The Real Cost of Cooking at Home (Spoiler: It's Not What You Think)

Your "cheap" home-cooked meals might actually be costing you more than you realize.

We've all heard it: "Cooking at home is so much cheaper than ordering out!" And sure, when you look at just the ingredients, it seems obvious. A chicken breast, some broccoli, rice—that's maybe $3-4, right?

But here's the thing nobody talks about: ingredients are just the tip of the iceberg.

Let me break down what it actually costs to make a simple, healthy meal at home. We're talking about one of the most basic combinations you can imagine: grilled chicken breast, steamed broccoli, and brown rice.

Remember, this is NOTHING added. No seasoning, no oil, no herbs, no beloved sauce cup…things to remember when comparing.

The Ingredient Cost Breakdown

Let's start with what everyone focuses on—the groceries. Assuming you can buy exactly what you need, with no excess product.

For ONE meal (based on November 2025 prices):

• 4 oz grilled chicken breast (cooked weight)
  Raw needed: ~6 oz | Cost: $1.56
• 4 oz steamed broccoli (cooked weight)
  Raw needed: ~5 oz | Cost: $0.93
• 1/2 cup cooked brown rice
  Dry needed: ~2.8 oz | Cost: $0.21

Total ingredient cost per meal: $2.70

Not bad, right? That's what most people stop calculating. But we're just getting started.

The Time Tax (The Real Killer)

Here's where things get interesting—and expensive.

Total time to make ONE meal:

Prep Work (10 minutes)

• Trim and season chicken: 3 min
• Wash and cut broccoli: 4 min
• Measure rice: 1 min
• Clean workspace: 2 min

Active Cooking (15 minutes)

• Grill chicken (flipping, monitoring): 12 min
• Steam broccoli (setup, checking): 3 min

Passive Cooking (25 minutes)

• Rice cooking: 25 min (hands-off)
• Chicken resting: 5 min

Cleanup (10 minutes)

• Wash cutting board, knife, pans
• Clean grill/steamer
• Wipe counters

Grand Total: 60 minutes (35 active, 25 passive)

Now, let's put a dollar value on your time. If you value your time at just $16.35/hour current CT minimum wage):

• Active time: 35 minutes = $9.53
• Utilities (gas, water, electricity): ~$0.50

Time cost: $10.03

The Real Total Cost Per Meal:

• Ingredients: $2.70
• Time: $10.03
• TOTAL: $12.73

That $2.70 meal just became a $13 meal. If your time is only worth minimum wage.

And if your time is worth $25/hour? You're looking at $17.20 per meal.

The Hidden Costs Nobody Mentions

But wait—there's more! (And not in a good infomercial way.)

1. Shopping Time & Transportation

You didn't magically teleport those groceries into your kitchen.

• Average grocery trip: 45 minutes (including drive time)
• Gas cost for round trip: $1.60–$2.50 (depending on distance)
• Time value (at $16.35/hr): $12.26

If you shop once a week for 7 meals, that adds $1.85 per meal in shopping costs alone.

2. Food Storage Containers

To keep your meal prep organized and fresh, you need proper containers.

Decent meal prep container set (20-piece): $20–35
Cost per container: $1.00–1.75
Amortized over 50 uses: $0.02–0.04 per use
Per meal impact: ~$0.25 (factoring in degradation)

3. Food Waste

Not everything you buy gets used. The USDA estimates Americans waste 30-40% of the food supply.

Even being conservative:

• Overcooked/dried out chicken: ~15% waste
• Broccoli stems thrown away: ~10% waste
• Rice that sticks to pot: ~5% waste

Food waste adds: ~$0.40 per meal

4. Kitchen Equipment Depreciation

Your pans, knives, cutting boards, rice cooker, and grill aren't free—they wear out.

Conservative estimate: $0.15–0.30 per meal

5. Meal Planning & Recipe Research

How long do you spend deciding what to make, finding recipes, checking if you have ingredients?

Average time: 15–30 minutes per week
Cost per meal (7 meals/week): $0.50–1.00

The FULL Cost Comparison

Let's add it all up for ONE meal cooked at home:

That "cheap" home-cooked meal just hit $16.24

And remember—this doesn't include:

• The mental load of planning
• The stress of "what's for dinner?"
• The cleanup fatigue
• Failed experiments that end up in the trash
• Final note – this is JUST chicken, broccoli and rice. No seasoning, no sauces, no flavor.

The Strong Kitchen Advantage

Here's what changes when you let professionals handle it:

✅ Zero time investment (reclaim 35-60 minutes per meal)
✅ Zero shopping trips (no gas, no parking, no crowds)
✅ Zero food waste (perfectly portioned)
✅ Zero cleanup (the dream)
✅ Zero failed experiments (consistent quality)
✅ Zero mental load (we plan, you eat)

Professional meal prep eliminates $8–14 in time costs per meal while maintaining—or exceeding—the quality you'd achieve at home. With tons of variety and options for snacks, sides and Protein Plus.

Plus, with our membership program:

• 5% off all meals, snacks, and sides
• Free cooler bag
• 50% off delivery (Delivery Plus)
• Birthday gift (Delivery Plus)

The Bottom Line

Cooking at home can be economical—if you:

1. Batch cook 10+ meals at once
2. Have efficient shopping habits
3. Minimize waste
4. Value your time appropriately

But for most people juggling work, family, and life? The true cost of "cheap" home cooking is higher than you think.

The real question isn't "Can I cook it cheaper at home?"

The real question is: "What's my time worth—and how do I want to spend it?"

Maybe it's with your family. Maybe it's on your business. Maybe it's just not standing over a stove after a 10-hour workday.

Whatever it is, we've got you covered.

-Luke

Ready to reclaim your time? Explore our membership options and get your first 30 days FREE.