Cost per Use
Find the cost of an item spread across how many times you use it.
About Cost per Use
Spreading a purchase over its lifetime of uses gives the real per-wear or per-use cost, which is what value really means. A pricier item used frequently can cost less per use than a cheap one used seldom, making cost-per-use the better measure.
Formula
Cost per Use
Cost per use = item cost / (uses per year x years owned)
- uses per year
- How often the item is used in a year
Worked example
With the default values below, Cost per Use returns Cost per Use of $0.77. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.
Inputs used
- Item cost
- 120
- Uses per yearminimum 1
- 52
- Years ownedminimum 1
- 3
Results
- Cost per Use
- $0.77
- Total Uses
- 156
- Cost per Year
- $40.00
Step by step
- 1Values used
- 2Cost per Use
- 3Cost per Use= 0.77
- 4Total Uses= 156
- 5Cost per Year= 40.00
Assumptions and limits
- The result is derived only from the 3 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
- In particular, this calculator does not take inflation or tax into account.
- Figures are rounded for display to 2 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.
How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is Cost per Use calculated?
Cost per use = item cost / (uses per year x years owned) Spreading a purchase over its lifetime of uses gives the real per-wear or per-use cost, which is what value really means.
Why does Cost per Use matter?
A pricier item used frequently can cost less per use than a cheap one used seldom, making cost-per-use the better measure.
What values do I need to enter?
This calculator takes 3 inputs: Item cost, Uses per year, Years owned. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.