# Cost Per Wear: How to Calculate It for Your Wardrobe

> What cost per wear is, how to calculate it in ten seconds, and why it makes cheap clothes look expensive and good coats look free.

By [Vær](https://vaer.app/about/)

Published 20 September 2026 · 2 min read · [Read on the web](https://vaer.app/blog/cost-per-wear/)

The price tag tells you what a piece of clothing costs *once*. Cost per wear tells you what it costs *every time you put it on*. Those are very different numbers, and only one of them is useful.

## The formula

> Cost per wear = price paid ÷ number of times worn

That's it. No spreadsheet, no jargon.

A £200 coat worn 100 times costs **£2 a wear**. A £30 shirt worn twice costs **£15 a wear**. The coat was seven times more expensive at the till, and seven times cheaper in real life.

One edge case: something you've never worn doesn't cost £0 a wear — it has no number yet, because there's nothing to divide by. The first wear sets it at the full price; every wear after that brings it down.

## Why it matters

Your brain is wired to react to the price tag. Cost per wear quietly overrules it.

- **It exposes the impulse buy.** The bargain that lives at the back of the wardrobe was never a bargain.
- **It rewards the boring pieces.** The plain jeans you wear three times a week are the best-value thing you own.
- **It makes "expensive" relative.** A pricey item you'll wear for years is cheaper than a cheap one you won't.

## Try it right now

Pick three things you're wearing today. For each, guess the price and roughly how many times you've worn it. Divide.

You'll probably find one hero (under £1 a wear), one solid performer, and one you're now slightly annoyed about. That's the whole point — the feeling is the lesson.

## Go one step further

The formula gets more honest when you include what an item costs to keep: dry cleaning, repairs, that one tailoring visit. Add those to the price before dividing. Most people skip this and that's fine — the simple version already changes how you shop.

## Make it a habit

Estimating works once. Tracking works forever. Add your pieces with what you paid, log wears as they happen, and the number does the rest. Over a few months you'll know exactly which items earn their place and which just take up a hanger.

Next up: the [30 wears rule](/blog/30-wears-rule/) — the same idea, applied *before* you buy.

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Vær tracks cost per wear across your wardrobe. [Download on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/app/id6765822084).