Ask five bands what their live setup cost and you get five very different answers, usually because nobody counted everything. This guide puts numbers on the whole picture for 2026: monitoring, the playback rig, interfaces and cables, rehearsal space and the software that holds it together. The hardware figures are approximate street-price ranges in euros, with no brand names, so you can build a budget instead of a wish list.
Monitoring: the biggest line after instruments
In-ear monitoring is usually the first serious purchase, and the wired-versus-wireless decision drives the budget. A wired setup per musician (a belt-pack headphone amplifier plus universal-fit earpieces) starts around €100 to €200. That covers anyone who plays from one spot: the drummer, the keyboard player, anyone parked at a mic.
Wireless is where the numbers jump. A radio link (transmitter plus receiver) runs from roughly €300 to well over €1,000 per musician, and custom-molded earpieces add several hundred euros a pair. The practical answer is a mixed rig: wire the static positions and pay for wireless only where somebody actually moves, usually the singer and a guitarist.
- Wired setup per musician: around €100 to €200
- Wireless link per musician: roughly €300 to €1,000 or more
- Custom-molded earpieces: several hundred euros a pair
- Mix wired and wireless: pay for movement only where it happens
The playback rig: iPad or laptop
If the band runs backing tracks or a click, something has to play them. The two realistic options in 2026 are a tablet running a dedicated playback app or a laptop running a DAW or playback software. A recent used or refurbished iPad lands roughly between €300 and €600, starts in seconds and does one job.
A laptop rig is more flexible and more expensive: a machine you would trust on stage rarely comes under €800 new, and the software on top is a license or subscription that can add €100 to €600. Whichever you choose, budget for it to be dedicated. A computer that is also your email machine is a risk, not a saving.
- Used or refurbished iPad: roughly €300 to €600
- Stage-worthy laptop: rarely under €800, plus software on top
- Either way, the device should do one job only
Interfaces, splitters and the cable budget nobody plans
To send music to the front of house and a click to the band you need more than a headphone jack. A multi-output audio interface runs roughly €150 to €500 depending on how many separate outputs you want: two are enough for music plus click, four give you room for separate stems or monitor feeds.
Then comes the line almost nobody budgets: DI boxes, a small splitter or sub-snake, adapters, spare cables and a power strip you own. Counted honestly this is another €150 to €400, and it is the part of the rig that fails first when you buy the cheapest option.
- Multi-output interface: roughly €150 to €500
- DI boxes, splitter, spares and power: another €150 to €400
- Cheap cables are where reliability dies first
Rehearsal space and the other recurring costs
Hardware is mostly a one-off; the room is forever. In most Spanish cities an hourly rehearsal room costs roughly €10 to €25 per hour, and a private monthly room lands somewhere between €150 and €400 depending on the city and the space. A band that rehearses weekly by the hour spends €50 to €100 a month; a monthly room split between members often costs each one less.
Add the quiet recurring lines: strings, sticks and batteries (perhaps €10 to €30 a month across the band), occasional repairs, and transport to rehearsals and shows. None of them is dramatic on its own; together they are a real monthly number.
- Hourly rooms: roughly €10 to €25 per hour
- Private monthly room: roughly €150 to €400
- Consumables and repairs: small lines that add up
The software layer: playback, organization and ticketing
The last column is software: something to play the tracks, something to organize the shows (dates, setlists, stage plots, guest lists, money) and something to sell tickets. Bought as three separate subscriptions those lines add up fast, which is why it is worth pricing the layer as a whole.
PadVox covers the three in one app, and only the project owner pays: invited members get full access free. There are free trials on Solo (7 days) and Band (14 days, no card required). Ticketing has no monthly fee on top: sales pay a commission (6% on Solo and Band, 4% on Stage Pro, 2% on Agency) plus payment processing, and the money goes straight to the band's own account.
- Free (€0): 1 project and basic playback, enough to try the workflow
- Solo (€12/month): the individual live layer: MIDI, Apple Watch, teleprompter, cloud stem sync and ticketing with one ticket type
- Band (€24/month): the team layer: synced playback, personal in-ear mixes, stage plots, riders and tours for up to 4 members
- Stage Pro (€59/month): the tour back office: day sheets, settlement and multi-currency finances
- Agency (€149/month): consolidated finances and reporting across every project
What it adds up to for a four-piece
Put together, a four-piece band moving to in-ears with one playback device lands roughly here: wired monitoring for three static positions plus one wireless link (€600 to €1,600), a playback device (€300 to €800) and an interface with cabling (€300 to €900). Call it €1,200 to €3,300 one-off, and nothing forces you to buy it in one go: wired monitoring first, wireless later, upgrades when the calendar justifies them.
Monthly, the picture is the rehearsal room (€50 to €400 depending on the model), consumables (€10 to €30) and the software layer (from €0 to €59 covers most working bands). The one-off number looks big, but the monthly number is what decides whether the project is sustainable. Budget the monthly first.
- One-off hardware: roughly €1,200 to €3,300 for a four-piece
- Monthly: room, consumables and software, roughly €60 to €490
- Buy in stages: wired first, wireless where it pays
- The monthly number decides sustainability: budget it first