Startup cost calculator
How much money do you need before your business pays for itself? List what you pay once to open, what you pay every month and how long until sales begin. The calculator adds a cushion for the months after opening and a contingency, and shows every step. Your numbers stay in your browser.
How much you need
Enter at least one cost to see your total.
How it is calculated
- One-time costs = the sum of the one-time lines.
- Running costs until your first sales = monthly costs × months before your first sales.
- Cushion after opening = monthly costs × months of cushion. It covers the months after sales begin, so it never overlaps the line above.
- Contingency = (one-time costs + running costs until your first sales + cushion) × the contingency percentage.
- Total = one-time costs + running costs until your first sales + cushion + contingency.
A worked example (invented numbers)
A small home bakery selling online: one-time costs of 60,000 (oven and equipment 35,000, fit-out 15,000, licences 6,000, website 4,000) and monthly costs of 12,000. Sales start after 3 months, and the founder keeps 2 months of cushion and a 10% contingency: 60,000 + 12,000 × 3 + 12,000 × 2 = 120,000, plus 12,000 of contingency, so 132,000 in all. These numbers only show the method; they are not what a bakery costs.
What this does not tell you
- A quotation or financial advice. The total is an estimate built from your own numbers.
- Official fees. Government fees for registration, licences and permits change and depend on your activity and city. Check the current amounts with the authority that issues them; this page does not guess them.
- Whether sales will start on time. The months before your first sales are your estimate: test it before you rely on it.
- Loans, tax and your own salary, unless you add them as costs.
Questions
What counts as a startup cost?
Everything you pay before the business pays for itself: the one-time costs to open (registration, fit-out, equipment, opening stock, deposits, launch marketing) and the running costs of the months before sales arrive and while they grow.
What is the difference between running costs and the cushion?
Running costs until your first sales cover the months when no money comes in. The cushion, also called working capital, covers the months right after opening, when some money comes in but not yet enough. They are different months, so the calculator never counts the same month twice.
How many months of cushion should I plan for?
It depends on how fast your sales grow and on whether customers pay before or after you deliver. Start with your own estimate of how long it takes until sales cover your monthly costs, then try a higher number to see what changes.
Does it include government fees in Saudi Arabia?
No. Fees change and depend on the activity and the city, so the calculator does not invent them. Find the current amounts on the official services, such as the Saudi Business Center, and enter them as a one-time cost.
Can I keep my numbers?
Yes. Download them as a spreadsheet: a CSV file that Excel, Numbers and Google Sheets open. Nothing you type is stored on our side.
Next steps
From idea to launch, step by step
Each tool is one step. In a project, the AI team runs them in this order and each step builds on the last.
Check the idea
Plan the money
- A free feasibility study for your idea
- Startup cost calculator · You are here
- Break-even calculator
- AI business plan generator
Build
Launch
Run and grow
- Risk analysis and risk register · in a project
- Agile Sprint planning with Scrum · in a project
- AI SEO Analysis
- Grow your business
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