Free Startup Cost Calculator

List your one-time and monthly costs. See the total cash you need to launch and run until revenue takes over.

100% freeNo signup neededLast updated: October 27, 2026
Your numbers
One-time costs$7,200
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Monthly costs$5,250 / mo
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mo
1Until revenue pays the bills.24
%
0%10 to 20% is common.40%
Live answer

You need $44,505 to start.

That covers $7,200 of setup, 6 months of running costs and a 15% cushion.

$7.2K16%$31.5K71%$5.8K13%
SetupRunning costsCushion
  • Covered6 months of costs with a 15% cushion.
  • BiggestFounder pay at $3,000 a month, 57.1% of running costs.
The math, in order
  1. One-time costs4 items$7,200
  2. Running costs$5,250 × 6 months$31,500
  3. Subtotal$7,200 + $31,500$38,700
  4. Contingency$38,700 × 15%$5,805
  5. Total cash needed$38,700 + $5,805$44,505
What moves it
Founder pay -20%Biggest lever$40,365−$4.1K
All monthly costs -10%$40,883−$3.6K
Months to cover -10%$40,883−$3.6K
All one-time costs -10%$43,677−$828
Website and brand -20%$43,815−$690
Contingency -10%$43,925−$581

Before you spend $44,505, spend one minute on the idea.Free scan, under a minute.

Run a free scan

How to estimate startup costs

Total = (One-time costs + Monthly costs × Months) × (1 + Contingency)

One-time costs are what you pay once to open: formation, brand, equipment, legal. Monthly costs keep the lights on until revenue covers them. The contingency covers the items you forgot, because first budgets usually run over.

Worked example. $7,200 of one-time costs and $5,250 a month for 6 months is $38,700. A 15% contingency adds $5,805, so you need $44,505.

The cheapest line on this list is checking that someone will buy before you spend the rest. Run a free validation scan first.

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Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to start a startup?

From a few hundred dollars for a solo software product to six figures for hardware or retail. List your own items. An average will not fit your plan.

What contingency should I use?

10 to 20% is common. Use the high end if you have never built this kind of business before.

Should I include my own pay?

Put your living costs in the monthly list, even if you take no salary. Otherwise the plan runs out of money the day rent is due.

How many months of costs should I cover?

Count the months until your first sale, then the months it takes revenue to cover your costs. If the first sale is 4 months away and it takes 6 more to cover costs, plan for 10.

Is the startup cost calculator free?

Yes. It needs no signup and the math runs in your browser as you type.