Pizza Oven Savings Calculator
Work out what a homemade pizza really costs — ingredients plus fuel — against delivery or takeaway, with grounded prices for your area, then see how fast a pizza oven pays for itself. Every number is yours to adjust.
What one 12" Neapolitan Margherita costs to make
| Ingredient | Amount | Price / kg | Cost | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Marzano / canned tomatoesCanned peeled tomatoes, 28 oz ≈ $3.50 | g | $ | $0.35 | |
| Extra-virgin olive oilExtra-virgin olive oil, 500 ml ≈ $7.00 | g | $ | $0.08 | |
| 00 pizza flour (dough)Caputo 00 flour, 2.2 lb bag ≈ $7.00 | g | $ | $1.12 | |
| Instant yeast (dough)Instant dry yeast, 1 lb ≈ $7.00 | g | $ | $0.01 | |
| Fine sea salt (dough)Fine sea salt, 26 oz ≈ $2.00 | g | $ | $0.01 | |
| Fresh mozzarella (fior di latte)Fresh mozzarella ball, 16 oz ≈ $6.30 | g | $ | $1.25 | |
| Fresh basilFresh basil, 0.66 oz clamshell ≈ $2.50 | g | $ | $0.39 | |
| Extra-virgin olive oil (finish)Extra-virgin olive oil, 500 ml ≈ $7.00 | g | $ | $0.08 |
At 8 pizzas a month you save $132.62/month — your $699.00 oven pays for itself in 5.3 months.
Best ovens for how you actually cook
Based on your 12" pizzas, electric preference, beginner experience and 8/month volume. You picked the Ooni Volt 2 (pays off in 5.3 months) — but the BIG HORN 12" Multi-Fuel pays off in about 1.1 months for your numbers.
Links go to our hands-on reviews. We may earn a commission — it never changes the numbers above.
Where these prices come from
- Electricity: EIA residential ¢/kWh by state (Table 5.6.A), Aug 2026.
- Ingredients: typical US single-unit grocery prices (Amazon/grocery, Aug 2026), normalized to $/kg. Adjust to what you actually pay.
- Fuel: 20 lb pellet bag ~$19; 20 lb propane refill ~$25 (US retail, Aug 2026).
- Delivery/takeaway: typical US large one-topping, scaled by local cost of living. Set it to your pizzeria.
Frequently asked questions
How does the calculator work out the cost of a homemade pizza?
It adds up two things: ingredients and fuel. Every ingredient shows a real grocery product and its price, and the recipe uses a set amount, so the cost of each line is just that portion of the pack (e.g. 90 g of mozzarella from a 16 oz $5.20 block ≈ $0.29). Fuel is your electricity, pellets, or propane per bake. You can edit every number.
Where do the prices come from — are they accurate?
Electricity rates are the EIA residential ¢/kWh for your state (captured Aug 2026). Ingredient prices are typical US single-unit grocery prices normalized to $/kg. Fuel is a real pellet-bag / propane-tank price. They are honest defaults, not your exact receipt — so every figure is adjustable to what you actually pay.
How is the break-even (payback) time calculated?
Savings per pizza (order price minus homemade cost) × how many pizzas you make a month gives your monthly saving. The oven price divided by that monthly saving is how many months until the oven has paid for itself.
Can I change the recipe and pizza size?
Yes. Pick from authentic recipes (Neapolitan Margherita, New York pepperoni, Detroit pan, and more), choose a size from 10 to 18 inches — amounts scale automatically — then edit any ingredient amount or price, or add your own ingredient. Switch between grams and ounces at any time.
Which oven should I actually buy?
The calculator recommends ovens that fit the pizza size you want and match your experience level and fuel preference, ranked by how fast they pay for themselves at your volume. Each links to our hands-on review so you can dig into the trade-offs.