Meal Delivery Price Index 2026: Real Prices, Tracked Monthly
MealFan Price Index
Here is what meal delivery actually costs in July 2026. Prepared meals run from about $7 a meal at Everytable up to almost $16 at Trifecta. Meal kits start near $6 a serving and climb to $13.49 at Green Chef. The catch is that the price you see advertised is almost never the price you pay once the intro offer runs out.
By Eric Sornoso, founder of MealFan. Prices verified July 17, 2026. Updated every month.
I track the price of every major meal delivery service every month, because the numbers move constantly and almost nobody publishes what you really pay. This is the July 2026 edition. Every figure below comes straight from the brand's own pricing page where I could see it, and where a brand hides its prices behind a signup wall I say so and lean on several recent checks instead.
What I found this month
- Trifecta raised its prices. I had it tracked at $13.99 a meal. It now works out to $15.00 to $15.86. That is the first increase this index has caught.
- Five of the ten biggest meal kit brands will not show you a price until you hand over a zip code or make an account. HelloFresh, EveryPlate, Green Chef, Sunbasket, and Blue Apron all do this.
- The intro deal is usually two to three times cheaper than the real price. EveryPlate advertises about $2 a meal on the first box. The everyday price is closer to $6 to $7.
- Shipping runs anywhere from free to almost $23. The Cumin Club ships free. Magic Kitchen can charge about $23. On a small box that alone adds close to $4 to every meal.
What does each service cost per serving right now
The short version: in July 2026 prepared meals land in the $7 to $16 range and meal kits land in the $6 to $13.50 range at everyday pricing, before any intro discount. The cheapest prepared option is Everytable at roughly $7 to $8. The priciest is Trifecta at $15.00 to $15.86. Among the kits, Dinnerly and EveryPlate open at $5.99 and Green Chef sits at the top around $13.49. Here is the full picture.
Prepared meals, standard price per meal
| Service | Price per meal | Shipping | Intro offer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Everytable | about $7 to $8 | $3.99 plus a service fee, free on subscriptions over $25 | 10 percent off with Subscribe and Save |
| The Cumin Club | from $6.99 | Free | 15 percent off the first order |
| Daily Harvest | $7.49 to $9.79 per item | $9.99, free on 12 items or more | up to about $35 off the first box |
| Mosaic Foods | $6.99 to $11.99 per item | free on 10 items, otherwise $9.99 | $10 to $20 off larger boxes |
| Top Chef Meals | $9.95 to $19.95 | free on 10 meals, otherwise $16.95 | 10 percent off for seniors |
| CookUnity | $10.39 to $12.69 | $9.99 to $11.99 a week | 50 percent off the first week |
| BistroMD | $10.99 to $14.99 | $19.95, free on the first order | 50 percent off week one |
| Fresh Meal Plan | $10.49 to $12.49 | $4.99 to $10.99 | $120 off the first six weeks |
| Factor (price hidden) | $11.49 to $15.99 | $10.99 on box one, then $13.99 | 50 percent off plus free breakfast |
| Metabolic Meals | $12.99 to $17.49 | $19.95, free on the first order | free shipping to start |
| Magic Kitchen | about $10 to $16 | around $23 actual FedEx cost | free shipping over $100 |
| Trifecta (went up) | $15.00 to $15.86 | $9.99 | none right now |
Meal kits, standard price per serving
| Service | Price per serving | Shipping | Shows price? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dinnerly | from $5.99 | $11.99 | headline only |
| EveryPlate | $5.99 to $6.99 | $10.99 | no, gated |
| Home Chef | about $9.99 | $10.99 | yes |
| Blue Apron | about $9.99 to $12.49 | $9.99 | no, gated |
| HelloFresh | about $10.99 to $11.49 | $10.99 | no, gated |
| Hungryroot | $8.99 a serving on the credit model | $6.99, free over $70 | yes |
| Marley Spoon | about $11.99 | $10.99 | yes |
| Sunbasket | from $11.49 | $9.99 | no, gated |
| Purple Carrot | $11.00 to $13.25 | $12, free over $100 | yes |
| Green Chef | $12.99 to $13.49 | $10.99 | no, gated |
Gated means the brand will not show its everyday price until you enter a zip code or sign up. For those, the numbers above reflect several independent checks in 2026 that all agree within about a dollar.
Is meal delivery cheaper than groceries
Usually no, at least at the everyday price, but the gap is smaller than people think and a good intro deal can flip it for the first few weeks. The honest way to look at it is that meal delivery competes with takeout and with the food you throw away, not with cooking from scratch. When outlets have run the math in 2026, kits came in roughly 10 to 75 percent above buying the same ingredients yourself. You are paying for zero planning, zero shopping, and zero waste. For a lot of busy people that trade is worth it. For someone who already meal preps on Sundays, it usually is not.
What is the cheapest meal delivery service
Right now the lowest everyday prices are Dinnerly and EveryPlate at $5.99 a serving on the kit side, and Everytable at about $7 a meal on the prepared side. But cheapest depends on shipping. Once you add EveryPlate's $10.99 shipping to a small box, the real cost lands closer to $8 a serving. The Cumin Club ships free, which quietly makes its $6.99 one of the best all in prices on the prepared side. And remember the two dollar a meal number you see in ads only applies to the very first box.
Which meal kits hide their prices
Five of the ten biggest meal kit brands make you enter a zip code or create an account before they will show a real per serving price. Those are HelloFresh, EveryPlate, Green Chef, Sunbasket, and Blue Apron. What is interesting is that the brands that hide the price also tend to have the biggest gap between the intro deal and the everyday price. The ones that show their prices openly include Home Chef, Hungryroot, Marley Spoon, and Purple Carrot.
How I put this together
MealFan keeps a running database of more than 6,100 individual meals across 25 plus services, refreshed by an automated menu check every week. Each month I pull the current per meal prices, then verify the everyday plan price by hand on each brand's own site. I always keep the intro promo separate from the everyday price, because the promo is not what you pay after the first box or two. When a brand hides its pricing, I note it and use the agreement of several recent checks instead. Everything gets re verified on the date at the top of this page, and every change gets logged so you can see the trend over time.
Citing this data
Writers and researchers are welcome to cite the MealFan Price Index with credit. Please use: MealFan Meal Delivery Price Index, July 2026, mealfan.com. If you want the underlying numbers, the method, or a comment on where meal delivery pricing is heading in 2026, reach us through our contact page. We update the index every month and are glad to share current figures.
Common questions about meal delivery prices
How much does Factor cost a month?
Factor runs about $11.49 to $15.99 a meal depending on how many you order, and the eight meal plan lands near $12.99. Add $10.99 shipping on the first box, then $13.99 after that. A weekly eight meal plan works out to roughly $104 to $120 a month before any promo.
How much is HelloFresh per serving?
Around $10.99 to $11.49 a serving at the everyday price for a two person, three meal plan, plus $10.99 shipping. HelloFresh does not show the exact number until you sign up.
What is the cheapest meal delivery service?
Dinnerly and EveryPlate at $5.99 a serving on the kit side, and Everytable and The Cumin Club at about $7 a meal on the prepared side.
Are the intro promos worth it?
The first box discount is real, often half off or around $2 a meal, but it reverts to the everyday price after a box or two. Budget for the everyday price, not the promo.
Which service has the cheapest shipping?
The Cumin Club ships free. Most services charge $9.99 to $11.99. Magic Kitchen at around $23 and BistroMD and Metabolic at $19.95 are the priciest.
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