Glossary · Restaurant and counter

Markup vs margin: what is the difference?

Markup is profit as a percentage of what an item cost you; margin is the same profit as a percentage of what you sell it for. Buy at ₹80 and sell at ₹100: the ₹20 profit is a 25% markup but a 20% margin.

Also called Markup and margin, Margin vs markup · Restaurant and counter · Last reviewed 25 September 2026

The formulas

Markup % = (price − cost) ÷ cost × 100
Margin % = (price − cost) ÷ price × 100
Price from a markup = cost × (1 + markup)
Price from a margin = cost ÷ (1 − margin)

The confusion is expensive in one direction: a shopkeeper who wants a 20% margin and adds 20% to cost gets a 16.67% margin instead. Work both on prices before tax; GST goes on top (or, for MRP goods, is already inside the price — see tax-inclusive price).

Conversion table

MarkupEquals a margin of
10%9.09%
20%16.67%
25%20%
50%33.33%
100%50%

Example

An item costs ₹80 before tax. For a 20% margin, price it at ₹80 ÷ 0.8 = ₹100. Adding a 20% markup instead gives ₹80 × 1.2 = ₹96 — which is a 16.67% margin.

How Nivasik handles it

  • An item can be priced from what you paid: at its MRP, as "a percentage on what it cost" — a markup, so ₹80 plus 20% is ₹96 — or as "a fixed amount on what it cost". The buying price is always before tax, and the tax goes on top.
  • Each delivery lot keeps its own cost, so with a fixed ₹15 on cost the box bought at ₹80 sells at ₹95 while the box bought at ₹82 sells at ₹97.
  • Every sale keeps the lot and its cost, which is what makes the margin report real rather than estimated.

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