Coffee Machine Cost Calculator

Is a bean-to-cup machine cheaper than your pod machine – and if you already own a machine, when does switching start to pay off? This calculator lines up pod, bean-to-cup and filter coffee over 1 to 10 years. You enter your cups per day, the prices and the consumption, and you see the total cost, the cost per cup, how much is purchase price versus running cost, the replacement purchases that fall due and the month in which a switch catches up. Every figure is your input or a clearly labelled example assumption; the calculation runs in your browser and nothing is stored.

Compare pod, bean-to-cup and filter coffee over the same period. All defaults are example assumptions, not market prices – replace them with your own figures. The calculator judges no taste and no quality; it only names what is cheapest under your assumptions. The calculation runs in your browser; nothing is stored.

Basics

Cups per day (e.g. 3)

Average cups per day; decimals such as 2.5 are allowed.

Period (years)

Comparison period in whole years (1 to 10).

Buying new, or do I already own a machine? Buy everything new I already own a machine

Fine-tune: electricity and residual value

Electricity price (€/kWh)

Your electricity price per kilowatt-hour; it is on your electricity bill.

Credit the residual value of unused years at the end

Applies only to machines you buy new within the period. A machine you keep and never replace gets no residual value – its earlier purchase price is sunk, its remaining life is simply not credited here. With this on, it can tilt the comparison towards a switch.

Pod machine

compare

Price of a new machine (€)

Purchase price of a new machine of this type.

Price per pod (€)

Price of a single pod or capsule.

Fine-tuneService life, servicing, electricity

Service life (years)

How many years a new machine lasts before you replace it (an estimate).

Servicing per year (€)

Descaler, cleaning tablets, water filters and servicing per year.

Electricity per cup (kWh)

Electricity per cup including heating up; the device label or a plug-in meter gives a better value.

Bean-to-cup machine

compare

Price of a new machine (€)

Purchase price of a new machine of this type.

Coffee per kilogram (€)

Price of one kilogram of beans or ground coffee.

Grams per cup (g)

Grams of coffee per cup, depending on strength and taste; you set the exact figure yourself.

Fine-tuneService life, servicing, electricity

Service life (years)

How many years a new machine lasts before you replace it (an estimate).

Servicing per year (€)

Descaler, cleaning tablets, water filters and servicing per year.

Electricity per cup (kWh)

Electricity per cup including heating up; the device label or a plug-in meter gives a better value.

Filter machine

compare

Price of a new machine (€)

Purchase price of a new machine of this type.

Coffee per kilogram (€)

Price of one kilogram of beans or ground coffee.

Grams per cup (g)

Grams of coffee per cup, depending on strength and taste; you set the exact figure yourself.

Fine-tuneService life, servicing, electricity

Service life (years)

How many years a new machine lasts before you replace it (an estimate).

Price per paper filter (€)

Price of one paper filter.

Cups per filter (cups)

How many cups you brew with one paper filter.

Servicing per year (€)

Descaler, cleaning tablets, water filters and servicing per year.

Electricity per cup (kWh)

Electricity per cup including heating up; the device label or a plug-in meter gives a better value.

Your result

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All amounts are rounded to the nearest cent; individual parts may therefore differ by a cent from the total shown.

Cumulative cost over time (excluding residual value)

One line per system: cumulative cost per month, excluding residual value. Dot markers show purchases; dashed vertical lines mark the earliest ranking changes (labelled below with the month and the pair of systems). Every ranking change is also listed in the text below.

Show values as a table

This calculator needs JavaScript because the calculation runs entirely in your browser; so your inputs never leave your device. Two fully worked examples are shown further down this page.

What your result means

“Cheapest under your assumptions” means: with the prices and consumption you entered, this system has the lowest total cost over the period. It is not a recommendation and says nothing about taste, quality or the environment. Look at how purchase price and running costs split, too: a cheap machine with dear pods can cost more over the years than an expensive bean-to-cup machine with cheap coffee – and the other way round if you drink only a few cups. The break-even tells you from when a switch pays off on these numbers; before that you are out of pocket.

