Pizza truck start-up budget calculator
A US pizza truck typically costs somewhere between $30,000 and $200,000 to start, and the two numbers that move the total are the vehicle and the oven. The line most plans forget is working capital: the months of commissary rent, insurance, propane and event fees you pay before the trade settles.
Vehicle and equipment
Reach-in, prep table.
Hood, fire suppression, propane, sinks, electrical.
Health permit, fire inspection, business license, food manager certificate.
Running and financing
Commissary, insurance, fuel, propane, event fees.
Before the trade settles.
Total investment
$95,000
Cash you need
$28,500
30% of the total
Monthly loan payment
$1,412.93
over 60 months
- Vehicle and equipment
- $78,500
- Permits, training and stock
- $4,500
- Working capital3 months at $4,000
- $12,000
- Amount borrowed
- $66,500
- Total interest over the term
- $18,275.71
Where the money actually goes
| Item | Range |
|---|---|
| Used food truck | $30,000 to $100,000 |
| New food truck | $75,000 to $200,000 |
| Custom build | $100,000 to $200,000 or more |
| Insurance (general liability and commercial auto) | $200 to $400 a month |
| Commissary kitchen and parking | $400 to $1,200 a month |
| Total start-up | $30,000 to $200,000 |
DoorDash for Merchants, food truck cost guide, 2026. Oven and equipment presets in the calculator are round starting points, not quotes; prices vary widely by supplier and region.
What this leaves out
Your own pay. The tool budgets the business’s running costs, not your household, and a founder taking nothing for six months is a plan with a hidden cost in it. Add what you need to live on to the monthly running cost for the honest number.
It also assumes a plain amortizing loan. Equipment financing on the truck, common in this trade, works differently and may carry a balloon payment at the end.
Before you spend any of it
Find out what your city and county require first. Many cities require a licensed commissary for prep and storage, the health department issues the mobile food permit, the fire marshal inspects the propane system and the hood, and some cities cap the number of vending permits or restrict where trucks can park. A beautiful truck with nowhere legal to stand is the most expensive mistake available.
The permits, inspections and commissary rules, in full · A website for your pizza truck