★ COMPARISONS · COFFEE · COST
Drip wins by $1,799.50 over 5 years. A Keurig costs $2,501.50 for 2 cups a day over 5 years against $702.00 for a drip maker — $0.69 a cup all-in against $0.19 — because every pod costs $0.65 against $0.18 a cup of ground coffee. Enter your cups, pod price, drip cost and machine prices to compare Keurig with drip coffee.
A Keurig and a drip maker both charge you twice: once for the machine, and once for every cup. The Keurig machine costs more and every pod costs more than a cup of ground coffee, so this calculator counts the cups over the years you pick, prices them both ways, and says which one costs less in all, per year, and per cup — so the number you get is the number on the receipt.
A Keurig and a drip maker both charge you twice: once for the machine, and once for every cup. The Keurig machine costs more and every pod costs more than a cup of ground coffee, so the only question is how many cups it takes for the dearer cups to swamp the machine prices. This calculator counts the cups over the years you pick, prices them both ways, and says which one costs less in all, per year, and per cup.
At the defaults — 2 cups a day, pod $0.65, drip $0.18 a cup, Keurig machine $129, drip maker $45, 5 years — the cups are 2 × 365 × 5 = 3,650 cups. The Keurig is $129 + 3,650 × $0.65 = $2,501.50, and the drip maker is $45 + 3,650 × $0.18 = $702.00, so drip wins by $1,799.50. The coffee alone is $474.50 a year for pods against $131.40 a year for drip, a saving of $343.10 a year, and the all-in cup is $0.69 against $0.19.
| Case | Keurig total | Drip total | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Default (2 cups/day, 5 years) | $2,501.50 | $702.00 | Drip by $1,799.50 |
| 1 cup/day | $1,315.25 | $373.50 | Drip by $941.75 |
| 3 cups/day | $3,687.75 | $1,030.50 | Drip by $2,657.25 |
| 4 cups/day | $4,874.00 | $1,359.00 | Drip by $3,515.00 |
| Pod $0.40 | $1,589.00 | $702.00 | Drip by $887.00 |
| Pod $1.00 | $3,779.00 | $702.00 | Drip by $3,077.00 |
| Drip $0.30/cup | $2,501.50 | $1,140.00 | Drip by $1,361.50 |
| Keurig machine $200 | $2,572.50 | $702.00 | Drip by $1,870.50 |
| 1 year | $603.50 | $176.40 | Drip by $427.10 |
| 10 years | $4,874.00 | $1,359.00 | Drip by $3,515.00 |
| Flip: pod $0.10 | $494.00 | $702.00 | Keurig by $208.00 |
| Flip: drip $0.70/cup | $2,501.50 | $2,600.00 | Keurig by $98.50 |
Setup: 2 cups a day, pod $0.65, drip $0.18 a cup, Keurig machine $129, drip maker $45, 5 years.
Line 1 — the cups. 2 × 365 × 5 = 3,650 cups.
Line 2 — the Keurig total. $129 + 3,650 × $0.65 = $129 + $2,372.50 = $2,501.50.
Line 3 — the drip total. $45 + 3,650 × $0.18 = $45 + $657.00 = $702.00.
Line 4 — the winner. $2,501.50 − $702.00 = $1,799.50, so drip wins by $1,799.50.
Line 5 — per year and per cup. The coffee alone is 730 × $0.65 = $474.50 a year for pods against 730 × $0.18 = $131.40 a year for drip, saving $343.10 a year. All-in, the Keurig cup is $2,501.50 ÷ 3,650 = $0.69 against $702.00 ÷ 3,650 = $0.19.
Reverse: the pod price breaks even at $0.16 a cup (exactly 0.1570), and the drip cost breaks even at $0.67 a cup (exactly 0.6730). There is no cups-per-day break-even, because drip is cheaper on the machine and per cup. There is no Keurig-machine break-even: the machine would have to cost -$1,670.50.
1 cup a day: half the cups is half the coffee: the Keurig is $129 + 1,825 × $0.65 = $1,315.25 against $45 + 1,825 × $0.18 = $373.50 for drip. Drip wins by $941.75. One cup a day still loses on pods, because every pod costs $0.47 more than a drip cup.