How this calculator works

The calculator compares the running total cost of each system over the same period. Cups per day become cups per year (× 365). Each cup has a variable cost: for the pod machine the price of a pod; for bean-to-cup and filter the coffee price per kilogram times grams per cup divided by 1000, and for filter the paper filter divided by the cups brewed per filter. Electricity is added per cup (kWh per cup times your electricity price). The monthly running cost is (cups per year × cost per cup + annual servicing) divided by 12 and stays the same every month.

Purchases fall on whole years. If you buy everything new, each machine is bought in year 0 and again whenever its service life ends (year L, 2L, …) as long as that is still inside the period. In the “I already own a machine” mode the earlier purchase price of that machine no longer counts – it is a sunk cost. It is only replaced when its remaining life ends (year R, R+L, …); a remaining life of 0 means it is replaced at once.

For the timeline the calculator adds up, month by month, the purchases booked so far plus the running costs. A purchase in year t is booked in the first month of that year. From this come the total cost, the cost per cup (total cost divided by all cups) and the average cost per year.

If you buy a machine whose life runs past the end of the period, you can credit the unused remainder as a residual value – but only for machines you buy within the period: pro rata by the years left (purchase price × remaining years / service life). A machine you already own and never replace within the period gets no residual value credited. What is sunk here is only the price once paid for that machine; its remaining life is not a sunk item, it is simply not modelled as a credit. Switching the residual-value option on can tilt the comparison towards a switch: a machine bought new within the period is credited a residual value at the end, while the machine you keep is not.

In the switch mode the calculator shows, for each new system, the extra or saved cost against the machine you own and the break-even: the first month in which the running total of the new system is lower than or equal to that of the machine you own. Because the machine you own can be replaced along the way, that first month is not always permanent; the calculator therefore also names the month from which the new system stays equal or cheaper through to the end of the period. If there is no such month, the new system may catch up for a while but is more expensive again by the end. The break-even is taken from the cost timeline without residual value. The calculator works in nominal terms: no inflation, no price rises, no discounting. Internal arithmetic is unrounded; rounding happens only for display.

Formula and variables

Cups per year

D = cups per day \times 365

Your cups per day become cups per year; they drive every running expense.

Coffee and electricity cost per cup

e = kWh per cup \times electricity price

v = pod price + e

pod machine only

v = coffee price/kg \cdot \frac{grams}{1000} + e

bean-to-cup only

v = coffee price/kg \cdot \frac{grams}{1000} + \frac{filter price}{cups per filter} + e

filter only

The cost per cup v depends on the system; the electricity cost e is added to every cup.

Servicing

servicing cost = annual servicing \times years

Servicing covers descaler, cleaning tablets, water filters and service; it also sits inside the monthly running cost.

Replacement purchases

t = 0, L, 2 \cdot L, …

buy-everything-new mode or a machine you do not already own; only years t below the period

t = R, R + L, R + 2 \cdot L, …

switch mode, machine you already own; with R equal to zero at once; only years t below the period

booking month = 12 \cdot t + 1

purchase costs = number of purchases \times purchase price

Each machine is bought and replaced on whole years; the earlier purchase price of a machine you already own does not count.

Cost over time

c = \frac{D \cdot v + annual servicing}{12}

K_{m} = purchases booked up to month m + m \cdot c

Month by month the calculator adds the purchases booked so far and the unchanging running cost.

Residual value

residual value = purchase price \cdot \frac{t_{last} + L - years}{L}

only if you credit the residual value and the last machine bought runs past the period (last purchase year plus service life greater than years)

If the last machine bought runs past the end, you can credit the unused remainder pro rata; a machine you keep and never replace gets none.

Cost per cup

total cost = K_{12 \cdot years} - residual value

cost per cup = \frac{total cost}{D \cdot years}

The cost per cup follows from the total cost and all cups over the period.

