Meal Prep vs Takeout Calculator: Cost Per Meal 2026

How the comparison works

Takeout charges per meal; meal prep charges per meal for groceries plus a block of your time every week. The takeout cost a year is your meals a week times the takeout price times 52. The prep grocery cost a year is your meals a week times the grocery cost per meal times 52. The prep time cost a year is your prep hours a week times what an hour of your time is worth times 52 — and it is zero when you prep 0 meals a week, because no meals means no prep. The prep total is the groceries plus the time cost. The winner is whichever annual total is lower, and the per-meal all-in cost is the prep grocery cost plus the time cost spread over the meals. This is batch home cooking against restaurant takeout and delivery — not meal-kit subscriptions, which are a third option with their own prices; for that, see meal kit vs groceries.

At the defaults — 5 meals a week, takeout $15 a meal, prep groceries $4.50 a meal, prep time 3 hours a week, time valued at $20 an hour — takeout costs $3,900.00 a year and prep costs $4,290.00 a year: groceries $1,170.00 plus time $3,120.00. Takeout wins by $390.00 a year, $1,950.00 over 5 years. Per meal all-in, takeout is $15.00 and prep is $16.50. On groceries alone, prep costs $5,850.00 over 5 years and wins by $13,650.00 — the time is what flips it.

The worked example, line by line

Setup: 5 meals a week, takeout $15 a meal, prep groceries $4.50 a meal, prep time 3 hours a week, time valued at $20 an hour.

Line 1 — the takeout cost. 5 × $15 × 52 = $3,900.00 a year, or $19,500.00 over 5 years.

Line 2 — the prep groceries. 5 × $4.50 × 52 = $1,170.00 a year, or $5,850.00 over 5 years.

Line 3 — the prep time cost. 3 × $20 × 52 = $3,120.00 a year.

Line 4 — the prep total. $1,170.00 + $3,120.00 = $4,290.00 a year, or $21,450.00 over 5 years.

Line 5 — the winner. $3,900.00 is less than $4,290.00, so takeout wins by $390.00 a year — $1,950.00 over 5 years.

Line 6 — the per-meal all-in cost. Takeout is $15.00 a meal; prep is $4.50 + (3 × $20) ÷ 5 = $16.50 a meal, so takeout wins by $1.50 a meal. Rounding convention: all figures are computed from unrounded values and rounded only for display — money to cents, so a figure worked out from the rounded numbers can differ by a few cents from the figure shown.

Reverse: the break-even takeout price is $16.50 a meal; the break-even time value is $17.50 an hour; the break-even prep cost is $3.00 a meal; and the break-even meals a week is 5.71 — at 6 meals a week takeout costs $4,680.00 against $4,524.00 for prep, so prep wins.

Every branch, checked

Time value $0 an hour: prep costs $1,170.00 a year and prep wins by $2,730.00 — when time is free, groceries are the whole story. Time value $10 an hour: prep costs $2,730.00 and prep wins by $1,170.00. Time value $25 an hour: prep costs $5,070.00 and takeout wins by $1,170.00 — the time is worth more than the groceries saved.

Takeout $12 a meal: takeout costs $3,120.00 and takeout wins by $1,170.00. Takeout $18 a meal: takeout costs $4,680.00 and prep wins by $390.00 — the flip, at $16.50 a meal. Prep cost $3.00 a meal: both cost $3,900.00 — a tie, $0.00. Prep cost $6.00 a meal: prep costs $4,680.00 and takeout wins by $780.00.

3 meals a week: takeout costs $2,340.00 against prep $3,822.00 — takeout wins by $1,482.00, because the fixed 3 hours of prep spreads over only 3 meals. 7 meals a week: takeout costs $5,460.00 against prep $4,758.00 — prep wins by $702.00. Prep time 1.5 hours a week: prep costs $2,730.00 and prep wins by $1,170.00. Prep time 5 hours a week: prep costs $6,370.00 and takeout wins by $2,470.00.

Reverse — the other way round: the break-even takeout price is $16.50 a meal; the break-even time value is $17.50 an hour; the break-even prep cost is $3.00 a meal; and the break-even meals a week is 5.71 — at 6 meals a week prep wins, $4,680.00 against $4,524.00.

What the defaults assume

The model assumes 52 weeks a year and a 5-year horizon, and it assumes you eat the same number of meals every week at the same prices. It assumes the prep grocery cost is the whole food cost — no spices, no oil, no leftovers thrown away — and the takeout price is the whole takeout cost, including delivery fees and tips as you enter them. It assumes your time value is the same for every hour of prep, and it assumes no meals means no prep: with 0 meals a week both cost $0.00 and it is a tie, because the prep time cost is zeroed. It leaves out the health difference, the variety, and the enjoyment, which are the real reasons to cook or to order in. With time valued at $0 an hour prep wins by $2,730.00 a year. Rounding convention: all figures are computed from unrounded values and rounded only for display — money to cents, so a figure worked out from the rounded numbers can differ by a few cents from the figure shown.

Output · formula · meaning

Who uses this

• The cook weighing 5 meals a week: they learn takeout wins by $1,950.00 over 5 years — so they know prep is $16.50 a meal all-in against $15.00 for takeout, and they check the groceries-only figure, $13,650.00 in prep's favour, before deciding whether the cooking time is worth it.
• The worker whose time is worth $25 an hour: they learn takeout wins by $1,170.00 a year — so they know the break-even is $17.50 an hour, and they check the $10-an-hour figure, prep wins by $1,170.00, before deciding whether to cook or order in.
• The family prepping 7 meals a week: they learn prep wins by $702.00 a year — so they know the fixed prep time spreads thinner over more meals, and they check the 3-meal figure, takeout wins by $1,482.00, before deciding how many meals to prep.
• The cook who loves cooking: they learn that at $0 an hour prep wins by $2,730.00 a year — so they know that if cooking is a hobby, prep wins by a lot, and they check the 1.5-hour figure, prep wins by $1,170.00, before deciding how much time to spend on it.

Accuracy & limitations

The math is exact for the numbers you enter: the takeout cost a year is meals a week times the takeout price times 52, the prep grocery cost is meals a week times the grocery cost per meal times 52, the prep time cost is prep hours a week times the time value times 52 (zero when 0 meals a week), the prep total is the groceries plus the time cost, the winner is the lower annual total, and the break-evens are the takeout price, time value, prep cost, and meals a week where the two totals are equal. What the model cannot do is know your real prices: check the takeout price, because delivery fees and tips add up, and check the grocery cost, because waste and pantry staples add up too. It assumes the same meals every week at the same prices. It leaves out health, variety, and enjoyment, which are the real reasons to cook or to order in. For meal kits, see meal kit vs groceries and meal kit vs delivery vs cooking; for the grocery budget, see grocery budget calculator.