3 cups a day: the Keurig is $129 + 5,475 × $0.65 = $3,687.75 against $45 + 5,475 × $0.18 = $1,030.50 for drip. Drip wins by $2,657.25. More cups widen the gap, because every extra cup costs $0.47 more on the Keurig.
4 cups a day: the Keurig is $129 + 7,300 × $0.65 = $4,874.00 against $45 + 7,300 × $0.18 = $1,359.00 for drip. Drip wins by $3,515.00. At 4 cups a day the pods alone cost $4,745.00 over 5 years.
Pod $0.40: cheaper pods shrink the gap but do not close it: the Keurig is $129 + 3,650 × $0.40 = $1,589.00 against $702.00 for drip. Drip wins by $887.00. A $0.40 pod is still $0.22 a cup dearer than drip.
Pod $1.00: dear pods blow the gap open: the Keurig is $129 + 3,650 × $1.00 = $3,779.00 against $702.00 for drip. Drip wins by $3,077.00. At a dollar a pod, the pods alone cost $3,650.00 over 5 years.
Flip — pod $0.10: at ten cents a pod the Keurig is $129 + 3,650 × $0.10 = $494.00 against $702.00 for drip. The Keurig wins by $208.00. Cheap pods flip the answer, because the pod is now $0.08 a cup cheaper than drip.
Drip $0.30 a cup: dearer ground coffee narrows the gap: drip is $45 + 3,650 × $0.30 = $1,140.00 against $2,501.50 for the Keurig. Drip wins by $1,361.50. Even at $0.30 a cup, drip coffee is less than half the pod price.
Flip — drip $0.70 a cup: at seventy cents a cup, drip is $45 + 3,650 × $0.70 = $2,600.00 against $2,501.50 for the Keurig. The Keurig wins by $98.50. Drip coffee dearer than the pod flips the answer, because the per-cup cost is the whole race.
Keurig machine $200: a dearer machine barely matters: the Keurig is $200 + 3,650 × $0.65 = $2,572.50 against $702.00 for drip. Drip wins by $1,870.50. The machine is a one-off; the pods are every day.
1 year: over one year the Keurig is $129 + 730 × $0.65 = $603.50 against $45 + 730 × $0.18 = $176.40 for drip. Drip wins by $427.10. Even in year one the pods cost more than the machine gap.
10 years: over ten years the Keurig is $129 + 7,300 × $0.65 = $4,874.00 against $45 + 7,300 × $0.18 = $1,359.00 for drip. Drip wins by $3,515.00. The gap doubles with the years, because the cups double.
Reverse — the break-evens: the pod price breaks even at about $0.16 a cup (exactly $0.1570 a cup): below that price the Keurig wins, above it drip wins. The drip cost breaks even at about $0.67 a cup (exactly $0.6730 a cup): above that price the Keurig wins, below it drip wins. There is no cups-per-day break-even: drip is cheaper on the machine and per cup, so drip wins at any volume. There is no Keurig-machine break-even: the machine would have to cost -$1,670.50.
The model assumes the same cups on both machines, so the pod price, the drip cost and the machine prices are the only differences, and it assumes the prices stay flat for the whole period, with no price rises. It assumes one pod per Keurig cup and one cup of grounds per drip cup, and it leaves out paper filters, water, electricity, descaling and the time to brew, which are real but not priced here. Rounding convention: money is rounded to cents, cups are whole numbers, and all figures are computed from unrounded values, rounded only for display.
