Food Cost & Planning
Meal Budget Calculator
Break your grocery budget down per meal, per person, and per day.
Measurement System PreferenceAuto-saved
Currently active across all 60 calculators: US Customary (cups, tbsp, oz, °F, in)
$
Per person. These aren't paid from the grocery budget.
Your budget breaks down to
$3.57 per meal
$10.71Per person per day
$150.00Per week
$650Per month
42Home meals per week
Monthly figures use 52 weeks ÷ 12 months (about 4.33 weeks per month). For a reference point, the USDA publishes monthly food plan costs (Thrifty, Low-Cost, Moderate, and Liberal) for different household sizes.
How to use this calculator
- 1Enter your grocery budget and whether it's per week or per month.
- 2Enter the number of people and meals per day.
- 3Optionally enter meals eaten out, which don't come out of the grocery budget.
- 4Read your budget per meal and per person per day.
Tip: Knowing your per-meal number makes it easier to judge a recipe's cost (see the Recipe Cost Calculator).
How it's calculated
Cost per meal = Weekly budget ÷ (People × Meals per day × 7 − Meals eaten out)
We do the math at full precision and only round the final answer, so the numbers you see are as close as kitchen measurements allow. The assumptions and limits are listed alongside.
Worked example
Scenario: $150 weekly grocery budget for 2 adults (42 total meals).
Inputs$150 budget, 2 people, 21 meals each
Calculation$150 ÷ 42 = $3.57 per plate
Result$3.57 per meal per person
Common questions
How can home cooks lower cost per meal without sacrificing taste?
Cook more beans and lentils, buy produce in season, use whole chickens instead of parts, and plan leftovers into the week.