How much does it cost to start a bakery?

There's a lot of variation. How big do you want it? Will there be a sitting area? Will the kitchen be separate, or on the premises? How much are you willing to shell out for remodeling? The area you open your bakery in is important too. I reckon a lot of commercial property owners in Detroit may even give you free rent for a year if your food is good enough. In areas that are being gentrified or rebuilt, you may also get a break on rent. Poorer areas will obviously have lower rent too. I find that the most successful bakeries are those located in harder to get to, cheaper areas; the rent is low, and there's little foot traffic, but if the food is good, people will drive out there just to go to your place. Compare this to downtown with heavy foot traffic, where the rent will always be adjusted to make your margins as small as would be acceptable.