★ COMPARISONS · FOOD · COOKING
Groceries win by $2,336.88 a year. A meal kit at $11.99 a serving costs $3,740.88 a year at 6 servings a week; the same meals from groceries cost $1,404.00. Enter your prices to find your break-even and the servings that flip the winner.
A meal kit costs its delivered price per serving; groceries cost the ingredients per home-cooked serving. This calculator prices both sides on your prices and servings a week, and shows which one costs less a year — and the price that flips the answer. Comparison #205 in the comparisons library.
The two ways of eating are priced on the same servings: the same number of servings a week, the same 52 weeks a year. A meal kit costs its delivered price per serving — shipping is included in the figure you enter. Groceries cost the ingredients per home-cooked serving. The weekly cost is the price per serving times the servings a week, the annual cost is the weekly cost times 52, and the winner is whichever annual cost is lower. The gap per serving is the kit price minus the grocery cost, and the annual gap is that gap times the servings times 52. This calculator compares money only: a meal kit also saves shopping and planning time, and that time is not priced here.
At the defaults — meal kit $11.99 a serving, groceries $4.50 a serving, 6 servings a week — the meal kit costs $11.99 × 6 = $71.94 a week and $71.94 × 52 = $3,740.88 a year. Groceries cost $4.50 × 6 = $27.00 a week and $27.00 × 52 = $1,404.00 a year. The per-serving gap is $11.99 − $4.50 = $7.49, and the annual gap is $7.49 × 6 × 52 = $2,336.88. Groceries win by $2,336.88 a year.
| Case | Meal kit per year | Groceries per year | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Default ($11.99 kit, $4.50 groceries, 6 servings/wk) | $3,740.88 | $1,404.00 | Groceries by $2,336.88 |
| Meal kit $9.99/serving | $3,116.88 | $1,404.00 | Groceries by $1,712.88 |
| Meal kit $13.99/serving | $4,364.88 | $1,404.00 | Groceries by $2,960.88 |
| Groceries $6.00/serving | $3,740.88 | $1,872.00 | Groceries by $1,868.88 |
| Groceries $3.00/serving | $3,740.88 | $936.00 | Groceries by $2,804.88 |
| 3 servings/week | $1,870.44 | $702.00 | Groceries by $1,168.44 |
| 10 servings/week | $6,234.80 | $2,340.00 | Groceries by $3,894.80 |
| 14 servings/week | $8,728.72 | $3,276.00 | Groceries by $5,452.72 |
| Meal kit $7.99/serving | $2,492.88 | $1,404.00 | Groceries by $1,088.88 |
| Groceries $8.00/serving | $3,740.88 | $2,496.00 | Groceries by $1,244.88 |
Setup: meal kit $11.99 a serving, groceries $4.50 a serving, 6 servings a week.
Line 1 — the meal-kit weekly cost. $11.99 × 6 = $71.94.
Line 2 — the grocery weekly cost. $4.50 × 6 = $27.00.
Line 3 — the meal-kit annual cost. $71.94 × 52 = $3,740.88.
Line 4 — the grocery annual cost. $27.00 × 52 = $1,404.00.
Line 5 — the per-serving gap. $11.99 − $4.50 = $7.49.
Line 6 — the annual gap. $7.49 × 6 × 52 = $2,336.88.
Line 7 — the winner. $3,740.88 − $1,404.00 = $2,336.88, so groceries win by $2,336.88 a year.
Reverse: the break-even meal-kit price is $4.50 a serving (exact — equal to the grocery cost; below it the kit wins); the break-even grocery cost is $11.99 a serving (exact — above it the kit wins); 2.57 servings a week give a $1,000.00 a year gap (exact 2.5675; at 2.57 the gap is $1,000.96); a $6.10 kit price gives a $500.00 a year gap (exact $6.1026; at $6.10 the gap is $499.20); a $5.58 grocery cost gives a $2,000.00 a year gap (exact $5.5797; at $5.58 the gap is $1,999.92).
Meal kit $9.99/serving: the kit costs $9.99 × 6 × 52 = $3,116.88 a year against $1,404.00 for groceries — groceries win by $1,712.88. Two dollars off the kit price is worth $624.00 a year, and it still is not enough.
