenario | Per order | Delivery / week | Cooking / week | Savings / week | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Default | $34.29 | $102.87 | $13.50 | $89.37 | Cooking wins |
| Orders 1 a week | $34.29 | $34.29 | $4.50 | $29.79 | Cooking wins |
| Orders 5 a week | $34.29 | $171.45 | $22.50 | $148.95 | Cooking wins |
| Orders 7 a week | $34.29 | $240.03 | $31.50 | $208.53 | Cooking wins |
| Subtotal $35 | $49.24 | $147.72 | $13.50 | $134.22 | Cooking wins |
| Subtotal $12 | $22.79 | $68.37 | $13.50 | $54.87 | Cooking wins |
| Home meal $8.00 | $34.29 | $102.87 | $24.00 | $78.87 | Cooking wins |
| Home meal $2.50 | $34.29 | $102.87 | $7.50 | $95.37 | Cooking wins |
| Home meal $40.00 | $34.29 | $102.87 | $120.00 | -$17.13 | Delivery wins |
| Tip $0 | $30.29 | $90.87 | $13.50 | $77.37 | Cooking wins |
| Delivery fee $0 | $29.30 | $87.90 | $13.50 | $74.40 | Cooking wins |
| Service fee 0% | $30.99 | $92.97 | $13.50 | $79.47 | Cooking wins |
At the defaults — 3 orders a week, a $22.00 food subtotal, a $4.99 delivery fee, a 15% service fee, a $4.00 tip, and a $4.50 home-cooked meal — the service fee is $3.30, the per-order delivery total is $34.29, the delivery bill is $102.87 a week, $445.77 a month, and $5,349.24 a year, the cooking bill is $13.50 a week, $58.50 a month, and $702.00 a year, and the savings are $89.37 a week, $387.27 a month, and $4,647.24 a year. The ratio is 7.62× and the winner is Cooking wins. Check the identities: subtotal + fee + service fee + tip = per-order total ($22.00 + $4.99 + $3.30 + $4.00 = $34.29); weekly × 52/12 = monthly ($102.87 × 52/12 = $445.77); weekly × 52 = annual ($102.87 × 52 = $5,349.24).
Setup: 3 orders a week, food subtotal $22.00, delivery fee $4.99, service fee 15%, tip $4.00, home-cooked meal $4.50.
Line 1 — the service fee. $22.00 × 15 / 100 = $3.30.
Line 2 — the per-order delivery total. $22.00 + $4.99 + $3.30 + $4.00 = $34.29.
Line 3 — the delivery weekly. $34.29 × 3 = $102.87.
Line 4 — the delivery monthly. $102.87 × 52 / 12 = $445.77.
Line 5 — the delivery annual. $102.87 × 52 = $5,349.24.
Line 6 — the cooking weekly. $4.50 × 3 = $13.50.
Line 7 — the cooking monthly and annual. $13.50 × 52 / 12 = $58.50; $13.50 × 52 = $702.00.
Line 8 — the savings. $102.87 − $13.50 = $89.37 a week; $445.77 − $58.50 = $387.27 a month; $5,349.24 − $702.00 = $4,647.24 a year.
Line 9 — the ratio and the winner. $34.29 / $4.50 = 7.62×; savings are positive, so Cooking wins.
Reverse: the food subtotal for a $40.00 per-order total is $26.97 (exact $26.9652); at $26.97 the per-order total is $40.01 (1¢ over), at $26.96 it is $39.99. The tip for a $35.00 per-order total is $4.71 (exact). The service-fee % for a $35.00 per-order total is 18.23% (exact 18.2273%); at 18.23% the per-order total is $35.00. The orders a week for a $500.00 a month delivery bill are 3.36/wk (exact 3.3650/wk); at 3.36/wk the monthly bill is $499.26 (74¢ under), at 3.37/wk it is $500.75 — 3.36 is the nearest. The home-cooked cost that ties delivery per order is $34.29 (exact): above it, delivery wins; below it, cooking wins.
Orders 1 a week: delivery is $34.29/wk, $148.59/mo, $1,783.08/yr; cooking is $4.50/wk, $19.50/mo, $234.00/yr; savings are $29.79/wk, $129.09/mo, $1,549.08/yr; Cooking wins. Even one order a week costs $1,783.08 a year delivered.
Orders 5 a week: delivery is $171.45/wk, $742.95/mo, $8,915.40/yr; cooking is $22.50/wk, $97.50/mo, $1,170.00/yr; savings are $148.95/wk, $645.45/mo, $7,745.40/yr; Cooking wins. Five orders a week is $8,915.40 a year of delivery.
Orders 7 a week: delivery is $240.03/wk, $1,040.13/mo, $12,481.56/yr; cooking is $31.50/wk, $136.50/mo, $1,638.00/yr; savings are $208.53/wk, $903.63/mo, $10,843.56/yr; Cooking wins. Daily delivery is a $12,481.56 a year habit.
