No. 03 — Tools
Cost per wear calculator.
Sticker price lies. What a garment actually costs you is the price divided by how often you wear it. Enter the numbers below to see the truth — and whether it's worth it.
+ Care & resale (optional)
Cost per wear
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Add how many times you've worn it
Doing this one item at a time is tedious. TRY logs every wear automatically and shows live cost per wear for your whole closet.
Try TRY freeThe formula
What is cost per wear?
Cost per wear is the single most useful number in wardrobe math. It divides what an item costs by how many times you actually wear it:
cost per wear = (price + care − resale) ÷ total wears
A $30 top worn three times costs $10 a wear. A $300 coat worn 200 times over its life costs $1.50 — far cheaper in practice, even though it's ten times the price. This is the math behind buy fewer, better things.
What counts as a good cost per wear?
- Under $1 — excellent. A true workhorse.
- $1–$3 — great value; most staples land here over time.
- $3–$7 — reasonable for occasion or seasonal pieces.
- $10+ — a flag you haven't worn it enough to justify it yet.
FAQ
Common questions
What is cost per wear?+
Cost per wear is the price of a clothing item divided by the number of times you wear it. A $200 coat worn 100 times costs $2 per wear; worn twice, it costs $100 per wear. It reframes a purchase around use rather than sticker price, which is why it's the core metric for evaluating whether something is actually worth buying.
How do you calculate cost per wear?+
Use the formula: cost per wear = (price + care costs − resale value) ÷ total wears. Add dry cleaning or repair costs to the price, subtract anything you'd recoup by reselling, then divide by how many times you'll realistically wear it. This calculator does it for you and shows your break-even point.
What is a good cost per wear?+
Under $3 per wear is generally considered great value, and under $1 is excellent. $3–$7 is reasonable for an occasional piece, while anything above $10–15 per wear usually signals you haven't worn it enough to justify the price yet — or that it was an impulse buy.
Does cost per wear work for expensive investment pieces?+
Yes — that's where it's most useful. A well-made $500 coat worn 50 times a year for five years lands around $2 per wear, often beating a $40 fast-fashion coat that falls apart after one season. Cost per wear is the math behind buying fewer, better pieces.
Should I include rental or secondhand options?+
Use the Compare tab to put renting next to buying the same item, or a secondhand find next to a new one. Enter each option's real cost and expected wears, and the calculator shows which delivers the lower cost per wear for how you'll actually use it.
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