BBQ Cost Per Guest Calculator
Calculate per-guest BBQ cost from meat, sides, drinks, and propane.
Plan a backyard cookout budget without overbuying or coming up short.
A backyard BBQ for 20 people can run anywhere from $80 to $400 depending on the meat choice and what counts as “sides."
The math is straightforward; the discipline is being honest about what you actually serve.
per_guest = (meat + sides + drinks + fuel) / guests
Meat is the biggest single line.
Standard portion is 1/3 to 1/2 lb of cooked meat per adult, which means buying 1/2 to 3/4 lb raw to account for cooking loss and bone weight.
Common meats and 2026 retail prices per pound:
- Chicken thighs: $2.50-3.50/lb
- Chicken wings: $3.50-4.50/lb
- Pork ribs (St. Louis cut): $3.50-5.00/lb
- Hot dogs: $4-7/lb
- Burgers (80/20 ground beef): $5-7/lb
- Pulled pork (raw butt): $3-4.50/lb (cooks down 35-40%)
- Brisket (raw): $5-9/lb (cooks down 40-50%)
- Steak (NY strip): $14-22/lb
A worked example.
20 adults, mid-range cookout: 2 lb burgers ($14), 8 lb chicken thighs ($24), 5 lb hot dogs ($30), buns and condiments ($25), three sides — coleslaw, potato salad, corn ($45), beverages including beer ($60), propane ($5).
Total: $203, or about $10 per person.
Same headcount with brisket and steak instead: closer to $20-25 per person.
Sides are where budgets quietly grow.
Pre-made sides from Costco run $12-18 per pan; homemade is half that but takes hours.
Plan 3-4 sides for a full cookout: a starch (potato salad, mac and cheese, beans), a vegetable (coleslaw, grilled corn, salad), a chip-and-dip option, and condiments.
For a group of 20, expect 4-5 lb of each side dish.
Drinks vary the most.
Soda and water: about $2-3 per person for the day.
Add beer (4 per person average): $25-50 depending on craft vs domestic.
Add wine for a quarter of guests: $30-60.
A full open-bar BBQ for 20 people can hit $200 in drinks alone, doubling the food budget.
Three practical points.
Buying in bulk at Costco or restaurant supply stores cuts per-pound prices by 25-40% for chicken and ground beef, but you commit to a larger purchase.
Disposable plates, cups, and cutlery for 20 people run $25-40 — easy to forget when budgeting.
And cooking-loss surprises people: a 10 lb pork butt yields 6-6.5 lb of pulled pork after smoking.
Always buy by raw weight and account for the shrink, especially for slow-cooked meats.
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This calculator runs entirely in your browser, so the numbers you enter stay on your device. The math behind it is written by hand and tested against worked examples and standard references before the page goes live.
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