How Much Does It Cost to Start a Ghost Kitchen?
Last updated: May 2026
National Average
Low
$20,000
Medium
$60,000
High
$150,000
A delivery-only restaurant operating from a commercial kitchen without a dining room. Fulfills orders through food delivery apps such as DoorDash and Uber Eats. Lower overhead than traditional restaurants makes this one of the most accessible food business models.
Time to Launch
1-3 months
Profit Margins
5%-15% net profit after platform commissions
Break-Even Timeline
6-12 months
Interactive Cost Calculator
Select a state below to see state-adjusted costs.
Startup Cost Calculator
Ghost Kitchen in Nationally
Budget:
$8,000
$20,000
$2,500
$8,000
$3,000
$2,000
$4,000
$5,000
$10,000
Options
Employees:
Startup Costs
$62,500
Monthly Costs
$12,000
First Year Total
$206,500
Startup Costs by State
| State | Low | Medium | High | LLC Fee | Sales Tax |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi | $15,400 | $46,200 | $115,500 | $50 | 7.0% |
| West Virginia | $15,400 | $46,200 | $115,500 | $100 | 6.0% |
| Oklahoma | $16,000 | $48,000 | $120,000 | $100 | 4.5% |
| Alabama | $16,200 | $48,600 | $121,500 | $200 | 4.0% |
| Arkansas | $16,200 | $48,600 | $121,500 | $45 | 6.5% |
| North Dakota | $16,400 | $49,200 | $123,000 | $135 | 5.0% |
| Iowa | $16,600 | $49,800 | $124,500 | $50 | 6.0% |
| Kansas | $16,600 | $49,800 | $124,500 | $160 | 6.5% |
| Missouri | $16,600 | $49,800 | $124,500 | $50 | 4.2% |
| South Dakota | $16,600 | $49,800 | $124,500 | $150 | 4.2% |
| Kentucky | $16,800 | $50,400 | $126,000 | $40 | 6.0% |
| Louisiana | $16,800 | $50,400 | $126,000 | $100 | 5.0% |
| Wyoming | $16,800 | $50,400 | $126,000 | $100 | 4.0% |
| Nebraska | $17,000 | $51,000 | $127,500 | $105 | 5.5% |
| Indiana | $17,200 | $51,600 | $129,000 | $95 | 7.0% |
| Michigan | $17,600 | $52,800 | $132,000 | $50 | 6.0% |
| Ohio | $17,600 | $52,800 | $132,000 | $99 | 5.8% |
| New Mexico | $18,000 | $54,000 | $135,000 | $50 | 4.9% |
| South Carolina | $18,000 | $54,000 | $135,000 | $110 | 6.0% |
| Wisconsin | $18,200 | $54,600 | $136,500 | $130 | 5.0% |
| Tennessee | $18,400 | $55,200 | $138,000 | $300 | 7.0% |
| Texas | $18,400 | $55,200 | $138,000 | $300 | 6.3% |
| Georgia | $18,800 | $56,400 | $141,000 | $100 | 4.0% |
| Minnesota | $18,800 | $56,400 | $141,000 | $155 | 6.9% |
| Illinois | $19,000 | $57,000 | $142,500 | $150 | 6.3% |
| Idaho | $19,200 | $57,600 | $144,000 | $100 | 6.0% |
| North Carolina | $19,200 | $57,600 | $144,000 | $125 | 4.8% |
| Pennsylvania | $19,200 | $57,600 | $144,000 | $125 | 6.0% |
| Montana | $19,400 | $58,200 | $145,500 | $35 | 0.0% |
| Utah | $20,000 | $60,000 | $150,000 | $54 | 6.1% |
| Delaware | $20,800 | $62,400 | $156,000 | $110 | 0.0% |
| Nevada | $21,000 | $63,000 | $157,500 | $425 | 6.8% |
| Virginia | $21,400 | $64,200 | $160,500 | $100 | 5.3% |
| Vermont | $21,800 | $65,400 | $163,500 | $125 | 6.0% |
| Arizona | $22,000 | $66,000 | $165,000 | $50 | 5.6% |
| Colorado | $22,000 | $66,000 | $165,000 | $50 | 2.9% |
| Florida | $22,400 | $67,200 | $168,000 | $125 | 6.0% |
| Oregon | $22,400 | $67,200 | $168,000 | $100 | 0.0% |
| Rhode Island | $22,400 | $67,200 | $168,000 | $150 | 7.0% |
| Maine | $22,800 | $68,400 | $171,000 | $175 | 5.5% |
| New Hampshire | $23,400 | $70,200 | $175,500 | $102 | 0.0% |
| Washington | $23,600 | $70,800 | $177,000 | $200 | 6.5% |
| Connecticut | $23,800 | $71,400 | $178,500 | $120 | 6.3% |
| Maryland | $24,200 | $72,600 | $181,500 | $100 | 6.0% |
| New Jersey | $25,000 | $75,000 | $187,500 | $125 | 6.6% |
| Alaska | $25,400 | $76,200 | $190,500 | $250 | 0.0% |
| New York | $27,800 | $83,400 | $208,500 | $200 | 4.0% |
| California | $30,400 | $91,200 | $228,000 | $70 | 7.3% |
| Massachusetts | $30,800 | $92,400 | $231,000 | $500 | 6.3% |
| Hawaii | $38,600 | $115,800 | $289,500 | $50 | 4.0% |
Cheapest & Most Expensive States
5 Cheapest States
- Mississippi$46,200
- West Virginia$46,200
- Oklahoma$48,000
- Alabama$48,600
- Arkansas$48,600
5 Most Expensive States
- Hawaii$115,800
- Massachusetts$92,400
- California$91,200
- New York$83,400
- Alaska$76,200
Frequently Asked Questions
Starting a ghost kitchen spans a wide range. Using an existing ghost kitchen facility with shared equipment can reduce costs to the low five figures. Building out a dedicated ghost kitchen space in a commercial facility requires meaningfully more — well into the five to low six figures. Many operators start in shared commissary kitchens for the lowest barrier to entry. Use the calculator on this page to model your specific scenario.
Ghost kitchens sell food exclusively through delivery apps. Revenue is order value minus platform commissions, food cost, and labor. A ghost kitchen running steady daily order volume at typical delivery ticket sizes generates a meaningful monthly gross, with net margins in the single-to-low-double digit percentage range after all costs.
DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub each charge a per-order commission that varies by plan tier and exposure level. These commissions must be factored into pricing — menu prices on delivery platforms typically need to sit meaningfully above dine-in pricing to maintain profitability after the platform's cut.
Yes — running 2-5 virtual brands from one kitchen is a common strategy that maximizes revenue per kitchen hour. One kitchen making burgers, wings, and salads can operate as three separate restaurant brands on delivery platforms. Each brand needs its own menu, photos, and reviews to succeed.
The best ghost kitchen concepts are pizza, burgers, wings, Asian cuisine (noodles, bowls, sushi), Mexican food, and anything with broad appeal that travels well. Delicate dishes that degrade in quality during delivery (crispy foods, multi-component dishes) are more challenging. Focus on food that tastes great after 15-30 minutes in a bag.
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