School lunch cost.

Yearly lunch cost = cost per lunch x school days x children. A packed lunch at $4.50 over 190 days is $855 a child, against $1,710 at $9 for bought lunches.

Arithmetic only. No lunch prices are built in; every figure comes from what you enter, and the number of school days varies by school board and year.

Worked example

Two children, 190 school days, a packed lunch at $4.50 and a bought lunch at $9, with lunch bought 2 days a week. The average lunch is $6.30, so the year costs $2,394 ($199.50 a month, $1,197 a child). Packing every day would cost $1,710 and buying every day $3,420, so packing every day saves $1,710 a year against buying every day.

How it works

Share bought = days bought per week / 5. Average lunch = packed x (1 - share) + bought x share. Yearly cost = average lunch x school days x children. The all-packed and all-bought figures use each price for every day, and the saving is all-bought minus all-packed. Monthly = yearly / 12.

Sources

Arithmetic on the numbers you enter. No external prices, school calendars or guidelines are used.

FAQ

How much does school lunch cost per year?

Multiply the cost of one lunch by the school days and the number of children. For example $4.50 x 190 days is $855 for one child.

How many school days are in a year?

It varies by school board and year, so this page uses 190 only as an editable placeholder. Check your school calendar.

Is packing a lunch cheaper than buying one?

That depends on your prices. Enter what a packed lunch and a bought lunch cost you and the calculator shows the yearly gap.

How do I price a packed lunch?

Add up the grocery cost of everything in the box, such as the sandwich, fruit, snack and drink, and enter the total per lunch.

Can I use a mix of packed and bought days?

Yes. Set days a week you buy lunch from 0 to 5 and the calculator averages the two prices.