Cost of a habit calculator
Small repeated costs add up. Enter the price of a habit and how often you do it to see its real effect on your budget.
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How to use it
- Enter price each time, number of times, per, number of years and annual return if invested.
- The result appears straight away and updates as you edit.
- Copy the result, or copy a link that keeps the same values to share it.
How it is calculated
Yearly cost = price × times × (365 per day, 52 per week or 12 per month). Invested value = (yearly ÷ 12) × ((1 + r)^n − 1) ÷ r, where r is the annual return ÷ 12 and n the number of months.
Example
Inputs: Price each time = 15, Number of times = 1, Per = day, Number of years = 10 years, Annual return if invested = 6 %. Result: Cost over the period: 54,750.00; Cost per year: 5,475.00; Cost per month: 456.25.
Limits and caveats
- A year counts as 365 days or 52 weeks, ignoring leap years.
- The price stays fixed for the whole period, while real prices usually rise with inflation.
Questions about this tool
Why is the invested value higher than the cost?
Each monthly amount earns a return and that return earns more, so the gap widens the longer the period.
Can I add two habits together?
Add their prices if they happen equally often, or run each habit alone and add the results.
Does it work for the cost of smoking?
Yes, enter the price of a pack and how many packs per day or week.