Original dataset · How to Start Research Team
The 2026 Startup Cost Index.
What US small businesses actually cost to launch, niche by niche: startup capital, gross margin, time to opening and break-even. Compiled from primary sources (state licensing databases, SBA loan data, BLS statistics, industry cost reports). Free to cite with attribution and a link.
Updated September 2026 · Methodology
| Business | Startup cost | Gross margin | Time to open | Break-even | Blueprint |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barbershop | — | 10-25% of gross | 4-9 months | — | Full blueprint → |
| Coffee Shop | — | 70-85% (benchmark ~80%) | — | — | Full blueprint → |
| Yoga Studio | — | 6 - 20% (3-8% if under-utilized) | — | — | Full blueprint → |
| Bakery | $60,000-$250,000 | 50-65% / 3-10% | 6-12 months (cottage 1-3) | — | Full blueprint → |
| Band | $3,500-$45,000 | 10-70% | — | — | Full blueprint → |
| Beauty Supply Store | $30,000-$250,000 | 40%-50% | 14-26 weeks | — | Full blueprint → |
| Bed and Breakfast | — | 10-25% of revenue | — | — | Full blueprint → |
| Boba Shop | $150,000-$500,000+ | 70%-85% | 4-9 months | — | Full blueprint → |
| Bookstore | — | 40-50% books, 50-60% sidelines | — | — | Full blueprint → |
| Boutique | $50,000-$175,000 (lean $25K-$50K) | 50-60% gross, 3-7% net pre-tax | 4-8 months | — | Full blueprint → |
| Brewery | $250,000 to $3,000,000 | 60% to 75% | — | — | Full blueprint → |
| Cake Shop | $60,000-$200,000 | 50%-65% | 6-12 months | — | Full blueprint → |
| Campground | $250,000 - $2,500,000+ | 10% - 25% | 12 - 24 months | — | Full blueprint → |
| Car Dealership | — | — | — | — | Full blueprint → |
| Car Rental Business | $30,000-$250,000 (5-15 cars) | 20-30% gross, low single digits to low teens net | — | — | Full blueprint → |
| Carpet Cleaning Business | — | 40% to 60% | — | — | Full blueprint → |
| Catering Business | — | 55-65% of revenue | — | — | Full blueprint → |
| Christmas Tree Farm | $32,000 to $115,000 | — | — | — | Full blueprint → |
| Cleaning Business | $3,000-$8,000 | 30-60% (20-35% commercial) | — | — | Full blueprint → |
| Commercial Cleaning Business | $2,000-$10,000 | 40-50% (range 30-60%) | — | — | Full blueprint → |
| Consignment Shop | $15,000-$50,000 (lean $5K-$10K) | 10-20% of gross sales | 3-6 months | — | Full blueprint → |
| Construction Company | $40,000-$150,000 | 18-25% of revenue | — | — | Full blueprint → |
| Consulting Business | — | 80-95% (estimated, no official dataset) | — | — | Full blueprint → |
| Dance Club | $150,000 - $2,000,000 | 70% - 80% | 12 - 24 months | — | Full blueprint → |
| Daycare | — | 3% - 12% before owner pay | — | — | Full blueprint → |
| Digital Marketing Agency | $730 - $5,000 | 15% - 25% | — | — | Full blueprint → |
| Dropshipping Business | $1,100 to $15,000 | 20% to 50% | — | — | Full blueprint → |
| Farm | — | 10% to 60% | — | — | Full blueprint → |
| Florist Business | — | 60%-70% | 3-9 months | — | Full blueprint → |
| Flower Shop | $30,000-$150,000 | 50%-70% | 8-20 weeks | — | Full blueprint → |
| Food Truck Business | $28,000 - $114,000 | 5% - 15% (year one 0-5% or negative) | — | — | Full blueprint → |
| Gas Station | — | $0.10 - $0.30 per gallon | — | — | Full blueprint → |
| Ghost Kitchen | $20,000-$150,000+ | 60%-75% pre-commission | — | — | Full blueprint → |
| Grocery Store | — | 2%-3% of sales | — | — | Full blueprint → |
| Gym | — | -10% to +15% | — | 250 - 550 (mid-market) | Full blueprint → |
| Hardscaping Business | — | 38-50% on installed hardscape | — | — | Full blueprint → |
| Homeschool Co-Op | $300 to $2,500 volunteer; $10,000 to $50,000 academic | — | — | 18 to 25 families if paying rent | Full blueprint → |
| Jewelry Store | $80,000-$350,000 | 40%-60% | 6-12 months | — | Full blueprint → |
| Landscaping Business | $10,275 - $106,100 | 25% - 45% | — | — | Full blueprint → |
| Laundromat | — | 20-35% (typical 27%) | 6-12 months | — | Full blueprint → |
| Law Firm | — | 20-35% | — | — | Full blueprint → |
| Lawn Mowing Business | $2,000-$5,000 | 10%-25% | — | — | Full blueprint → |
| Logistics Company | $30,000-$85,000 | 25-35% | — | — | Full blueprint → |
| Marketing Agency | $7,000 - $55,000 (median $25,400) | 15 - 20% established | — | — | Full blueprint → |
