Eating out is a fairly innocent treat—and how expensive is it, really? After all, you have to eat something, which would have a cost, so what does it matter if that something comes from a restaurant?

It actually matters quite a bit—but how it matters might depend on what kind of food you’re eating. A 2012 article by MSN.com showed that many high-end meals, such as steak and seafood alfredo, were sometimes more cost effective when purchased at a restaurant than they were when prepared at home.

But foods like sandwiches and breakfasts are often much less expensive to cook at home. To find out whether it’s more cost effective to eat out or prepare your own meals, choose some of your favorite restaurant meals and compare the cost of purchasing the ingredients at the grocery store. Make sure you consider the fact that each meal will you make at home will prepare several servings and that ingredients like spices may serve you for months.