Startup cost calculator
Add up your one-time and monthly expenses to see what it takes to launch.
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What it costs to launch
Fill in amounts for your line items to see your one-time, monthly, and first-year totals.
How much does it cost to start a business?
The honest answer is: it depends on your specific costs. The way to get a real number is to list every expense and sort it into two buckets — one-time costs you pay to open, and recurring costs you pay every month to stay open.
Your first-year estimate combines both: one-time costs plus twelve months of recurring costs. That's the cash you should plan to have before you launch.
Frequently asked questions
- What counts as a startup cost?
- Startup costs are everything you spend to open and run your business. Split them into one-time costs (equipment, licenses, initial inventory, website setup) and recurring monthly costs (rent, payroll, software, marketing).
- How much does it cost to start a small business?
- It varies widely — a home-based service business might start for a few hundred dollars, while a retail storefront can run tens of thousands. Add up your specific one-time and monthly line items to get a realistic number for your situation.
- What is a first-year cost estimate?
- It's your total one-time costs plus twelve months of recurring costs — a realistic view of the cash you need to launch and survive your first year before the business fully supports itself.
Once you know your monthly costs, the break-even calculator shows how much you need to sell to cover them.