Meal Kit Cost Calculator

How the calculator works

Pick two services and how many meals, or servings, you eat a week. The calculator multiplies the everyday price for that plan size by the number of meals, adds the shipping fee the brand states for that order, and shows the weekly and yearly total. A dinner for two counts as two servings, so three dinners for two people is 6. Prices come from the MealFan Meal Delivery Price Index, checked on each brand’s own site; verified fields were rechecked October 20, while unconfirmed figures retain their September dates. Where a brand sells no plan at the size you pick, the calculator says so rather than guess, and where a brand only publishes a starting price, the result is labelled.

What is and isn't included in the cost

Included: the everyday price for the plan size you pick and the shipping fee the brand publishes for that order, including free shipping thresholds. Not included: intro discounts (shown separately under each result), add ons and premium upgrades, sales tax, and regional surcharges except the disclosed $0 to $15 Purple Carrot range. When a brand does not publish its shipping fee for your order, as with Home Chef, or when only a starting delivery fee is published, the result says “before shipping”. Purple Carrot charges $12 below $120, with a possible $15 ZIP surcharge; Thistle needs an exact plan quote. For prep time tradeoffs, see the filter tool.

Which meal kit is cheapest in 2026?

The lowest advertised meal kit prices are Dinnerly and EveryPlate at $5.99 a serving, but only on their biggest boxes. On a six serving box EveryPlate is $6.99 and Dinnerly $9.99 a serving, about $8.82 and $11.99 once shipping is added. For prepared meals, The Cumin Club and Mosaic Foods start at $6.99; Mosaic ships free at 12 items and The Cumin Club always ships free, though Mosaic’s cheapest items are oat bowls. Among mainstream prepared services, Tempo by Home Chef gets down to $10.98 a meal at 16 or more meals, CookUnity to $11.09 at 16, and Factor to $12.99 at 14 meals, before shipping. The Price Index has the full weekly bill for 20 services.

Which meal kit has the best value

Value depends on what you compare. For the lowest price per serving, the budget kits, Dinnerly and EveryPlate. For prepared meals with free shipping, The Cumin Club, Clean Eatz Kitchen and ModifyHealth. For the most food for the money, see our calorie per dollar comparison.

Are intro discounts factored in

Totals use everyday food prices and verified shipping. Current published offer terms appear separately where confirmed; earlier observations remain labelled as historical. No signup, coupon redemption or purchase was completed. Factor and Green Chef show food-only totals because their current delivery fees were not visible before registration. Blue Apron uses $11.49 nonmember shipping, without the optional $9.99 monthly membership.

How shipping costs work

October 20 shipping check: Daily Harvest $9.99, Blue Apron $11.49 for nonmembers, BistroMD $19.95 standard delivery and ModifyHealth free standard shipping. Factor and Green Chef remain unverified and are excluded from delivered totals. Other verified fees and thresholds remain in each service’s source notes. Introductory free shipping is separate from the ongoing rate.

FAQ

Do I really pay this much per year?
The yearly figure assumes 52 weeks with no skipped deliveries and no discounts. Every service here lets you skip weeks, so your real yearly cost drops by roughly one weekly bill for every week you skip.

Can I switch plan sizes after I subscribe?
Yes. The major services let you change the number of meals and people on future deliveries before that week’s order cutoff, which varies by service.

Does the calculator include taxes?
No. Sales tax on meal kits depends on your state, and some states exempt groceries.

What if I find a better promo than what's shown?
Use the coupons hub to find current 2026 promos. The calculator shows baseline pricing so you can compare like-for-like. Stack the best promo on top.