Reference Data · Updated 2026
2026 Startup Cost Index
Real cost ranges for 146 business types across 12 categories. Every figure sourced from SBA data, state filings, and real owner reports.
146Business Types
12Categories
$200Lowest Cost
$3.0M+Highest Cost
146 business types
| Business Type | Category | Startup Cost | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accounting Firm | Professional Services | $5K-$25K | ●●●●● |
| After-School Program | Education & Childcare | $5K-$50K | ●●●●● |
| AI Automation Agency | Online | $8K-$75K | ●●●●● |
| AI Consulting Business | Online | $5K-$50K | ●●●●● |
| Amazon FBA Business | Online | $3K-$25K | ●●●●● |
| Arcade | Service | $50K-$400K | ●●●●● |
| Auto Detailing Shop | Automotive | $15K-$75K | ●●●●● |
| Auto Repair Shop | Automotive | $50K-$250K | ●●●●● |
| Axe Throwing Business | Service | $30K-$150K | ●●●●● |
| Bakery | Food & Beverage | $15K-$250K | ●●●●● |
| Bar | Food & Beverage | $100K-$500K | ●●●●● |
| Barbershop | Health & Fitness | $40K-$150K | ●●●●● |
| Bookkeeping Business | Professional Services | $1K-$5K | ●●●●● |
| Bounce House Rental Business | Service | $3K-$15K | ●●●●● |
| Boutique / Retail Store | Retail | $30K-$150K | ●●●●● |
| Box Truck Business | Automotive | $10K-$60K | ●●●●● |
| Brewery | Food & Beverage | $100K-$2.0M | ●●●●● |
| Brewpub | Food & Beverage | $150K-$3.0M | ●●●●● |
| BrightStar Care Franchise | Health & Fitness | $132K-$235K | ●●●●● |
| Bubble Tea Shop | Food & Beverage | $80K-$300K | ●●●●● |
| Candle Business | Online | $500-$15K | ●●●●● |
| Car Rental Business | Automotive | $30K-$250K | ●●●●● |
| Car Wash | Automotive | $50K-$500K | ●●●●● |
| Carpet Cleaning Business | Service | $5K-$30K | ●●●●● |
| Catering Business | Food & Beverage | $10K-$75K | ●●●●● |
| Cleaning Business | Service | $2K-$15K | ●●●●● |
| Cleaning Franchise | Service | $10K-$60K | ●●●●● |
| Climate Tech Consulting Business | Professional Services | $5K-$25K | ●●●●● |
| Clothing Brand | Online | $2K-$50K | ●●●●● |
| Coaching Business | Professional Services | $500-$5K | ●●●●● |
| Coffee Roastery | Food & Beverage | $40K-$250K | ●●●●● |
| Coffee Shop | Food & Beverage | $25K-$300K | ●●●●● |
| Coffee Truck | Food & Beverage | $30K-$120K | ●●●●● |
| Concrete Business | Construction & Trades | $15K-$75K | ●●●●● |
| Consulting Business | Professional Services | $500-$5K | ●●●●● |
| CrossFit Box | Health & Fitness | $30K-$100K | ●●●●● |
| Dance Studio | Education & Childcare | $15K-$75K | ●●●●● |
| Day Spa | Health & Fitness | $100K-$500K | ●●●●● |
| Daycare | Education & Childcare | $10K-$250K | ●●●●● |
| Dental Practice | Health & Fitness | $250K-$750K | ●●●●● |
| Dog Daycare | Pet | $30K-$200K | ●●●●● |
| Dog Grooming Business | Pet | $5K-$100K | ●●●●● |
| Dog Training Business | Pet | $2K-$15K | ●●●●● |
| Dog Walking Business | Pet | $200-$2K | ●●●●● |
| Donut Shop | Food & Beverage | $30K-$200K | ●●●●● |
| Dropshipping Business | Online | $500-$5K | ●●●●● |
| Dumpster Rental Business | Service | $30K-$100K | ●●●●● |
| Ecommerce Store | Online | $2K-$50K | ●●●●● |
| Electrician Business | Construction & Trades | $10K-$50K | ●●●●● |
