Habit cost
What a takeout twice a week
really costs
Delivery apps make takeout frictionless, and the fees compound into four figures a year.
over 20 years
That is about $1,820 a year. The small, frequent cost is exactly why it adds up.
View data as a table
| Period | Total paid | Inflation-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| 1 year | $1,820 | $1,820 adjusted |
| 5 years | $9,100 | $9,663 adjusted |
| 10 years | $18,200 | $20,864 adjusted |
| 20 years | $36,400 | $48,904 adjusted |
What else could that money buy?
- 2 × a semester of college
- 7 × a dream vacation
- 18 × a high-end laptop
- 36 × a new flagship phone
About this habit
Ordering takeout a couple of times a week is the modern default, and delivery apps make it frictionless, which is exactly the problem for a budget. Between the food, service fees, delivery charges and tips, two orders a week easily clear thirty to forty dollars, and the annual total reaches well into four figures. Projected across a decade, the convenience adds up to a number that competes with a major purchase. This page lets you enter your real per-week takeout spend to see the cumulative cost over time, including an inflation-adjusted view, since delivery fees in particular have risen quickly. Cooking one of those nights instead visibly changes the curve. If the long-run figure surprises you, most people underestimate delivery fees badly, the cancel-vs-invest comparison shows what the same money might have grown into.
Typical cost last reviewed 3 weeks ago.