Know exactly what every cup costs.
A coffee cost calculator that does the math from bag price, dose, and milk — automatically, per brew. See your weekly spend, your real cost per latte, and how fast a $4 cafe habit adds up. Free on iOS.
Cost per cup = (Bag price ÷ Bag weight in grams) × Dose + Milk cost. A $20 / 250 g bag at an 18 g espresso dose is $1.44 per shot. Add ~$0.21 of milk for a 200 ml latte — total $1.65 vs. $5 at the cafe.
The formula in plain terms
Cost per cup is two numbers added together. The coffee side: how much each gram of bean costs, multiplied by how many grams you used. The milk side (only if you froth): how much each millilitre of milk costs, multiplied by how much you steamed.
Coffee cost = (Bag price ÷ Bag weight) × Dose
Milk cost = (Milk price ÷ Milk volume) × Amount steamed
Total cost per cup = Coffee cost + Milk cost
Worked example: latte at home vs. cafe
Specialty coffee, $20 for a 250 g bag. Whole milk, $4 per gallon (3,785 ml). One 18 g espresso shot steamed with 200 ml of milk:
- Coffee: ($20 ÷ 250) × 18 = $1.44
- Milk: ($4 ÷ 3,785) × 200 = $0.21
- Total: $1.65 per latte
Same drink at a third-wave cafe: $5–$7. The home cost is roughly a third. One latte a day for a year is $602 at home, $1,825 at the cafe — a $1,223 annual difference.
Cups per bag by brew method
How far a typical 250 g specialty bag actually goes:
| Method | Typical dose | Cups per 250 g | Cost per cup (at $20) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Espresso (single) | 18 g | 13–14 | $1.44 |
| Espresso (double / 1:2) | 18 g | 13–14 | $1.44 |
| Pour over (V60, Origami) | 15 g | 16 | $1.20 |
| Pour over (Chemex) | 30 g | 8 | $2.40 |
| AeroPress | 17 g | 14 | $1.36 |
| French press | 30 g | 8 | $2.40 |
| Batch brew (8-cup) | 60 g | 4 batches | $0.60/cup of 8 |
| Cold brew concentrate | 100 g | 2.5 batches | varies |
The numbers that surprise people
- A $4 cafe drink habit costs ~$1,460/year. The same drink made at home is $400–$600. Multi-thousand-dollar gear pays itself off in 12–24 months.
- Doubling the bag price barely doubles cost per cup. A $35 250 g competition lot at 18 g is $2.52 — still ~half of a cafe latte.
- Milk costs less than people think. Even oat milk at $5/litre is around $1.00 of milk per latte — not the part of the equation worth optimising.
- Pour over is cheaper per cup than espresso. Higher ratio means a 15 g dose stretches further than an 18 g espresso shot.
Why HomeBarista handles this differently
Most cost-per-cup calculators are one-shot tools — you enter numbers and see a result. Useful once, forgotten by the next bag. HomeBarista treats cost as part of the brew log:
- Bag price is recorded once. When you add a new coffee (or scan it with the AI bag scanner), you set the price. Every brew using that bag is automatically priced.
- Doses auto-deduct from inventory. The same 18 g that triggers the inventory ring also runs through the price calculation. No double-entry.
- Milk cost is a global setting. Configure milk price and volume once; latte and cappuccino logs include it.
- Weekly and monthly spend in Insights. Roll-up totals show what your coffee habit actually costs over time — not theoretical, but the sum of brews you actually logged.
- Cups per bag estimate. Based on your default dose for the device.
Stop guessing what your coffee habit costs.
HomeBarista prices every brew automatically. Free on iOS — 3-day PRO trial.
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate cost per cup of coffee?
(Bag price ÷ Bag weight in grams) × Dose. For milk drinks, add (Milk price ÷ Milk volume) × Amount steamed. A $20 / 250 g bag at 18 g dose = $1.44 of coffee per shot.
What is a typical cost per cup of specialty coffee at home?
$0.80–$2.00 per cup depending on bag price and brew method. A $20 specialty bag puts filter coffee around $1.10–$1.50 per cup. Latte adds $0.15–$0.30 in milk.
How does HomeBarista calculate cost per cup?
Bag price is set once when you add a coffee. HomeBarista prices every brew that uses that bag automatically by multiplying the dose against cost per gram. Milk price is a global setting. Weekly/monthly totals appear in Insights.
How many cups can you make from a 250 g bag?
About 13–14 espresso shots at 18 g, 14–16 pour overs at 15–17 g, or 8 French press batches at 30 g. The calculator shows cups-per-bag based on your default dose.
Is making coffee at home cheaper than buying it?
Yes, substantially. A $5 cafe latte costs $1.50–$1.80 at home with the same specialty coffee. Over a year of one drink per day, that's roughly $1,170 in savings.