| Escape Room | Service | $20K-$100K | ●●●●● |
| Event Planning Business | Professional Services | $2K-$15K | ●●●●● |
| Event Venue | Service | $50K-$500K | ●●●●● |
| Fireworks Stand | Retail | $2K-$65K | ●●●●● |
| Florist | Retail | $10K-$50K | ●●●●● |
| Food Cart | Food & Beverage | $5K-$25K | ●●●●● |
| Food Trailer | Food & Beverage | $10K-$40K | ●●●●● |
| Food Truck | Food & Beverage | $28K-$114K | ●●●●● |
| Freelance Writing Business | Online | $0-$1K | ●●●●● |
| Gas Station | Retail | $250K-$2.0M | ●●●●● |
| General Contracting Business | Construction & Trades | $10K-$75K | ●●●●● |
| Ghost Kitchen | Food & Beverage | $20K-$150K | ●●●●● |
| Golf Cart Rental Business | Service | $15K-$100K | - |
| Graphic Design Business | Creative & Media | $2K-$10K | ●●●●● |
| Grill Cleaning Business | Service | $500-$5K | ●●●●● |
| Gutter Cleaning Business | Service | $500-$5K | ●●●●● |
| Gym | Health & Fitness | $50K-$500K | ●●●●● |
| Hair Salon | Health & Fitness | $60K-$250K | ●●●●● |
| Handyman Business | Service | $2K-$10K | ●●●●● |
| Hotshot Trucking | Automotive | $10K-$50K | ●●●●● |
| House Flipping Business | Real Estate | $50K-$250K | ●●●●● |
| HVAC Business | Construction & Trades | $15K-$75K | ●●●●● |
| Ice Cream Shop | Food & Beverage | $20K-$150K | ●●●●● |
| Insurance Agency | Professional Services | $5K-$30K | ●●●●● |
| IV Hydration Business | Health & Fitness | $30K-$150K | ●●●●● |
| Juice Bar | Food & Beverage | $20K-$150K | ●●●●● |
| Junk Removal Business | Service | $5K-$30K | ●●●●● |
| Landscaping Business | Service | $5K-$50K | ●●●●● |
| Lash & Brow Studio | Health & Fitness | $15K-$60K | ●●●●● |
| Laundromat | Service | $100K-$500K | ●●●●● |
| Law Firm | Professional Services | $5K-$50K | ●●●●● |
| Lawn Care Business | Service | $2K-$20K | - |
| Lawn Care Franchise | Service | $40K-$200K | ●●●●● |
| Liquor Store | Retail | $50K-$500K | ●●●●● |
| Locksmith Business | Service | $3K-$15K | ●●●●● |
| Massage Therapy Business | Health & Fitness | $5K-$50K | ●●●●● |
| Meal Prep Business | Food & Beverage | $5K-$50K | ●●●●● |
| Med Spa | Health & Fitness | $200K-$750K | ●●●●● |
| Medical Billing Business | Professional Services | $2K-$20K | ●●●●● |
| Mental Health Practice | Health & Fitness | $5K-$50K | - |
| Microgreens Business | Food & Beverage | $2K-$20K | ●●●●● |
| Mini Pancake Business | Food & Beverage | $2K-$15K | ●●●●● |
| Mobile Detailing Business | Automotive | $3K-$15K | ●●●●● |
| Mobile Pet Grooming | Pet | $15K-$60K | ●●●●● |
| Moving Company | Automotive | $10K-$50K | ●●●●● |
| Music School | Education & Childcare | $10K-$75K | ●●●●● |
| Nail Salon | Health & Fitness | $50K-$200K | ●●●●● |
| Notary Business | Professional Services | $500-$5K | ●●●●● |
| Online Course Business | Online | $500-$5K | ●●●●● |
| Optometry Practice | Health & Fitness | $200K-$600K | - |
| Orthodontic Practice | Health & Fitness | $400K-$1.0M | - |
| Painting Business | Service | $3K-$15K | ●●●●● |
| Personal Chef Business | Food & Beverage | $2K-$10K | ●●●●● |
| Personal Training Studio | Health & Fitness | $20K-$100K | ●●●●● |