| Output | Formula | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Total cups | cups/day × 365 × years | 3,650 cups. |
| Keurig total | machine + cups × pod price | $2,501.50. |
| Drip total | maker + cups × drip cost per cup | $702.00. |
| Winner | lower total | Drip wins by $1,799.50. |
| Gap | |Keurig − drip| | $1,799.50. |
| Per year, Keurig (coffee only) | cups × 365 × pod price | $474.50/yr. |
| Per year, drip (coffee only) | cups × 365 × drip cost | $131.40/yr. |
| Saved per year | Keurig/yr − drip/yr | $343.10/yr. |
| Per cup all-in, Keurig | Keurig total ÷ cups | $0.69. |
| Per cup all-in, drip | drip total ÷ cups | $0.19. |
| 1 cup/day | same model, 1 cup/day | Keurig $1,315.25 vs drip $373.50, Drip wins by $941.75. |
| 3 cups/day | same model, 3 cups/day | Keurig $3,687.75 vs drip $1,030.50, Drip wins by $2,657.25. |
| 4 cups/day | same model, 4 cups/day | Keurig $4,874.00 vs drip $1,359.00, Drip wins by $3,515.00. |
| Pod $0.40 | same model, $0.40/pod | Keurig $1,589.00 vs drip $702.00, Drip wins by $887.00. |
| Pod $1.00 | same model, $1.00/pod | Keurig $3,779.00 vs drip $702.00, Drip wins by $3,077.00. |
| Drip $0.30/cup | same model, $0.30/cup | Keurig $2,501.50 vs drip $1,140.00, Drip wins by $1,361.50. |
| Keurig machine $200 | same model, $200 machine | Keurig $2,572.50 vs drip $702.00, Drip wins by $1,870.50. |
| 1 year | same model, 1 year | Keurig $603.50 vs drip $176.40, Drip wins by $427.10. |
| 10 years | same model, 10 years | Keurig $4,874.00 vs drip $1,359.00, Drip wins by $3,515.00. |
| Flip: pod $0.10 | same model, $0.10/pod | Keurig $494.00 vs drip $702.00, Keurig wins by $208.00. |
| Flip: drip $0.70/cup | same model, $0.70/cup | Keurig $2,501.50 vs drip $2,600.00, Keurig wins by $98.50. |
| Reverse: break-even pod price | tie point of the two totals | $0.16/cup (exactly 0.1570). |
| Reverse: break-even drip cost | tie point of the two totals | $0.67/cup (exactly 0.6730). |
| Reverse: break-even Keurig machine | tie point of the two totals | -$1,670.50 — no machine price breaks even. |
The math is exact for the numbers you enter: the cups are the cups a day times 365 times the years, the Keurig total is the machine plus the cups times the pod price, and the drip total is the maker plus the cups times the drip cost per cup. What the model cannot do is read your prices for you: check the pod price on the box and the drip cost from the bag, because a $0.10 pod and a $0.70 drip cup give opposite answers. It assumes the same cups both ways, flat prices, one pod per cup, and no filter, water, electricity or descaling costs. For brewing at home against the coffee shop, see coffee maker vs coffee shop; for pods against grounds cup by cup, see pod coffee vs drip coffee.
Bright Side Kit. "Keurig vs Drip Coffee: 5-Year Cost Calculator 2026." https://brightoolbox.com/keurig-vs-drip-coffee/ Accessed October 25, 2026.Drip, at the defaults. Two cups a day for 5 years costs $2,501.50 with a Keurig against $702.00 with a drip maker, so drip wins by $1,799.50 — $343.10 a year in coffee alone.
Machine plus every cup. The Keurig total is the machine price plus the cups times the pod price; the drip total is the maker price plus the cups times the drip cost per cup. At the defaults that is 3,650 cups: $129 + 3,650 × $0.65 = $2,501.50 against $45 + 3,650 × $0.18 = $702.00.
$0.69 all-in at the defaults. That is the $2,501.50 total divided by 3,650 cups, machine included. The drip cup is $0.19 all-in. The pod alone is $0.65 a cup, and the drip coffee alone is $0.18 a cup.
When pods are cheap or drip coffee is dear. At $0.10 a pod the Keurig costs $494.00 and wins by $208.00; at $0.70 a cup for drip coffee, drip costs $2,600.00 and the Keurig wins by $98.50.
$0.16 a pod. The exact break-even is $0.1570 a pod: below that price the Keurig wins, above it drip wins. The drip cost breaks even at $0.67 a cup (exact 0.6730).
No. There is no cups-per-day break-even, because drip is cheaper on the machine and per cup, so drip wins at any volume. More cups just widen the gap: $941.75 at 1 cup a day against $3,515.00 at 4 cups a day over 5 years.
Barely. A $200 Keurig still loses by $1,870.50 over 5 years, because the pods, not the machine, are the cost. There is no Keurig-machine break-even: the machine would have to cost -$1,670.50.
Filters, water, electricity and the time to brew. The model prices the machine and the coffee only, and it assumes the prices stay flat for the whole period. Check the pod price on the box and the drip cost from the bag, because a $0.10 pod and a $0.70 drip cup give opposite answers.