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Is home espresso worth it?

See how fast the Nuova Simonelli Musica pays for itself once you stop queueing for café drinks. All amounts in USD — tweak every assumption below.

Your setup

Espresso machine ($)

Grinder ($)

Your habit

Espresso drinks per day

Café price per drink ($)

Cost per home drink

Beans per kg ($)

Coffee dose per drink (g)

Milk & extras per drink ($)

Maintenance per month ($)

Pays for itself in

—

Cost per drink at home—

Monthly spend at the café—

Monthly spend at home—

Monthly savings—

Saved after 5 years (gear paid off)—

Assumes 30.4 days per month. Electricity and water are negligible per shot (roughly a cent or two) and are covered by the maintenance figure. Gear prices prefill from our database MSRP where available — street prices are often lower, which only shortens the payback.

Find your numbers

Not sure what gear costs? Browse espresso machines and grinders with source-checked specs and prices, see complete setups by budget, or take the machine finder quiz.

Frequently asked questions

How fast does an espresso machine pay for itself?

For most people the break-even lands between 6 and 18 months. Two $5 café drinks a day cost about $304 a month, while the same drinks at home cost roughly $45–50 in beans and milk — so even a $2,000 setup can pay for itself well within a year.

What does one espresso drink cost at home?

With specialty beans at ~$22/kg and an 18 g dose, the coffee itself is about $0.40. Add milk for a flat white or cappuccino and you land around $0.70–0.80 per drink — versus $4–7 at a café.

Should I include the grinder in the calculation?

Yes. A grinder is essential for espresso and typically 20–40% of a setup budget. This calculator adds machine and grinder together as the gear cost to recover.