| Pest Control Business | Service | $5K-$25K | ●●●●● |
| Pet Sitting Business | Pet | $500-$3K | ●●●●● |
| Pet Store | Pet | $50K-$200K | ●●●●● |
| Photography Business | Creative & Media | $5K-$30K | ●●●●● |
| Picnic Setup Business | Service | $1K-$8K | ●●●●● |
| Pilates Studio | Health & Fitness | $30K-$150K | ●●●●● |
| Pizza Shop | Food & Beverage | $75K-$350K | ●●●●● |
| Plumbing Business | Construction & Trades | $10K-$50K | ●●●●● |
| Podcast Business | Online | $500-$5K | ●●●●● |
| Pool Cleaning Business | Service | $2K-$10K | ●●●●● |
| Preschool | Education & Childcare | $20K-$200K | ●●●●● |
| Pressure Washing Business | Service | $3K-$20K | ●●●●● |
| Print on Demand Business | Online | $0-$3K | ●●●●● |
| Property Management Company | Real Estate | $5K-$25K | ●●●●● |
| Pure Green Franchise | Food & Beverage | $132K-$235K | ●●●●● |
| Real Estate Agency | Real Estate | $5K-$30K | ●●●●● |
| Recruiting Business | Professional Services | $2K-$10K | ●●●●● |
| Residential Care Home | Health & Fitness | $50K-$500K | ●●●●● |
| Restaurant | Food & Beverage | $175K-$750K | ●●●●● |
| Roofing Business | Construction & Trades | $10K-$50K | ●●●●● |
| Sandwich Shop | Food & Beverage | $70K-$300K | ●●●●● |
| Self-Storage Facility | Real Estate | $200K-$2.0M | ●●●●● |
| Shaved Ice Business | Food & Beverage | $3K-$15K | ●●●●● |
| Short-Term Rental | Real Estate | $15K-$150K | ●●●●● |
| Soap Making Business | Online | $500-$10K | ●●●●● |
| Social Media Management Business | Online | $0-$2K | ●●●●● |
| Staffing Agency | Professional Services | $10K-$75K | ●●●●● |
| Subscription Box Business | Online | $3K-$20K | ●●●●● |
| Tanning Salon | Health & Fitness | $50K-$250K | ●●●●● |
| Tattoo Shop | Creative & Media | $25K-$100K | ●●●●● |
| Thrift Store | Retail | $15K-$75K | ●●●●● |
| Tire Shop | Automotive | $30K-$300K | ●●●●● |
| Tow Truck Business | Automotive | $30K-$100K | ●●●●● |
| Trampoline Park | Service | $300K-$1.5M | ●●●●● |
| Trucking Company | Automotive | $15K-$200K | ●●●●● |
| Tutoring Business | Education & Childcare | $500-$10K | ●●●●● |
| Vape Shop | Retail | $25K-$100K | ●●●●● |
| Vending Machine Business | Retail | $3K-$30K | ●●●●● |
| Veterinary Practice | Health & Fitness | $300K-$1.0M | - |
| Virtual Assistant Business | Professional Services | $200-$5K | ●●●●● |
| Web Design Business | Online | $500-$5K | ●●●●● |
| Window Cleaning Business | Service | $1K-$8K | ●●●●● |
| Yoga Studio | Health & Fitness | $15K-$100K | ●●●●● |
About this data
Cost ranges represent realistic startup budgets based on SBA loan data, state licensing fee schedules, equipment vendor pricing, and direct surveys of business owners. Low-end figures assume lean starts (home-based where possible, used equipment, minimal staff). High-end figures reflect full build-outs with new equipment and commercial space.
Difficulty ratings cover three dimensions: capital required, operational complexity, and time to first revenue. Each guide includes a full line-item breakdown, hidden costs, and a breakeven timeline.
Data is reviewed quarterly for high-traffic guides and annually for all others. Read our full research methodology.