text: The license will be anywhere from $10,000 to $150,000 or more, depending on where you are.  Budget for 6 months lease (sign a longer lease but have enough money in the bank to cover 6 months). Inventory to open will be another $2000-10,000 or more. If you want to sell food, add another $2000-20,000 to your licensing fees.  Furnishings, equipment... that may come with the space, or you pay for it.  Payroll for the first 2-4 months.  Business insurance will be $5000-20,000 or more per year. City and state business permits, tax certifications and all the other various licenses, permits and such will be another $2000-10,000.\n\nMore important are your costs for the first 2 years or so. Most new restaurants and bars don't break even in the first year. That means it costs more to be open than you bring in. So you'll be covering the shortfalls yourself as the owner--- particularly the liquor bills and payroll.  And remember, as the owner, you're not on the payroll. Your staff gets paid before you do.  And a lot of first-time owners don't factor that in, which is why 50% of these new businesses fail in the first year and only about 20% make it to the 5th year (search for Nation's Restaurant News, they have an online magazine somewhere with all these statistics).\n\nYou can make a lot of money owning a bar but it takes a while to get there. In the DC area where I live, it's well over $150,000 just to open the doors. In a rural area you may be able to do it on $50,000. But make sure you double your estimate, so once you open, you can cover the bills, till you start making money.