Free tool
Cost per wear calculator
Cost per wear is the price of a piece divided by the times you wear it. Enter what you paid and how often you wear it to see what each wear really costs, then compare two pieces before you buy.
The formula
Cost per wear = (price + care and repairs − resale value) ÷ times worn.
A coat that cost 120 and is worn 40 times costs 3 per wear. A top that cost 40 and is worn twice costs 20 per wear, even though it was cheaper to buy. Care and resale are optional; leave them blank for the simple version.
This calculator floors net cost at zero. If resale exceeds purchase and care costs, it shows 0 per wear; any resale profit is separate. Use completed sale proceeds for a historical figure, or label future resale and wears as estimates.
Enter whole wear counts; partial wears are not rounded into a result.
Use it honestly
- Estimate wears from similar clothes you already own, not from how much you like the new piece.
- Run it on clothes you own too: a high number is a reason to wear something more, not to replace it.
- A low cost per wear is a good outcome, not a reason to buy more pieces.
Keep a wear record
Your real cost per wear, without the spreadsheet.
In Fashion Frame, add a purchase price to a wardrobe item and mark it as worn. The item's page then shows its cost per wear, and Insights shows how much of your wardrobe you actually wear.
Cost per wear questions
How do you calculate cost per wear?
Divide what you paid by the number of times you wear the piece. For a fuller picture, add what you spend on cleaning and repairs, and subtract resale proceeds. Future wears and resale are estimates. This calculator floors net cost at zero and treats resale profit separately.
What is a good cost per wear?
There is no universal number. Compare a piece against similar clothes you already own, and treat an unusually high cost per wear as a prompt to wear it more or to think twice before buying something similar.
Why is cost per wear undefined before the first wear?
Dividing by zero has no answer. An unworn piece has a purchase price but no recorded cost per wear yet, so the calculator waits for at least one whole wear.
Should cost per wear justify buying something expensive?
Only if your wear estimate is honest. Cost per wear rewards pieces you actually wear; an optimistic guess about future wears is the most common way it gets misused.