Meal kit $13.99/serving: the kit costs $4,364.88 a year against $1,404.00 — groceries win by $2,960.88. The dearer kit is almost three thousand a year more than cooking.
Groceries $6.00/serving: groceries cost $6.00 × 6 × 52 = $1,872.00 a year against $3,740.88 — groceries win by $1,868.88. Dear groceries still win, because the kit is dearer still.
Groceries $3.00/serving: groceries cost $936.00 a year against $3,740.88 — groceries win by $2,804.88. Cheap ingredients are where cooking wins biggest.
3 servings/week: the kit costs $1,870.44 a year against $702.00 — groceries win by $1,168.44. Half the servings, half the gap.
10 servings/week: the kit costs $6,234.80 a year against $2,340.00 — groceries win by $3,894.80. The more you eat, the more the gap costs you.
14 servings/week: the kit costs $8,728.72 a year against $3,276.00 — groceries win by $5,452.72, the widest margin on the page.
Meal kit $7.99/serving: the kit costs $2,492.88 a year against $1,404.00 — groceries win by $1,088.88. Even a cheap kit costs more per serving: $7.99 is still $3.49 more than $4.50, and that is $1,088.88 a year at 6 servings a week.
Groceries $8.00/serving: groceries cost $2,496.00 a year against $3,740.88 — groceries win by $1,244.88. Even at $8.00 a serving for ingredients, cooking wins.
Reverse — the lines that matter: the break-even meal-kit price is $4.50 a serving; the break-even grocery cost is $11.99 a serving; 2.57 servings a week give a $1,000.00 a year gap (exact 2.5675; at 2.57 the gap is $1,000.96); a $6.10 kit price gives a $500.00 a year gap (exact $6.1026; at $6.10 the gap is $499.20); a $5.58 grocery cost gives a $2,000.00 a year gap (exact $5.5797; at $5.58 the gap is $1,999.92).
The flip: the winner flips ONLY on price — when the meal-kit price drops below the grocery cost per serving, or the grocery cost rises above the kit price. There is no servings-count flip: more servings just scale the same gap.
The model assumes the meal-kit price, grocery cost and servings a week you enter, and the same servings every week for 52 weeks. It assumes the meal-kit price is the delivered per-serving price with shipping included, and the grocery cost is the ingredient cost per home-cooked serving — check both, because a kit price that leaves out shipping and a grocery cost that leaves out pantry staples both flatter the wrong side. It leaves out the shopping and planning time a kit saves, food waste, and any difference in how much you enjoy the food — the $2,336.88 at the defaults is the money gap only, not the whole decision. The annual gap is the difference of the two cent-rounded annual totals, so the numbers on the page always subtract exactly. Rounding convention: money is rounded to cents, the break-even prices to two decimals with the exact value to four, and all figures are computed from unrounded values, rounded only for display.
| Output | Formula | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Meal kit per week | meal-kit price × servings/week | $71.94. |
| Meal kit per year | meal-kit weekly × 52 | $3,740.88. |
| Groceries per week | grocery cost × servings/week | $27.00. |
| Groceries per year | grocery weekly × 52 | $1,404.00. |
| Gap per serving | meal-kit price − grocery cost | $7.49. |
| Gap per year | difference of the two rounded annual totals | $2,336.88. |
| Winner | lower annual cost | Groceries win by $2,336.88/year. |
| Break-even meal-kit price | the kit price that equals the grocery cost | $4.50 a serving (exact). |
| Break-even grocery cost | the grocery cost that equals the kit price | $11.99 a serving (exact). |
| Servings/week for a $1,000/year gap | $1,000 ÷ (gap per serving × 52) | 2.57 a week (exact 2.5675). |
| Meal-kit price for a $500/year gap | grocery cost + $500 ÷ (servings × 52) | $6.10 a serving (exact $6.1026). |
| Grocery cost for a $2,000/year gap | kit price − $2,000 ÷ (servings × 52) | $5.58 a serving (exact $5.5797). |
| Meal kit $9.99/serving | same model, $9.99 kit | Meal kit $3,116.88 vs groceries $1,404.00, Groceries win by $1,712.88/year ($1,712.88). |
