How Much to Charge for a Week of Meal Prep?

November 27, 2025 •

2 min read

The meal delivery industry is projected to exceed $20 billion in the coming years, making meal prep a highly lucrative business venture. Successfully navigating this market requires understanding how much to charge for a week of meal prep to ensure profitability while attracting customers. This guide will walk you through the essential steps for setting your rates.

Quick Summary

A guide to pricing meal prep services, covering cost calculation, different pricing models, and how to determine rates based on market research and service tiers.

Key Points

Calculate Your Costs Accurately: Itemize all expenses, including food, labor, packaging, and delivery, to set a profitable price foundation.
Choose a Strategic Pricing Model: Consider per-serving, package, subscription, or tiered pricing to best suit your business goals and market position.
Research Your Local Market: Benchmark your prices against local competitors to remain competitive and inform your pricing strategy.
Factor in a Healthy Profit Margin: Aim for a profit margin of 20-40% and use a simple formula to ensure you are covering costs and making a profit.
Create Tiered Service Options: Offer different packages to attract a wider range of customers and maximize revenue with varying levels of customization.

Calculating Your Costs: The Foundation of Your Price

Before you can determine how much to charge for a week of meal prep, you must meticulously calculate all associated costs. This approach, often called cost-plus pricing, ensures that every meal is profitable. Your expenses fall into several categories:

Direct Costs

These are the expenses directly tied to producing a specific meal or batch. This includes food costs (ingredients), labor costs (your time or employee wages), packaging costs (containers, labels), and delivery costs (fuel, vehicle maintenance).

Overhead Costs

These are fixed or indirect costs that keep your business running. This can include kitchen space (rent or home utilities), insurance (liability), and marketing and administration expenses (website, ads, software).

Popular Pricing Models for Weekly Meal Prep

Once you have a clear picture of your costs, you can select a pricing model that fits your business goals.

Per Meal/Serving Pricing

Charge a set price for each individual meal or serving.

Package Pricing

Offer bundles that provide value, like a '10-meal package' with a discount.

Subscription Plans

Clients sign up for recurring deliveries, creating predictable revenue. Offer tiers based on meal frequency.

Tiered Service Levels

Appeal to a wider market by offering different tiers, from basic menus to customized plans with specialized ingredients or add-ons.

Market Research and Profit Margin

Research local meal prep services to benchmark your prices. Aim for a profit margin of 20-40%. A key formula is: Price = (Total Costs per serving) / (1 - Desired Profit Margin %) .

Comparison Table: Pricing Models


Pricing Model	Best For	Pros	Cons
Per Meal/Serving	Beginners, small-scale operations	Simple to calculate, transparent for customers	Less incentive for bulk orders
Package Pricing	Growing businesses, customer retention	Encourages larger purchases, higher value perception	Can be complex to manage different packages
Subscription Plans	Established businesses, stable income	Predictable revenue, strong customer loyalty	Requires consistent volume and marketing
Tiered Service Levels	Targeting different market segments	Appeals to a wider audience, maximizes revenue	Increases complexity in menu planning and production

Conclusion

Determining how much to charge for a week of meal prep involves calculating costs, researching the market, and choosing the right pricing model. By understanding your expenses, analyzing competitors, and offering value through strategic pricing tiers and packages, you can build a profitable business.

Tips for Pricing Your Meal Prep

Account for everything: Don't forget small costs like seasoning and oil.
Start with a clear profit goal: Set your desired profit margin early.
Use pricing psychology: Consider ending prices in .99.
Offer add-ons: Provide optional extras like breakfasts or snacks.
Scale with subscription: Implement subscription plans for recurring revenue.

Frequently Asked Questions

While highly dependent on location, menu, and service level, weekly meal prep for one person typically costs between $50 and $150. More customized or premium services can charge significantly more.

Yes, your price must cover all grocery costs. Some services list a weekly service fee separately from grocery costs, which are billed as a pass-through expense, but most incorporate groceries into the total package price.

Track all hours spent on planning, shopping, cooking, packaging, and administrative tasks. Assign an hourly rate for yourself, similar to what you would pay an employee, to ensure your time is valued and accounted for in the final price.

If your prices are higher, ensure your value proposition justifies the cost (e.g., organic ingredients, extreme customization). If they are lower, re-evaluate your cost structure and profit margin to ensure you are not undervaluing your service.

High levels of customization increase your workload and ingredient complexity, justifying a significantly higher price. A basic, fixed menu is more efficient and will command a lower price.

You can either build delivery costs into your overall price or charge a separate delivery fee. Many services use delivery zones, charging higher fees for greater distances to cover fuel and time.

A subscription model provides more predictable, recurring revenue and builds customer loyalty, making it a stronger long-term strategy. One-time packages can be useful for attracting initial customers or for special orders.