Subtotal $35: per-order $49.24, delivery $147.72/wk, $640.12/mo, $7,681.44/yr; savings $134.22/wk, $581.62/mo, $6,979.44/yr; ratio 10.94×; Cooking wins. A bigger order makes the fee stack bigger, not smaller.
Subtotal $12: per-order $22.79, delivery $68.37/wk, $296.27/mo, $3,555.24/yr; savings $54.87/wk, $237.77/mo, $2,853.24/yr; ratio 5.06×; Cooking wins. Even a cheap order costs $22.79 delivered against $4.50 cooked.
Home meal $8.00: cooking is $24.00/wk, $104.00/mo, $1,248.00/yr; savings are $78.87/wk, $341.77/mo, $4,101.24/yr; ratio 4.29×; Cooking wins. A pricier home meal still wins by a lot.
Home meal $2.50: cooking is $7.50/wk, $32.50/mo, $390.00/yr; savings are $95.37/wk, $413.27/mo, $4,959.24/yr; ratio 13.72×; Cooking wins. Cheap home cooking is the biggest win of all.
Home meal $40.00: cooking is $120.00/wk, $520.00/mo, $6,240.00/yr; savings are −$17.13/wk, −$74.23/mo, −$890.76/yr; ratio 0.86×; winner DELIVERY WINS by $17.13 a week (FLIP). When the home-cooked meal costs more than the delivered one, delivery wins.
Tip $0: per-order $30.29, delivery $90.87/wk, $393.77/mo, $4,725.24/yr; savings $77.37/wk, $335.27/mo, $4,023.24/yr; ratio 6.73×; Cooking wins. Skipping the tip saves $12.00 a week and still loses by $77.37.
Delivery fee $0 (DashPass-style): per-order $29.30, delivery $87.90/wk, $380.90/mo, $4,570.80/yr; savings $74.40/wk, $322.40/mo, $3,868.80/yr; ratio 6.51×; Cooking wins. Free delivery removes one charge out of four.
Service fee 0%: per-order $30.99, delivery $92.97/wk, $402.87/mo, $4,834.44/yr; savings $79.47/wk, $344.37/mo, $4,132.44/yr; ratio 6.89×; Cooking wins. No single fee is the whole story: the stack is four charges, and removing one still leaves three.
Reverse — the other way round: the subtotal for a $40.00 per-order total is $26.97 (exact $26.9652); the tip for a $35.00 per-order total is $4.71; the service-fee % for a $35.00 per-order total is 18.23% (exact 18.2273%); the orders a week for a $500.00 a month bill are 3.36/wk (exact 3.3650/wk); the home-cooked cost that ties delivery is $34.29.
The model assumes the food subtotal is the menu price before any fee, the delivery fee is per order, the service fee is a percentage of the subtotal, and the tip is per order. The fee defaults are typical DoorDash values — the service fee is usually around 15% and the delivery fee runs $0 to $8.99 — but they vary by restaurant and city, so every fee is adjustable and the math uses your numbers, not a DoorDash price list. It assumes the home-cooked cost is ingredients only: it leaves out your time, the electricity, and the washing-up. It leaves out menu-price inflation, small-order fees, and surge pricing, which all make delivery more expensive than this page shows. With 0 orders a week, delivery is $0.00, cooking is $0.00, savings are $0.00, and the winner is a Tie. With a $0 subtotal, the per-order total is $8.99 (fees only), delivery is $26.97/wk, $116.87/mo, $1,402.44/yr, savings are $13.47/wk, $58.37/mo, $700.44/yr, the ratio is 2.00×, and Cooking wins. With all fees $0 and a $0 subtotal, the per-order total is $0.00, delivery is $0.00, cooking is $13.50/wk, savings are −$13.50/wk, and DELIVERY WINS — free food beats cooking. Rounding convention: totals are computed from unrounded values, so rounded parts may differ by a cent from their rounded sum; the reverses are nearest-cent solutions, and the exact unrounded figures ($26.9652, 18.2273%, 3.3650) are stated wherever the rounded figures appear.
