FoodTruckCost

Food Truck Monthly Costs: $5K–$20K/Month (2026)

Calculate your food truck's monthly expenses and estimated profit based on your city, cuisine, and schedule.

Food Cost: Your Biggest Variable

Food cost percentage is what kills most food trucks that look profitable on paper. The industry target is 28–32% of revenue. Coffee trucks can hit 15–22%. BBQ trucks regularly run 30–35% because meat prices are volatile. If your food cost creeps above 35%, your margins disappear entirely once you add labor and overhead.

Track this weekly, not monthly. A supplier price increase that raises your food cost by 3 points is invisible if you're only checking monthly numbers. Weigh portions. Log waste. The operators who stay under 30% food cost are obsessive about it.

Commissary Rent: The Hidden Fixed Cost

Most cities require food trucks to operate out of a licensed commissary kitchen for prep work, cleaning, and storage. You can't prep food at home and sell it from a truck. Commissary rent runs $500–$2,000/month depending on city and how many hours you use. New York commissaries run $1,800/month or more. Denver and Indianapolis are closer to $600–$800.

Some commissaries offer shared-use time slots if you don't need 24/7 access. That can cut your monthly cost in half. The tradeoff is scheduling limitations. For a truck that operates 5 days a week, 10–15 hours of commissary access per week is typically enough.

Fuel and Propane: Underestimated Every Time

Diesel for driving to locations runs $250–$500/month depending on how far you travel. Propane for cooking runs another $150–$300/month. These costs scale with days worked. A truck running 7 days a week burns through propane fast. Two 20-gallon tanks is standard. Budget for filling them twice a week during heavy service periods.

Generator fuel is a separate line if your truck doesn't have a built-in power hookup. Running a generator 8 hours a day adds another $200–$400/month. Factor that in before assuming the calculator above captures your full fuel picture.

Monthly Profit Margins by Cuisine Type

The same revenue number produces very different margins depending on what you cook. Food cost percentage is the main driver, but labor and equipment depreciation also shift the picture. Based on industry benchmarks for trucks doing $25,000–$30,000/month in revenue:

Cuisine Food Cost % Typical Monthly Expenses Net Margin Range
Coffee 15–22% $10K–$14K 20–30%
Desserts / Ice Cream 20–28% $11K–$15K 18–28%
Mexican / Pizza 25–30% $13K–$17K 12–20%
American / Asian 28–33% $14K–$18K 10–18%
BBQ 30–35% $15K–$20K 8–15%

Net margin calculated at $25K monthly revenue with 2 employees, 5 operating days/week. Actual margins vary significantly by city and location quality.

Seasonal Cost Variation: What Changes Month to Month

Monthly costs aren't flat. Several lines swing significantly by season:

  • Fuel: Higher in winter when trucks idle longer for heat. Summer driving is more efficient. Expect 15–25% higher fuel costs December through February in cold-weather markets.
  • Commissary: Fixed monthly rate doesn't change, but some operators reduce hours in slow seasons, dropping to hourly billing. If you're on an hourly arrangement, winter can cut this cost 20–40%.
  • Propane: Roughly constant, though high-BTU cooking peaks during summer festival season when service volume is highest.
  • Labor: Event season (May–September) often means hiring additional part-time help at $15–$20/hour. Budget $1,500–$3,000/month extra during peak months.
  • Maintenance: Spring is the most common time for truck breakdowns — vehicles that sat through winter reveal problems. Budget a $1,500–$3,000 spring maintenance fund.

Monthly Cost by Operating Schedule

The number of days you operate each week is the single biggest driver of your monthly expense total, mainly through food cost and labor scaling. Here's how costs shift:

  • 3 days/week: Monthly expenses run $5,000–$8,000. Commissary, insurance, and permits are the fixed floor. Food cost and labor scale down accordingly. A lean setup for part-time operators or farmers market focused trucks.
  • 5 days/week: The standard full-time operation. Monthly expenses land at $7,500–$12,000. Food cost eats 30–35% of revenue, labor runs $3,000–$6,000 depending on staff count.
  • 7 days/week: Expenses climb to $10,000–$18,000. Propane and fuel costs increase proportionally. Labor becomes your biggest risk — owner burnout is common without an additional hire at this pace.

When Monthly Expenses Exceed Revenue: Red Flags to Watch

A food truck loses money when fixed costs exceed what variable revenue can cover. The three most common causes:

  • Food cost above 35%: Usually a menu pricing or waste problem. Do a cost-per-plate audit on your top 5 items. If any single item has food cost above 40%, reprice or cut it.
  • Daily revenue below $500: The break-even floor for most trucks operating 5 days/week. Below this, fixed costs (commissary, insurance, permits) consume all margin. Location and service hours need to change before costs can be fixed.
  • Labor over 35% of revenue: Typically means you're overstaffed for your revenue, or you're paying yourself at market rate while still building revenue. Owner salary should be deferred until the truck consistently clears $20,000/month.

Common Questions About Monthly Food Truck Costs

What are the biggest monthly costs for a food truck?
The biggest monthly costs are food and ingredients (30–35% of revenue for most cuisines), labor ($3,000–$8,000/month for two employees), and commissary rental ($500–$2,000/month). Fuel, propane, insurance, and supplies add another $900–$1,800/month. At $25,000/month revenue, a well-run truck spends $18,000–$21,000 in expenses and clears $4,000–$7,000 in profit.
How much does a food truck make per month?
A food truck operating 5 days/week generates $15,000–$35,000/month in revenue depending on city, daily service hours, and concept. Average daily revenue across 50 US cities ranges from $720 (El Paso) to $1,300 (New York). After expenses, most trucks net $3,000–$8,000/month in the first two years, growing as the route and reputation develop.
What is a typical food truck profit margin?
Profit margins range from 6–9% for high-food-cost cuisines like BBQ, up to 15–20% for coffee and desserts. The industry average across all cuisine types is around 10–15% net margin after all expenses including owner salary. Trucks in high-revenue cities (New York, San Francisco) often post higher total profits despite higher expenses, because revenue scales faster than costs.
Do food truck monthly costs change by season?
Yes. Fuel costs run 15–25% higher in winter. Event-season labor (May–September) adds $1,500–$3,000/month in markets with active festival circuits. Revenue swings more dramatically than costs in seasonal markets — some trucks in cold-weather cities report 40–60% lower revenue November through February, while fixed costs like commissary and insurance stay flat.

Food Truck Startup Costs 2026

Free startup cost calculator — $85K–$120K average, 50 cities covered.

Permit Fees by City

$280–$17,000 depending on your city

Food Truck vs Restaurant

Side-by-side startup and operating cost comparison

Equipment Costs by Cuisine

$15K–$75K depending on what you cook

Startup Cost Breakdown

Every line item: truck, permits, insurance, commissary deposit

Income & Profit Guide

What trucks actually net after all those monthly costs

Updated March 2026. Costs are estimates based on industry averages and may vary by location and business model.

Data: Municipal Permit Fee Schedules, SBA Small Business Startup Research, FDA Food Safety Modernization Act Requirements, Commercial Insurance Premium Data

Last updated: March 2026

How we calculate this · Verify current permit requirements with your city before applying. Requirements change without notice.

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