If you add up the time spent driving to the supermarket, waiting in checkout lines, planning meals, cooking and scrubbing pots and pans, the hours add up fast. For busy professionals and active people, the kitchen can quietly take a big part of every week.
So is weekly private chef meal prep really more expensive than cooking at home? The honest answer is: it depends on how you count. Here is a simple way to compare both options in Miami, including the costs most people forget.
The visible cost: what you pay at checkout
When people compare cooking at home with meal prep, they usually compare the grocery receipt with the price of the plan. That makes groceries look cheaper, but it leaves out several things:
- Ingredients you buy but don’t use. Half a bunch of herbs, a bag of spinach that wilts, a sauce you used once.
- The “no time” meals. Every night you are too tired to cook usually ends in a delivery order, with app fees, delivery fees and a tip.
- Snacks and impulse buys that come home with you every time you go to the store.
- Kitchen basics like oils, spices, containers and the gas or electricity to cook.
The hidden cost: your time
Now count the hours. For a typical week of home-cooked lunches and dinners, think about:
- Planning the menu and writing the list
- Driving to the store and back, in Miami traffic
- Shopping and waiting in line
- Prepping, cooking and portioning
- Washing up and cleaning the kitchen
Write down your own numbers. Many people are surprised by the total once they see it on paper. Then ask yourself what an hour of your time is worth, whether that is work, training, family or simply rest.
A simple way to compare
Use this quick exercise for one week:
- Step 1: Add up everything you spend on food for lunches and dinners, including delivery orders and wasted ingredients.
- Step 2: Count the hours you spend planning, shopping, cooking and cleaning.
- Step 3: Multiply those hours by what your time is worth to you.
- Step 4: Add steps 1 and 3 together, and compare the total with the price of a meal prep plan.
For reference, MB Smart Meals plans are priced per person, per week, with sales tax added:
- 1 meal a day: $160 for 4 days or $195 for 5 days
- 2 meals a day: $315 for 4 days or $390 for 5 days
Partners save 6% each while both plans are active, and families of 4 or more get a special rate.
What you get that a grocery list doesn’t
Price is only part of the decision. Private chef meal prep also gives you things that are hard to put a number on:
- No decision fatigue. Your menu is planned for you every week.
- Meals built for your goals. Portions and macros match what you want to achieve.
- Variety without effort. Your chefs rotate preparations so you don’t eat the same thing every day.
- Consistency. When healthy meals are already in your fridge, you stop relying on willpower.
- Your evenings and weekends back.
When cooking at home makes more sense
To be fair, cooking at home can be the better choice if you truly enjoy cooking, have the time to plan, shop and prep every week, and rarely end up ordering delivery. Many people cook on weekends because they enjoy it, and use meal prep for the weekdays when time is short.
How MB Smart Meals works
- Create your profile once: goals, allergies, intolerances, dietary style and favorite proteins.
- Get your menu by text every week: review it, ask for changes and approve it.
- Pay only after you approve: no charge for a menu you didn’t accept.
- Fresh delivery twice a week: Sunday with your meals for Monday and Tuesday, and Tuesday with your meals for Wednesday to Friday. Never frozen.
Instead of staring into an empty fridge after a long day, you open it to find your meals for the week, ready to heat and eat.
Try it for one week
The best way to compare is to try it. If you live in Miami, create your profile and we will send you your first menu to review. You can also see every plan and price on our home page.
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