What is a good food cost percentage for pizza?

Most pizzerias target 25–30% food cost. The dough and sauce base is cheap, so cheese and toppings are what actually determine where in that range a specific pizza lands.

How much should a 12-inch pizza cost to make?

A standard cheese-and-one-topping 12-inch pizza typically costs $3.00–$4.50 in ingredients depending on cheese blend and topping choice, supporting a $14–$18 menu price at a 27% food cost target.

Should specialty pizzas cost more than the base menu price?

Yes. Price by actual ingredient cost per pizza, not a flat markup across the menu. A pizza with $2 more in toppings needs roughly $7–$8 more on the menu to hold the same food cost percentage.

Italian

How to Price Pizza: Food Cost Breakdown & Menu Price Guide

Last reviewed: July 28, 2026

Short answer

Pizza typically runs a food cost of 25–30%, supporting a menu price of $14–$22 (12-inch) depending on portion size and ingredient quality. A worked example below shows the exact math for one common version.

What Drives Pizza Cost

Dough

8–12% of cost

Cheapest component by far — flour, yeast, water, salt

Cheese

30–38% of cost

Usually the single biggest line item

Sauce

5–8% of cost

Low cost if made in-house from canned tomatoes

Toppings

35–50% of cost

The variable that actually swings your margin

Worked Example

Ingredient	Amount	Cost
Dough ball (14 oz)	1	$0.45
Mozzarella	6 oz	$1.35
Sauce	4 oz	$0.25
Pepperoni	3 oz	$0.90
Box + labor allowance	—	$0.60
Total ingredient cost		$3.55

Target Food Cost

27%

Suggested Menu Price

$13.15

Actual food cost: 27.0%

Common Pricing Mistakes

Costing cheese by weight before melt loss

Cheese loses moisture and shrinks during baking. Cost against the pre-bake weight you actually portion, not a theoretical post-bake amount.

Flat pricing every topping the same

A pepperoni pizza and a prosciutto-and-arugula pizza should not share a menu price if the ingredient cost gap is $1.50 or more per pie.

Ignoring box and delivery packaging cost

Pizza boxes cost more than most operators assume, and delivery-bound pies need sturdier (pricier) packaging than dine-in.

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