A coffee shop is a dream business for many, but the first question is usually “how much does it cost?”, and just as important, “will it actually make a profit?”. This article covers startup costs plus how to work out the cost per cup you need to know before opening, so you don’t open up and lose money without realising.
How much does it cost to open a coffee shop?
Budgets vary a lot by size and location. Roughly three tiers:
| Shop type | Approx. startup budget |
|---|---|
| Cart / small kiosk | ฿15,000 to ฿50,000 |
| Small shophouse | ฿100,000 to ฿300,000 |
| Full sit down café | ฿500,000 and up |
These are planning estimates. Real costs depend on location, equipment, and fit out.
Startup items to prepare
- Espresso machine + grinder: the biggest single item (second hand can save a lot)
- Equipment: ice machine, fridge, cups, brewing gear
- First batch of ingredients: beans, milk, syrup
- Shop fit out + signage
- Working capital: to cover rent / ingredients for the first 2 to 3 months while sales are still uneven
A common mistake is pouring the budget into fit out until there’s no working capital left, which trips you up in the very first month.
Cost per cup: the number to know before opening
Before setting a price, know what one cup costs you. Example, an iced latte:
| Ingredient | Cost |
|---|---|
| Coffee beans | ฿6 |
| Milk | ฿5 |
| Cup + lid + straw | ฿3 |
| Ice + syrup | ฿2 |
| Total cost per cup | ฿16 |
If you sell at ฿50, gross profit per cup = ฿34, but don’t celebrate yet, because you still have to deduct rent, electricity, and labour (read how to price fully: How to price products for profit).
Control profit from day one
New coffee shops that survive are usually the ones that know their own numbers from the start, not the ones waiting until month end to wonder where the money went. What to do:
- Record ingredient cost every time you buy stock: include consumables (cups / straws / ice)
- Log sales daily: see which day / which menu sells well
- View real profit by period: adjust menu / price / cost in time before it’s too late
A tool like Posless makes these three easy in LINE: store menu items with cost per cup, snap purchase receipts as cost, and see real profit by day / month, with no POS hardware (read next: Do small shops need a POS?).
FAQ
Q: Is a ฿30,000 budget enough to open a coffee shop? A: Enough for a cart / small kiosk, focusing on essential equipment and a first batch of ingredients, but keep some working capital. Don’t pour it all into equipment.
Q: About how much is coffee cost per cup? A: Typical coffee drinks have an ingredient cost of around ฿12 to ฿20 per cup, depending on beans, milk, and packaging.
Q: How many months to break even? A: It depends on sales and profit per cup. Knowing your real numbers from month one helps you estimate the break even point far more accurately than guessing (read: How to calculate shop profit).
In short: opening a coffee shop can cost anywhere from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands depending on the format, but the most important numbers are cost per cup and real profit. Know them from day one, and your odds of survival go up a lot.