Free tool
Vending machine profit calculator
Enter your vends per day, average price and product cost. See weekly and annual profit, then compare it against a repayment to see whether the machine funds itself.
The short answer
A vending machine's profit is gross profit per vend multiplied by vends per day, less site commission, servicing, cashless fees and finance. A modest office machine doing eight vends a day at around $1.50 to $2 gross profit per vend generates roughly $85 to $110 a week before those costs.
Primary citations
Every vending decision comes down to one question: does the site earn more than the machine costs to run and repay? This calculator answers it. Set your assumptions, and it shows gross profit, running costs, net profit and how that compares to a finance repayment on the same equipment.
Estimate one machine's profit
Be conservative — five to ten is typical for a first office site.
Percentage of gross sales paid to the site, if any.
Cashless fees, telemetry, fuel, servicing and insurance.
For illustration only — lenders set the actual rate.
- Gross sales / week
- $245
- Gross profit / week
- $133
- Net profit / week
- $119
- Net profit / year
- $6,196
- Finance repayment / week
- $59
- Surplus after finance
- $60 / wk
This site needs about 6 vends a day to cover the repayment and running costs. You've assumed 10.
Estimates only, based on the figures you enter. Excludes GST, depreciation, tax and your own time. We are a referral marketplace, not a lender or broker — rates, terms and approval are decided by the lender.
How to set realistic assumptions
The output is only as good as what you put in, and the input people overestimate most is vends per day. A rough guide from operators: a machine typically converts a small single-digit percentage of the people who pass it each day into a sale. Twenty vends a day from a site with 40 staff is optimistic; five to ten is more typical for a first office site.
Average sale price in Australia in 2026 commonly sits between $2.50 and $5.00 depending on product mix, with drinks and premium snacks at the higher end. Product cost is what you actually pay a wholesaler, not retail — buying stock at a supermarket destroys the margin this business runs on.
- Vends per day: count real foot traffic, then be conservative.
- Average sale price: your weighted average across the product mix, not your dearest line.
- Product cost: wholesale cost per unit including any delivery.
- Site commission: the percentage of gross the site takes, if any.
- Running costs: cashless fees, telemetry, fuel, servicing and insurance.
What the calculator does not include
It measures the trading performance of one machine. It does not price your own time, and it does not account for GST, depreciation or tax — that is your accountant's territory, and we do not give tax advice. It also assumes steady trade; seasonality is real, particularly for drinks in the north and any site tied to a school calendar.
The repayment comparison is arithmetic based on the rate and term you enter. It is not a quote, and we are not a lender. Actual rates, terms and approval sit with the lender.
Reading the result
If net profit comfortably exceeds the repayment, the machine funds itself and the surplus is your return. If it is close, the site is fragile — one quiet month or one repair bill puts it under water. If the repayment exceeds the profit, the answer is a cheaper machine, a longer term, or a better site. Usually it is a better site.
Operators building a route generally look for a site to clear its repayment plus a decent buffer before they take it on, because the machine still has to pay for its own servicing, the drive time, and the occasional breakdown.
From numbers to a machine on site
Once a site stacks up, the sequence is straightforward: confirm the site agreement, get a written quote from your supplier, then arrange finance against that quote so your cash stays free for stock. If you are new to the industry, the start-up guide runs through the whole process in order.
We are a referral marketplace, not a lender or broker. Send us your details and we match you to lenders who may suit; they assess on their own criteria and we may receive a commission if a deal settles. No approval, rate or term can be guaranteed.
Frequently asked questions
How much profit does one vending machine make in Australia?
It depends entirely on the site. A modest office machine doing eight vends a day at around $2 gross profit per vend generates roughly $110 a week gross, before commission, servicing and finance. Busy factory and hospital sites can do several times that.
What is a good profit margin on vending products?
Operators commonly target a gross margin around 50% or better on ambient snacks and drinks bought at wholesale. Fresh food carries a lower effective margin because of spoilage.
How many vends per day does a machine need to break even?
Divide the weekly repayment by seven, then by your gross profit per vend. At $1.50 profit per vend, a $74 weekly repayment needs about seven vends a day to cover finance alone, before running costs.
Do site commissions come out of gross or net sales?
Most site commission arrangements are calculated on gross sales, which is why a high commission percentage hurts more than it first appears. Always confirm the basis in the written site agreement.
Prefer to rent first?
If a traditional loan is not the right fit yet, rent to own keeps the machine working while you build a trading history:
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Banks, non-banks and specialist equipment financiers active in Australian business lending. We match your application to lenders who may fit your situation.
Logos are the property of their respective owners and are shown for identification only. VendingFinance is a referral service, not a lender or broker. Inclusion here is not an endorsement, an offer of credit, or a guarantee of approval — each lender sets its own criteria.
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Keep reading
Who wrote and checked this page
David Barnes
Founder, Vending Finance
Has worked with Australian vending operators and equipment funders for years, matching operators to lenders who fit their situation. Writes and checks every guide on this site against the regulator, ATO and ABS pages cited below.
- Every figure is either an indicative market range we label as such, or traceable to a primary source listed below. We are a referral service, not a lender or broker, and we never give tax advice.
- Sources and figures on this page last checked August 2026. Spotted something out of date? Call 0412 025 552.
Sources & further reading
Every figure and rule on this page can be checked against a primary source. Links open the publisher's own page so you can verify it yourself.
- Vending Finance — Australian Vending Machine Cost & Return Index
Our own published price bands, indicative repayments and breakeven vends per day. Checked August 2026.
- Food Standards Australia New Zealand — Food Standards Code
Labelling and temperature requirements relevant to food and chilled vending. Checked August 2026.
- Australian Bureau of Statistics — Counts of Australian Businesses, including Entries and Exits
The size and survival profile of small businesses in Australia. Checked August 2026.
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