Starting a food truck costs between €50,000 and €150,000, depending on your choices. Many entrepreneurs forget to include permits, inspections and initial inventory in their calculations. In this article you'll learn how to calculate all costs so you don't get any surprises.
Overview of all investment costs
A food truck has different cost categories that you need to calculate in advance. We'll break them down into main categories:
- Vehicle and setup: €30,000 - €100,000
- Kitchen equipment: €15,000 - €35,000
- Permits and inspections: €2,000 - €5,000
- Initial inventory and working capital: €3,000 - €10,000
💡 Example mid-range budget:
- Used truck + setup: €60,000
- Kitchen equipment: €22,000
- Permits and MOT: €3,500
- Initial inventory: €5,000
- Contingency (10%): €9,050
Total: €99,550
Specify vehicle and setup
The vehicle is your biggest cost item. You have three options:
- New equipped truck: €80,000 - €150,000
- Used with setup: €40,000 - €80,000
- DIY setup (chassis + self-build): €30,000 - €60,000
With DIY setup you need to account for insulation, electrical, gas, ventilation, hand washing station and flooring. That easily costs €15,000 - €25,000 on top of a suitable chassis.
⚠️ Important:
A food truck must meet HACCP requirements. DIY setup seems cheaper, but if the inspection fails, rebuilding costs thousands of euros extra.
Budget kitchen equipment
Your kitchen equipment depends on your concept. For a basic burger/fries truck you should budget:
- Deep fryer (double): €3,000 - €6,000
- Grill/plancha: €2,000 - €4,000
- Refrigeration (under/over): €3,000 - €5,000
- Ventilation and extraction: €4,000 - €8,000
- Small equipment: €2,000 - €3,000
💡 Pizza truck example:
- Wood oven: €8,000
- Refrigeration: €4,000
- Prep table: €1,500
- Ventilation: €5,000
- Small equipment: €2,500
Total: €21,000
Calculate permits and inspections
For a food truck you need various permits. Costs vary by municipality:
- Operating permit: €500 - €1,500 per municipality
- HACCP inspection: €800 - €1,200
- MOT and vehicle inspection: €200 - €400
- Pitch permits: €50 - €200 per location per year
- Event permits: €25 - €150 per event
Many entrepreneurs forget that you need a separate operating permit for each municipality where you want to operate. With 5 municipalities you're already spending €2,500 - €7,500 on permits alone.
⚠️ Important:
Some municipalities have waiting lists of years for fixed pitches. Check this in advance, otherwise you'll have a truck but nowhere to operate it.
Working capital and initial inventory
Besides the truck you need money to operate:
- Initial inventory: €1,500 - €3,000
- Packaging materials: €500 - €1,000
- Marketing (website, flyers): €1,000 - €2,000
- Insurance (first year): €2,000 - €4,000
- Buffer first 3 months: €3,000 - €8,000
Many food trucks have a slow start. Budget for at least 3 months where you earn little but still have costs.
💡 Working capital calculation:
At €1,000 revenue per day (6 days/week):
- Food cost 30%: €300/day
- Fuel: €50/day
- Other costs: €100/day
For 3 months (78 days): €35,100 working capital needed.
Financing options
Few entrepreneurs have €100,000 in cash. Commonly used financing forms:
- Lease truck: €800 - €1,500/month
- Business loan: interest 4-8%, term 5-10 years
- Crowdfunding: for unique concepts
- Investor: against percentage of revenue
With leasing you pay more, but your initial investment is much lower. Calculate what works best for your cash flow.
How do you calculate total investment costs? (step by step)
Make a list of all cost items
Write down: vehicle, setup, kitchen equipment, permits, initial inventory, working capital and contingency. Don't forget small things like cutlery, dishes and cleaning supplies.
Get quotes for the big items
Request prices from food truck builders, equipment suppliers and your municipality. Get at least 3 quotes per major purchase to get realistic prices.
Add everything up and add 15% contingency
Sum all costs and add 15% contingency to the total. With a food truck something always goes differently than planned. This buffer prevents you from running out of money halfway through.
✨ Pro tip
Start with one municipality and expand later. Many beginning food truck entrepreneurs want to operate everywhere, but 8 permits cost €8,000+ before you've earned a single euro.
Calculate this yourself?
In the KitchenNmbrs app you can do this in just a few clicks. 7 days free, no credit card.
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Frequently asked questions
Can I start a food truck with €30,000?
That's very tight. You can buy an old truck and set it up yourself, but then you still don't have permits, inventory and working capital. Budget at least €50,000 for a simple start.
What does a food truck cost per month in fixed costs?
On average €2,000 - €4,000 per month. These are insurance, depreciation, maintenance, phone and pitch permits. Variable costs like fuel and ingredients come on top of that.
Is it better to lease or buy?
Leasing costs more but spreads your investment. At €1,200/month lease you pay €72,000 over 5 years. A comparable truck to buy costs €60,000. But with leasing you have better cash flow for daily operations.
How much revenue do I need to make to be profitable?
At €4,000 fixed costs per month you need at least €13,000 revenue (30% margin). That's €500 per day, 6 days a week. Check if this is realistic at your locations.
Which permits are the most expensive?
Operating permits per municipality. If you want to operate in 8 municipalities you're spending €4,000 - €12,000 on permits alone before you've earned a single euro. Check in advance where you want to operate and include all municipalities.
📚 Sources consulted
- EU Verordening 852/2004 — Levensmiddelenhygiëne (2004) — Official source
- EU Verordening 853/2004 — Hygiënevoorschriften voor levensmiddelen van dierlijke oorsprong (2004) — Official source
- EU Verordening 1169/2011 — Voedselinformatie aan consumenten (2011) — Official source
- NVWA — Hygiënecode voor de horeca (2024) — Official source
- NVWA — Allergenen in voedsel (2024) — Official source
- Codex Alimentarius — International Food Standards (2024) — Official source
- FSA — Safer food, better business (HACCP) (2024) — Official source
- BVL — Lebensmittelhygiene (HACCP) (2024) — Official source
- Warenwetbesluit Bereiding en behandeling van levensmiddelen (2024) — Official source
- WHO — Foodborne diseases estimates (2024) — Official source
Food Standards Agency (FSA) — https://www.food.gov.uk
The HACCP standards shown in this application are for informational purposes only. KitchenNmbrs does not guarantee that displayed values are current or complete. Always consult the FSA or your local authority for the latest regulations.
Written by
Jeffrey Smit
Founder & CEO of KitchenNmbrs
Jeffrey Smit built KitchenNmbrs from 8 years of hands-on experience as kitchen manager at 1NUL8 Group in Rotterdam. His mission: give every restaurant owner control over food cost.
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