| Output | Formula | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Service fee | subtotal × pct / 100 | $3.30. |
| Per-order delivery total | subtotal + fee + service fee + tip | $34.29. |
| Delivery weekly | per-order × orders | $102.87. |
| Delivery monthly | weekly × 52 / 12 | $445.77. |
| Delivery annual | weekly × 52 | $5,349.24. |
| Cooking weekly | home cost × orders | $13.50. |
| Cooking monthly | weekly × 52 / 12 | $58.50. |
| Cooking annual | weekly × 52 | $702.00. |
| Savings weekly | delivery − cooking | $89.37. |
| Savings monthly | delivery − cooking | $387.27. |
| Savings annual | delivery − cooking | $4,647.24. |
| Ratio | per-order / home cost | 7.62×. |
| Winner | savings > 0: cooking wins | Cooking wins by $89.37 a week. |
| Subtotal for a $40.00 order | (40 − fee − tip) / (1 + pct/100) | $26.9652 → $26.97. |
| Tip for a $35.00 order | 35 − subtotal − fee − service fee | $4.71. |
| Service-fee % for a $35.00 order | (35 − subtotal − fee − tip) / subtotal × 100 | 18.2273% → 18.23%. |
| Orders for a $500.00/mo bill | 500 / (per-order × 52 / 12) | 3.3650/wk → 3.36/wk. |
| Home cost that ties delivery | per-order total | $34.29. |
| Orders 1 a week | same model | Delivery $34.29/wk, cooking $4.50/wk — savings $29.79/wk, Cooking wins by $29.79 a week. |
| Orders 5 a week | same model | Delivery $171.45/wk, cooking $22.50/wk — savings $148.95/wk, Cooking wins by $148.95 a week. |
| Orders 7 a week | same model | Delivery $240.03/wk, cooking $31.50/wk — savings $208.53/wk, Cooking wins by $208.53 a week. |
| Subtotal $35 | same model | Delivery $147.72/wk, cooking $13.50/wk — savings $134.22/wk, Cooking wins by $134.22 a week. |
| Subtotal $12 | same model | Delivery $68.37/wk, cooking $13.50/wk — savings $54.87/wk, Cooking wins by $54.87 a week. |
| Home meal $8.00 | same model | Delivery $102.87/wk, cooking $24.00/wk — savings $78.87/wk, Cooking wins by $78.87 a week. |
| Home meal $2.50 | same model | Delivery $102.87/wk, cooking $7.50/wk — savings $95.37/wk, Cooking wins by $95.37 a week. |
| Home meal $40.00 | same model | Delivery $102.87/wk, cooking $120.00/wk — savings -$17.13/wk, Delivery wins by $17.13 a week. |
| Tip $0 | same model | Delivery $90.87/wk, cooking $13.50/wk — savings $77.37/wk, Cooking wins by $77.37 a week. |
| Delivery fee $0 | same model | Delivery $87.90/wk, cooking $13.50/wk — savings $74.40/wk, Cooking wins by $74.40 a week. |
| Service fee 0% | same model | Delivery $92.97/wk, cooking $13.50/wk — savings $79.47/wk, Cooking wins by $79.47 a week. |
The math is exact for the numbers you enter: service fee = subtotal × pct / 100, per-order total = subtotal + fee + service fee + tip, delivery weekly = per-order × orders, monthly = weekly × 52 / 12, annual = weekly × 52, cooking weekly = home cost × orders, savings = delivery − cooking, ratio = per-order / home cost. What the model cannot do is know your real DoorDash bill: check the fees, because the service fee and the delivery fee vary by restaurant and city, and check the menu prices, because delivery menus are often priced above the in-store menu. It assumes the food subtotal is before any fee, the delivery fee is per order, the service fee is a percentage of the subtotal, and the tip is per order. It leaves out menu-price inflation, small-order fees, surge pricing, and your time. It is a fee-stack calculator, not a DoorDash price list: for the three-way per-meal comparison, see meal kit vs delivery vs cooking; for the food budget itself, see the grocery budget calculator.
Bright Side Kit. "DoorDash vs Cooking Calculator: Delivery or Home? 2026" https://brightoolbox.com/doordash-vs-cooking/ Accessed October 25, 2026.No — at 3 orders a week, delivery costs $102.87 against $13.50 of home cooking, so cooking wins by $89.37 a week. One delivered order is $34.29: $22.00 of food plus $4.99 delivery fee, $3.30 service fee, and a $4.00 tip. Over a year, delivery is $5,349.24 against $702.00 of home cooking — cooking saves $4,647.24.
$34.29 on a $22.00 food subtotal. The food is $22.00, the delivery fee is $4.99, the service fee is $3.30 (15% of $22.00), and the tip is $4.00. The fees and tip add $12.29 — more than half the food again. The menu price is never the meal price.
When the home-cooked meal costs more than $34.29. That is the break-even: the per-order delivery total. A $40.00 home-cooked meal costs $120.00 a week against $102.87 of delivery, so delivery wins by $17.13 a week. Below $34.29 a meal, cooking wins.
$445.77 a month at 3 orders a week. The weekly bill is $102.87, and the monthly bill is weekly × 52 / 12. A $500.00 a month delivery bill takes 3.36 orders a week (exact 3.3650/wk); at 3.36 orders a week the bill is $499.26, at 3.37 it is $500.75.
No — with a $0 delivery fee the order is still $29.30. Delivery is $87.90 a week, $380.90 a month, $4,570.80 a year, and cooking still wins by $74.40 a week. Free delivery removes one charge out of four: the food, the service fee, and the tip are still there.
The three-way page prices a meal kit, a delivery meal, and a home-cooked meal per meal; this page models the DoorDash fee stack per order. The meal kit vs delivery vs cooking page compares all three options on the same per-meal footing. This page breaks the delivery order into its four charges and finds the home-cooked cost that breaks even with it — $34.29 a meal.