OSRS Cooking Calculator
Compare common foods by successful-cook experience and ingredient cost. Enter exact current XP and a target, then compare the distinct methods in this skill’s public training data.
Loads public levels; manual entry always remains available.
| Action | Req. | XP | Actions | Gross cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shrimps | 1 | 30 | 434,482 | 15,206,870 gp |
| Trout | 15 | 70 | 186,207 | 10,241,385 gp |
| Lobster | 40 | 120 | 108,621 | 19,551,780 gp |
| Monkfish | 62 | 150 | 86,897 | 36,496,740 gp |
| Shark | 80 | 210 | 62,069 | 52,758,650 gp |
How the Cooking calculator works
The table counts successful cooks. Burnt food gives no Cooking XP, so low-level plans need extra raw items; cooking gauntlets and suitable ranges reduce that buffer for certain fish.
Worked example
Using Shrimps at 30 XP per successful action, a goal from zero XP to level 2 needs 3 complete actions because level 2 starts at 83 XP. The same ceiling rule prevents a fractional final action.
Reading the Cooking methods
Compare common foods by successful-cook experience and ingredient cost. The dataset begins with Shrimps at level 1, worth 30 XP per listed action, and reaches Shark at level 80. That level range is why the minimum-level filter is useful: it removes methods the account does not want to consider without changing the XP calculation itself.
Among the rows shown for Cooking, Shark has the largest single listed reward at 210 XP. A larger reward per action does not automatically mean better XP per hour. One action may be a lap, a catch, a spell, a health check, a completed item or a quantity of damage, so compare an action count with the real completion rate for that exact row.
The individual methods are materially different. Shrimps requires level 1, gives 30 XP, and carries a rounded 35 gp input snapshot; Trout requires level 15, gives 70 XP, and carries a rounded 55 gp input snapshot; Lobster requires level 40, gives 120 XP, and carries a rounded 180 gp input snapshot; Monkfish requires level 62, gives 150 XP, and carries a rounded 420 gp input snapshot; Shark requires level 80, gives 210 XP, and carries a rounded 850 gp input snapshot.
For a costed method, “gross cost” is action count multiplied by the stored input snapshot. It is not net loss: valuable outputs, recovered ammunition, harvest value, or alchemy proceeds may offset it. For an unpriced method, the dash means the dataset intentionally avoids inventing a cost; it does not mean the method is always free.
Filter by minimum level to remove early methods without changing current XP. This keeps the distance to the target exact while narrowing the comparison to methods the account intends to use. To estimate session time, divide the result by a personally measured actions-per-hour rate for the same method and setup.
Cooking questions
How much XP is level 99 Cooking?
How are Cooking actions rounded?
Are Cooking costs live?
What can change a Cooking training estimate?
Sources
The fixed XP and requirement rows were transcribed from the public skill and training tables and reviewed on 4 September 2026. Price fields are editable data snapshots, not live quotes.
- Old School RuneScape Wiki — Experience — Public XP table and level formula, reviewed 2026.
- Old School RuneScape Wiki — Combat level — Seven-stat combat-level formula, reviewed 2026.
- Old School RuneScape Wiki — Maximum melee hit — Effective Strength and maximum-hit formula, reviewed 2026.
- Old School RuneScape Wiki — Attack roll — Accuracy and defence-roll mechanics, reviewed 2026.
- Old School RuneScape Wiki — Calculators — Public skill, activity and reward tables, reviewed 2026.