How much do takeaways cost a year?

It adds up fast. A couple of takeaway meals a week for a family can cost well over a hundred dollars a week, several thousand a year, when the same meals cooked at home would cost a fraction of that.

How much cheaper is cooking at home?

Cooking the same meal at home is usually far cheaper per serve than buying it, often a third or less of the takeaway price. The saving depends on what you order and cook, which this calculator lets you compare.

Should I never buy takeaways?

Not at all; takeaways have their place for convenience and enjoyment. The point is to see the cost clearly so you can decide how often fits your budget, rather than letting it creep up unnoticed.

Takeaway vs Cooking Calculator

This New Zealand calculator shows the yearly cost of takeaways against cooking the same meals at home. A couple of takeaway nights a week feels harmless but adds up to thousands a year, when the same meals cooked at home cost a fraction. You enter how often you buy takeaways and the takeaway and home meal costs, and the tool shows the yearly spend each way and what cooking more often would save.

Takeaway meals per week

Takeaway cost per meal

Home cost for the same meal

saved a year by cooking those meals at home

Takeaways, per year$0

Cooking, per year$0

Saving per week$0

The home cost should reflect the ingredients for the same meal. Takeaways have their place; this just makes the cost clear so you can choose how often fits your budget. Estimate only.

How it works

The calculator multiplies your takeaway meals a week by 52 to get yearly meals, then costs them at the takeaway price and at the home cost for the same meal. The difference is your yearly saving from cooking those meals instead, also shown per week. Seeing the gap helps you set a takeaway habit that suits your budget, rather than letting frequent orders quietly drain it.

Worked example

Three takeaway meals a week at $45 is $135 a week, about $7,020 a year. Cooking the same three meals at $14 each is $42 a week, about $2,184 a year. Cooking them at home saves around $4,836 a year, or roughly $93 a week.

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Coffee Habit Cost Calculator: the coffee habit.
Grocery Budget Calculator: food budget.
Budget Calculator: your budget.
Compound Interest Calculator: growing the saving.

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