Food Truck Startup Cost Calculator

Total cost: truck, build-out, equipment, permits, and working capital.

Truck condition (0=Used, 1=New)

Truck purchase price ($)

Kitchen build-out ($)

Kitchen equipment ($)

Initial food inventory ($)

Permits & licenses ($)

Working capital (months)

Tab to move between fields

Total startup cost

$96,500.00

≈ 9 years of state college

Hard costs (before reserves)$84,500.00

Truck & build-out$57,500.00

Equipment$15,000.00

Branding, tech & marketing$7,000.00

Working capital reserve$12,000.00

Est. monthly loan payment$1,910.82

How to Use This Calculator

Select whether you are buying a used or new truck and enter the purchase price.
Enter kitchen build-out cost, equipment cost, initial food inventory, and permits and licenses.
Set the number of months of working capital reserve you want on hand.
The calculator shows total startup cost, hard costs before reserves, truck and build-out subtotal, branding and tech estimate, and estimated monthly loan payment if financed.
Use total startup cost to determine required funding from savings, SBA loans, or investors.

How the result changes with Truck purchase price ($)

Truck condition (0=Used, 1=New): Used trucks are cheaper but may need more build-out work.
Truck purchase price ($): Cost of the truck/van itself. Used: $20K-$60K. New: $50K-$150K.
Kitchen build-out ($): Custom kitchen construction, plumbing, electrical, ventilation.
Kitchen equipment ($): Grill, fryer, steam table, refrigeration, prep surfaces, etc.
Initial food inventory ($): First food and supply order to start operations.
Permits & licenses ($): All permits, licenses, health inspections, and insurance deposits.
Working capital (months): Months of operating expenses to keep in reserve. Recommended: 3-6 months.

Total startup cost: All-in cost to launch your food truck business.
Hard costs (before reserves): Total equipment, build-out, permits, and initial inventory.
Truck & build-out: Vehicle purchase plus kitchen construction.
Equipment: Commercial kitchen equipment cost.
Branding, tech & marketing: Vehicle wrap, POS system, and initial marketing ($7,000 est.).
Working capital reserve: Cash reserve for operating expenses during ramp-up.
Est. monthly loan payment: If financed via SBA loan at ~7% over 5 years.

Identify Input Parameters
4 parameters
Truck condition (0=Used, 1=New) = 0, Truck purchase price ($) = 40000, Kitchen build-out ($) = 25000, Kitchen equipment ($) = 15000 = 7 input(s) provided
Calculate Total startup cost
Total startup cost = hardCosts + workingCapital
96500 = $96,500
Calculate Hard costs
Hard costs = truckCost + adjustedBuildOut + equipmentCost + wrapCost +
84500 = $84,500
Calculate Truck & build-out
Truck & build-out = round((truckCost + adjustedBuildOut) * 100) / 100
57500 = $57,500