Variables

Cups per day: how many drinks you make on an average day (decimals allowed)
D: cups per year: cups per day times 365
e: electricity cost per cup: kWh per cup times the electricity price
v: cost per cup: the variable price of one cup including electricity, depending on the system
c: monthly running cost: (D times cost per cup plus annual servicing) divided by 12
m: month from the start, from 1 to 12 times years
t: purchase year: the whole year of a purchase; it is booked in month 12 times t plus 1
L: service life: economic life of a new machine in whole years
R: remaining life: years left on the machine you already own (switch mode only)
Purchase price: price of a new machine; charged again at every replacement
Pod price: price of a single pod or capsule (pod machine only)
Coffee price/kg × grams: price per kilogram of beans or ground coffee and the grams per cup (bean-to-cup, filter)
Filter price / cups per filter: price of a paper filter spread over the cups brewed with it (filter only)
Annual servicing: descaler, cleaning tablets, water filters and servicing per year
Residual value: creditable remaining value of a machine bought in the period whose life runs past the end

Worked examples

Example 1: all three machines new, 3 cups a day over 5 years

Example inputs
Cups per day	3
Period	5 years
Electricity price per kWh	€0.35
Mode	Buy everything new
Credit residual value	off
Pod – purchase	€90.00
Pod – pod price	€0.40
Pod – service life	5 years
Pod – servicing per year	€15.00
Pod – electricity per cup	0.02 kWh
Bean-to-cup – purchase	€450.00
Bean-to-cup – coffee per kg	€16.00
Bean-to-cup – grams per cup	9 g
Bean-to-cup – service life	7 years
Bean-to-cup – servicing per year	€40.00
Bean-to-cup – electricity per cup	0.03 kWh
Filter – purchase	€40.00
Filter – coffee per kg	€12.00
Filter – grams per cup	7 g
Filter – filter price	€0.03
Filter – cups per filter	4
Filter – service life	6 years
Filter – servicing per year	€5.00
Filter – electricity per cup	0.05 kWh

Example results
Pod – total cost	€2,393.33
Bean-to-cup – total cost	€1,495.89
Filter – total cost	€661.78
Pod – cost per cup	€0.44
Bean-to-cup – cost per cup	€0.27
Filter – cost per cup	€0.12

At 3 cups a day that is 5,475 cups over 5 years. With all three machines bought new, using example assumptions for prices and consumption: the pod machine costs €2,393.33 over the period (€0.44 per cup), the bean-to-cup machine €1,495.89 (€0.27 per cup) and the filter machine €661.78 (€0.12 per cup). For the pod machine almost all the cost sits in the coffee: €2,190.00 for pods against just €90.00 to buy the machine. The bean-to-cup machine costs more to buy (€450.00) but far less per cup. On these assumptions the filter machine is the cheapest. All figures are example assumptions.

Example 2: pod machine already owned, 2 years of life left

Example inputs
Cups per day	3
Period	5 years
Electricity price per kWh	€0.35
Mode	I already own a pod machine
Credit residual value	off
Pod – remaining life	2 years
Pod – replacement price	€90.00
Pod – pod price	€0.40
Pod – service life	5 years
Pod – servicing per year	€15.00
Pod – electricity per cup	0.02 kWh
Bean-to-cup – purchase	€450.00
Bean-to-cup – coffee per kg	€16.00
Bean-to-cup – grams per cup	9 g
Bean-to-cup – service life	7 years
Bean-to-cup – servicing per year	€40.00
Bean-to-cup – electricity per cup	0.03 kWh
Filter – purchase	€40.00
Filter – coffee per kg	€12.00
Filter – grams per cup	7 g
Filter – filter price	€0.03
Filter – cups per filter	4
Filter – service life	6 years
Filter – servicing per year	€5.00
Filter – electricity per cup	0.05 kWh

Example results
Pod – total cost	€2,393.33
Bean-to-cup – extra/saved cost	-€897.44
Bean-to-cup – pays off from month	22
Filter – extra/saved cost	-€1,731.55
Filter – pays off from month	2

Now you already own a pod machine with 2 years of life left; its earlier purchase price is sunk and no longer counts. Only when it is replaced after 2 years do another €90.00 fall due. Even so, the pod machine stays the most expensive option at €2,393.33 over 5 years, because the pods make every cup dear. A bean-to-cup machine (€1,495.89) saves €897.44 on these numbers and catches up from month 22; a filter machine (€661.78) saves €1,731.55 and is already ahead from month 2. Break-even here means: the first month in which the running total for the new machine reaches or falls below the total for keeping the pod machine (calculated without residual value); both machines stay cheaper here right to the end. All figures are example assumptions.