| Meal kit $13.99/serving | same model, $13.99 kit | Meal kit $4,364.88 vs groceries $1,404.00, Groceries win by $2,960.88/year ($2,960.88). |
| Groceries $6.00/serving | same model, $6.00 groceries | Meal kit $3,740.88 vs groceries $1,872.00, Groceries win by $1,868.88/year ($1,868.88). |
| Groceries $3.00/serving | same model, $3.00 groceries | Meal kit $3,740.88 vs groceries $936.00, Groceries win by $2,804.88/year ($2,804.88). |
| 3 servings/week | same model, 3 servings | Meal kit $1,870.44 vs groceries $702.00, Groceries win by $1,168.44/year ($1,168.44). |
| 10 servings/week | same model, 10 servings | Meal kit $6,234.80 vs groceries $2,340.00, Groceries win by $3,894.80/year ($3,894.80). |
| 14 servings/week | same model, 14 servings | Meal kit $8,728.72 vs groceries $3,276.00, Groceries win by $5,452.72/year ($5,452.72). |
| Meal kit $7.99/serving | same model, $7.99 kit | Meal kit $2,492.88 vs groceries $1,404.00, Groceries win by $1,088.88/year ($1,088.88). |
| Groceries $8.00/serving | same model, $8.00 groceries | Meal kit $3,740.88 vs groceries $2,496.00, Groceries win by $1,244.88/year ($1,244.88). |
The math is exact for the numbers you enter: the weekly cost is the price per serving times the servings, the annual cost is the weekly cost times 52, and the winner is the lower annual cost. What the model cannot do is price your time: check the kit’s real delivered price and your real ingredient cost, because a kit price that leaves out shipping and a grocery cost that leaves out pantry staples both flatter the wrong side. It assumes the same servings every week and leaves out shopping and planning time, food waste and the pleasure of cooking. For what your groceries should cost a month, see grocery budget calculator; for the same question about coffee, see coffee maker vs coffee shop.
Bright Side Kit. "Meal Kit vs Groceries Calculator: Cost Per Serving 2026." https://brightoolbox.com/meal-kit-vs-groceries/ Accessed October 25, 2026.Not at the defaults — groceries win by $2,336.88 a year. A meal kit at $11.99 a serving and 6 servings a week costs $71.94 a week and $3,740.88 a year. Groceries at $4.50 a serving cost $27.00 a week and $1,404.00 a year. The per-serving gap is $7.49, and over a year that is $2,336.88. The kit would have to cost $4.50 a serving to tie.
$11.99 a serving at the defaults, delivered. That is the price per serving including shipping, as the kit company charges it. The grocery cost is $4.50 a serving for the ingredients in a home-cooked meal. The gap is $7.49 a serving, which is $44.94 a week at 6 servings and $2,336.88 a year.
$4.50 a serving — the price of the groceries. The break-even meal-kit price is exactly the grocery cost per serving: below $4.50 the kit wins, above it groceries win. A $7.99 kit is still $3.49 a serving more than groceries, so groceries win by $1,088.88 a year even at that price. The break-even grocery cost is $11.99 a serving — above it the kit wins.
2.57 servings a week (exact 2.5675). The gap is $7.49 a serving times the servings times 52 weeks, so $1,000 divided by $7.49 times 52 is 2.5675 servings a week. At 2.57 servings the gap is $1,000.96 a year. The same arithmetic the other way: a $500.00 a year gap needs a $6.10 kit price (exact $6.1026; at $6.10 the gap is $499.20), and a $2,000.00 a year gap needs a $5.58 grocery cost (exact $5.5797; at $5.58 the gap is $1,999.92).
No — more servings just scale the same gap. At 3 servings a week groceries win by $1,168.44 a year; at 10 servings they win by $3,894.80; at 14 servings they win by $5,452.72. The winner flips ONLY on price: when the meal-kit price drops below the grocery cost per serving, or the grocery cost rises above the kit price. There is no servings-count flip in this model.
Then the kit wins by the full grocery annual — $1,404.00 at the defaults. A $0.00 kit price costs $0.00 a week and $0.00 a year, so groceries at $1,404.00 a year lose by the whole amount. A free kit is the only price that beats groceries by more than the gap at the defaults — and it is not a price any kit company charges.