Catering Cost Calculator
What caterers actually charge per person, taken from their own websites in four countries. Every source is listed at the bottom of the page.
Catering Cost Calculator
Pick a country, a type of event and your guest count.
Typical total for 50 guests
€1,298 – €2,088
€26 – €42 per person · median €32.50
Middle half of the prices caterers publish on their public websites. Finland, collected September 2026.
Prices as caterers publish them. Most are food only: staff, delivery, tableware and service charges usually come on top, and some prices include VAT while others do not.
Catering prices per person by country
Middle half of published prices and the median, collected September 2026.
| Country | Type | Typical per person | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finland | Party menu or buffet | €26 – €42 | €32.50 |
| Finland | Funeral reception | €32 – €44 | €36.10 |
| Finland | Coffee table | €19 – €32 | €25.90 |
| Finland | Wedding menu (food only) | €32 – €48 | €38.80 |
| Sweden | Buffet | SEK 236 – SEK 379 | SEK 317 |
| Sweden | Funeral reception | SEK 189 – SEK 415 | SEK 335 |
| Sweden | Plated dinner | SEK 369 – SEK 560 | SEK 495 |
| Sweden | Lunch delivery | SEK 99 – SEK 158 | SEK 130 |
| Germany | Buffet | €21 – €31 | €27.90 |
| Germany | Finger food and canapés | €16 – €25 | €21.00 |
| United States | Buffet | $17 – $65 | $24.00 |
| United States | BBQ | $19 – $27 | $22.97 |
| United States | Party menu (style not stated) | $13 – $50 | $31.00 |
| United States | Breakfast | $10 – $15 | $12.50 |
What moves the price
- Service: food delivered and left is cheapest. Staff who serve, clear and wash up are charged by the hour.
- Menu: more courses, premium ingredients and special diets add cost and kitchen time.
- Guest count: setup, travel and minimum staffing cost the same for 20 guests as for 60, so small events cost more per head.
- Date: weekends and busy seasons are in higher demand than weekday daytime events.
- Distance and equipment: long drives, tableware, linen and outdoor kitchens are usually priced separately.
Usually in the published price
- ✓ Food ingredients and preparation
- ✓ Basic serving dishes
- ✓ Sometimes disposable plates and cutlery
Often charged separately
- ⚠ Serving staff
- ⚠ Delivery and setup
- ⚠ China, glassware and linen
- ⚠ Drinks and bar service
- ⚠ Service charge and tax (United States)
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Build your calculator for free →Frequently asked questions
How much does catering cost per person?
It depends on the country and the kind of event. In September 2026 we collected the per-person prices caterers publish on their own websites. For the most common type in each country, the middle half of prices ran from €26 to €42 in Finland (party menu or buffet), SEK 236 to SEK 379 in Sweden (buffet), €21 to €31 in Germany (buffet) and $17 to $65 in the United States (buffet). Staff, delivery and tableware usually cost extra.
How much does wedding catering cost per guest?
National surveys give the best answer here. The Knot 2025 Real Weddings Study: $80 per guest. Catering only. 16,956 US couples married in 2024. Bridebook Wedding Report 2026: about €113 per guest. Venue and catering together. More than 2,000 couples married in 2025. SBAB wedding survey (Norstat): SEK 1,764 per guest. The whole wedding, all costs, not only food. 300 couples married 2018 to 2023. Only the US figure is catering alone.
What does catering for 100 guests cost?
Multiply the per-person price by 100. At the median published price for the most common type, food for 100 guests comes to €3,250 in Finland, SEK 31,700 in Sweden, €2,790 in Germany and $2,400 in the United States. Add staff, delivery and rentals, which caterers usually price separately.
Why is my quote higher than the published prices?
Published prices are usually for food only. A final quote adds serving staff by the hour, delivery, tableware and linen, and in the United States a service charge and sales tax. Some caterers also show prices without VAT. Guest count matters too: small events often carry a minimum charge.
Where do these numbers come from?
From caterers’ own websites, read in September 2026, and from the national surveys linked on this page. The figures do not come from CaterWay customer data. We show a type of catering only when enough prices are published for it, and we show the middle half of prices so one very cheap or very expensive caterer cannot skew the range.
Sources and method
Caterer prices: per-person prices published on caterers’ public websites, read on 29 September 2026. The figures do not come from CaterWay customer data. A type of catering is shown only when enough prices are published for it. Ranges are the middle half of prices (25th to 75th percentile).
- The Knot 2025 Real Weddings Study: $80 per guest. Catering only. 16,956 US couples married in 2024.
- Bridebook Wedding Report 2026: about €113 per guest. Venue and catering together. More than 2,000 couples married in 2025.
- SBAB wedding survey (Norstat): SEK 1,764 per guest. The whole wedding, all costs, not only food. 300 couples married 2018 to 2023.
- Eurostat price level index, restaurants and hotels, 2024 (EU average 100): Finland 126.8, Sweden 116.7, Germany 112.1. It compares overall price levels and is not specific to catering.
We found no national statistics office in these four countries that publishes a per-person catering price.