Assumptions

All prices, consumption, service lives and energy figures are your inputs or values labelled “example assumption”; real values may differ.
Each machine is bought and replaced on whole years; a purchase is booked in the first month of that year.
In switch mode the earlier purchase price of the machine you own is sunk and does not count; it is only replaced at the end of its remaining life.
The calculator works in nominal terms: no inflation, no price rises, no discounting. The break-even is taken from the cost timeline without residual value.

Limitations of this calculator

The calculator judges no taste, no health and no environmental impact, and names no brand or model.
Prices change and a machine's service life is an estimate – how long it really lasts no one can know in advance.
The energy figures are your estimate. The device's rating label or a plug-in meter gives a better value than a blanket assumption.
Milk, sugar, water costs and one-off bulk packs of pods or beans are not included; only the entered items count.

Common misconceptions

Counting the price of the old machine: In switch mode the price you once paid for your current machine no longer counts. That money is gone whatever you decide. Only a possible replacement, when its remaining life ends, is counted.
Comparing the pod price with a kilo price directly: Pods are priced per piece, beans and ground coffee per kilogram. Side by side that says little. The calculator makes both comparable through the grams per cup – so enter the kilo price and the grams per cup separately.
Forgetting electricity and servicing: Descaling, cleaning tablets, water filters and electricity are part of the running costs. Leaving them at 0 drops these items from the comparison, so the running costs for that system come out too low.

Frequently asked questions

What does a cup of coffee cost with pods, bean-to-cup or filter?

That depends entirely on your prices and how much you drink. With the example assumptions above – 3 cups a day, pods at 0.40 each, bean-to-cup at 16 per kg using 9 g, filter at 12 per kg using 7 g (all example values in the currency you select) – a cup costs about 0.44 (pod), 0.27 (bean-to-cup) and 0.12 (filter). Enter your own figures and the calculator works out the cost per cup for each system afresh.

Is a bean-to-cup machine worth it if I already own a pod machine?

The switch mode shows you. The price of your pod machine no longer counts, only the running costs and any replacement. A bean-to-cup machine has a high purchase price but a low cost per cup. Whether, and from which month, it catches up depends on how many cups you drink and how dear your pods are – with many cups it happens sooner, with few it can take longer than your comparison period.

Why doesn't the price of my old machine count?

What you have already paid, you will not get back whether you switch or not. Such sunk costs are irrelevant to a decision about the future. What matters is only what each system costs you from today on. Only when your current machine has to be replaced at the end of its remaining life does money fall due again – and the calculator includes that.

How much electricity does a coffee machine use?

The calculator deliberately gives no fixed figure, because it varies a lot by device, heating up and any keep-warm function. The most accurate way is a plug-in meter over a few days, divided by the number of cups. The rating label or the data sheet of your device also helps. Enter the figure you estimate as kWh per cup.

From how many cups does the cheaper machine pay off?

The more cups you drink a day, the more the cost per cup matters and the sooner a machine with cheap coffee earns back its higher purchase price. Just change the cups per day and watch how the ranking and the break-even shift. At only one cup a day a cheaper machine with slightly dearer portions can stay ahead over the whole period.

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Last reviewed: 14/11/2026 · All calculations run in your browser – inputs are not stored. ·How we check our calculators

Coffee Machine Cost Calculator

Your result

Is switching worth it?

Purchases in the period

Cumulative cost over time (excluding residual value)

What your result means

How this calculator works

Formula and variables

Cups per year

Coffee and electricity cost per cup

Servicing

Replacement purchases

Cost over time

Residual value

Cost per cup

Variables

Worked examples

Example 1: all three machines new, 3 cups a day over 5 years

Example 2: pod machine already owned, 2 years of life left

Assumptions

Limitations of this calculator

Common misconceptions

Frequently asked questions

Embed this calculator on your website

Spotted an error in the calculation or the text?