| Meal Prep Business | $3,000 to $30,000 | 55% to 72% | — | — | Full blueprint → |
| Mechanic Shop | — | 50%-60% | — | — | Full blueprint → |
| Moving Company | $20,000-$60,000 | 5-15% | — | — | Full blueprint → |
| Nail Salon | — | 60%-75% | — | — | Full blueprint → |
| Nightclub | $150,000 to $3,500,000+ | 70% to 80% | 9 to 18 months | — | Full blueprint → |
| Painting Business | $5,000 - $15,000 | 35-60% / 5-15% | — | — | Full blueprint → |
| Pastry Shop | $60,000-$250,000 (most $60k-$150k) | 5-15% (plan 8-12%) | 20-36 weeks | — | Full blueprint → |
| Performing Arts Center | — | — | — | — | Full blueprint → |
| Pest Control Business | — | 10% to 20% | — | — | Full blueprint → |
| Pet Daycare | $50,000-$250,000 (typical $100k-$180k) | 10-25% after overhead and owner pay | 4-9 months (2-4 if buying licensed) | 18-24 months from opening | Full blueprint → |
| Photography Business | — | 60-80% / 8-15% | — | — | Full blueprint → |
| Plant Nursery | $75,000-$400,000+ (lean to developed) | 40-50% of sales | 20-40 weeks, timed to spring | — | Full blueprint → |
| Plumbing Business | $15,000-$100,000 | 45%-60% | — | — | Full blueprint → |
| Podcast | $100 to $15,000+ (solo to studio) | — | — | — | Full blueprint → |
| Poultry Farm | — | — | — | — | Full blueprint → |
| Pressure Washing Business | — | 80-90% | — | — | Full blueprint → |
| Print-On-Demand Business | $200 - $3,000 (lean $200-$800) | 30% - 50% (stickers 55-60%) | — | — | Full blueprint → |
| Property Management Company | $7,000-$20,000 | 10-20% after owner pay | — | — | Full blueprint → |
| Recruitment Agency | — | 18-28% light industrial, 30-40% professional | — | — | Full blueprint → |
| Reseller Business | $25,000-$250,000 | 30%-50% | — | — | Full blueprint → |
| Residential Cleaning Business | $2,000-$6,000 | 60%-80% | — | — | Full blueprint → |
| Restaurant | $175,000-$750,000 (median ~$375,000) | 3-9% of revenue | 6-9 months 2nd-gen, 9-15 months build-out | — | Full blueprint → |
| Roofing Company | $7,175 - $35,250 | 25% - 45% of contract | — | — | Full blueprint → |
| Salon | — | 8-12% | — | — | Full blueprint → |
| Security Company | $15,000 - $35,000 | 3% - 10% (8% average) | — | — | Full blueprint → |
| Self-Storage Business | $200,000 to $2,000,000+ | 25% to 40% | — | — | Full blueprint → |
| Shopify Store | $1,000-$30,000 | 20%-70% by model | — | — | Full blueprint → |
| Subscription Box Business | $3,000-$10,000 | 40%-50% | — | — | Full blueprint → |
| Summer Camp | — | 20% to 35% | — | 28 to 45 campers/week | Full blueprint → |
| Taxi Service | — | ~2.7% (1-5% typical) | — | — | Full blueprint → |
| Temp Agency | $15,000 to $150,000+ | 18% to 35% | — | — | Full blueprint → |
| Thrift Store | $24,000 - $200,000+ | 40 - 60% bought, 60%+ donated | 10 - 20 weeks | — | Full blueprint → |
| Towing Company | $80,000-$150,000 | 5-20% | — | — | Full blueprint → |
| Travel Agency | — | 5-20% (est.) | — | — | Full blueprint → |
| Trucking Company | — | 2.5%-6% | — | — | Full blueprint → |
| Tutoring Business | $2,000 to $15,000 | 5 to 25% (solo higher) | — | — | Full blueprint → |
| Vegan Restaurant | $175,000-$750,000 | 3-5% | 5-15 months | — | Full blueprint → |
| Wedding Venue | $50,000 - $500,000 | — | 6 - 18 months | — | Full blueprint → |
| Welding Business | $14,470 to $120,100 | 25% to 35% | — | — | Full blueprint → |
| Worm Farm | — | 45% to 75% / 5% to 20% | — | — | Full blueprint → |
| n Airbnb Business | — | 5 to 30%+ (25% typical) | — | — | Full blueprint → |
| n Etsy Shop | $150 - $3,000 USD | 50% - 80% (digital 95%+) | — | — | Full blueprint → |
| n HVAC Business | $20,000 to $80,000 | 40% to 60% | — | — | Full blueprint → |
| n Online Boutique | — | 45-60% (dropship 20-40%) | — | — | Full blueprint → |
How to read this index.
Startup cost covers the all-in opening budget: deposits, build-out, equipment, licenses and initial stock. Gross margin is the category norm before fixed costs. Break-even is the typical timeline reported by prepared operators. Ranges are honest ranges: your market, your lease and your preparation move you inside them.
Citing this dataset: "How to Start Startup Cost Index, 2026" with a link to this page. For the full per-niche breakdowns (every line item, permit and timeline), each business links to its complete blueprint.