How Much It Costs To Be Luke From Gilmore Girls For A Day

Luke Danes may not be living in a luxe mansion like Emily Gilmore or come from family money like Logan Huntzberger, but he might be one of the wealthiest Gilmore Girls characters in Stars Hollow. His rustic, no-frills lifestyle doesn’t suggest it, but a closer examination of his daily expenses reveals just how well-off the unassuming diner owner may really be.

When Lorelai and Sookie needed money for The Dragonfly Inn, it was Luke who came in to save the day with a $30,000 loan. Between the Twickham House and the building next door to Luke’s Diner (which he bought to prevent Taylor Doose from owning), he was also able to make sizable real estate purchases like they were nothing. In addition to all that, Luke was constantly helping Lorelai with free labor and renovations, while supporting his nephew, Jess, and later his daughter, April. It really seemed like money was never an issue like it was for Lorelai and Rory.

He doesn’t talk about money. He’s one of those guys.

Luke’s main source of income is, of course, his diner, which was originally a hardware store he inherited from his dad. The average restaurant owner in Connecticut, where the fictional Stars Hollow is located, earns a salary around $98,000 a year. Fans on Reddit estimated Luke’s net worth to be around $1 million to $2 million between the diner and the rent he collects from the buildings he owns.

So, does that mean Luke is a secret millionaire? Scott Patterson tells Elite Daily the theory doesn’t surprise him at all. “He doesn’t talk about money. He’s one of those guys,” he says. Luke also doesn’t spend a ton of cash in his day-to-day life, which is probably why he’s able to save so much. Below, you’ll find a breakdown of what Luke likely spends in one day.

The Long-Term Expenses: Owning All That Property Adds Up

Luke’s real estate investments make him money, but he also has to spend some of that on property taxes. It’s hard to determine specifics, given that Luke’s Diner, the building next door, and the Twickham House are all fictional places. However, according to LoopNet, a $1.5 million diner in New Milford, Connecticut, has about $8,335 in property taxes, or $23 a day.

To calculate his apartment and building next door, a similar low-rise building in Hartford, Connecticut, is about $13,194 in property taxes, or $36 a day. And finally, a home like the Twickham House is about $1,409 in property taxes, according to Zillow, which is around $4 a day.

Luke also owns a truck that came in handy when Rory was moving into Yale and needed help with her mattress. The cheapest car insurance in Connecticut is around $38 a month, or a little more than $1 a day. Luke’s Diner also had two employees, Caesar the chef and Lane Kim. The average chef salary in Connecticut is around $60,877 a year, while a waitress is likely to make $31,255 a year. Paying those employees would be about $339 a day.

When calculating Luke’s long-term expenses, you also need to factor in April, his daughter. The average cost of raising a kid in Connecticut is around $29,000 a year, which he would presumably split with April’s mom, Anna Nardini, for about $40 a day.

Total: $413

Luke Doesn’t Own As Many Flannels As You’d Think

5 a.m.: As a diner owner, Luke almost assuredly starts his day very early. Luckily, his routine is simple. After a shower, Luke would get into his skin care regimen, which probably didn’t involve anything more than using a men’s razor to clean up his facial hair. (And let’s be real, he probably buys a cheap pack of disposable razors and shaving cream — let’s call it a $2 daily expense.)

The lead makeup artist for Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, Tegan Taylor, shared with Refinery29 in 2016 that Patterson would get weekly Intraceuticals facials ($200) for the revival and wear Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer and SPF ($50) as well. Of course, Luke the character wasn’t as worried about HD cameras being in his face as Patterson the actor was.

He’s frugal. That’s why he’s so wealthy.

5:30 a.m.: Getting dressed was never an issue for Luke, who wore pretty much the same thing every day: a backward cap and flannel shirt. Even though it seemed like Luke had a million flannel shirts over the seven seasons that Gilmore Girls was on the air from 2000 to 2007, Patterson says his character only had a handful at a time. “He’s not a clothes horse at all,” he says. “There were probably 110 total Luke’s flannels because he wore some multiple times, but at any given time, he probably had five or six in his closet.”

Keeping his wardrobe simple and not worrying about outfit repeating is how Luke was able to save some money. “He’s frugal,” Patterson says. “That’s why he’s so wealthy.” In fact, Luke wore one blue flannel ($60) 18 times on the show. He also wore the same blue baseball cap ($30) throughout the series.

The key set costumer for Gilmore Girls, Valerie Campbell, said Luke was the easiest character to dress, because he always wore the same things. It included his flannel and cap, as well as jeans ($69), a shirt ($24), belt ($30), and boots ($170).

6 a.m.: Once dressed, Luke would head downstairs to get the diner ready for the morning rush. He wouldn’t be spending too much money while working.

6:30 a.m.: At some point, Lorelai and Rory would stop by for breakfast (and, more importantly, and endless font of coffee). You never really see them pay for their meals, which is either because it’s a TV show, Lorelai had a running tab, or Luke was comping their meals. If it’s the latter, this would set Luke back around $30. This is based on a similar spot to Luke’s, Marty’s Cafe in Washington Depot, which has coffee on its menu for $3, omelettes for $12, and pancakes for $12.

Total: $385

Luke Spends His Afternoon Working At The Diner

7 a.m.-3 p.m.: Unless there was some kind of town emergency, Luke would spend most of his afternoon jworking in the diner and not spending any money. At some point, he might get a call from Lorelai, who needed something, so he’d throw on his green army jacket ($298) if it was cold outside and head to the Dragonfly Inn.

3:30 p.m.: Luke often helped Lorelai with renovations and repairs. He never charged her for his services, so it was more of a cost to him since he’d have to pay for his own tools. A standard tool bag with all the essentials is around $1,360.

Total: $1,658

Luke & Lorelai Have A Date Night In Stars Hollow

6 p.m.: After work, Luke would freshen up for a date night with Lorelai by putting on a dark blue button-up ($37).

6:30 p.m.: If it wasn’t a Friday night when she had to have dinner in Hartford with Emily and Richard Gilmore, Lorelai would stop by Luke Diner’s for a quick bite. Luke once made her a Santa burger to cheer her up, but on a regular day, she’d eat a normal burger for $13.

7:30 p.m.: On their way to the Black & White & Read Bookstore for movie night, Luke and Lorelai stopped by Doose’s Market for some candy. When it comes to sugar, Lorelai had no limits, so she’d grab one of everything, including Sour Patch Kids ($6), a Kit Kat ($2), Snickers ($6), peanut M&M’s ($5), and gummy bears ($3).

8 p.m.: Luke would pay for both his and Lorelai’s tickets. A small town theater like the Bank Street Theater in New Milford has tickets for just $11 per person, so that’s around $22.

10 p.m.: At the end of the night, Luke would walk Lorelai home or have her stay over at his place above the diner. His nighttime routine was even simpler than his morning routine. He would just wash his face with water and throw on some PJs — which was just a T-shirt ($13) and sweatpants ($55).

Total: $162

TL;DR: Luke Is Living The Simple Life

While Lorelai was forced into Friday night dinners with her parents and struggled to provide Rory with the expensive education she needed, Luke was living easy as one of Stars Hollow’s wealthiest inhabitants, even if he was very quiet about his finances.

However, with a magnifying glass on all of Luke’s assets, it’s clear he had plenty of money to be able to acquire so many properties. Not only was Luke able to lend money whenever Lorelai needed it, but he bought buildings like he was playing a game of Monopoly. Let’s not forget, the man even owned a boat. Clearly, there’s a lot more wealth there than Luke is projecting with his recycled flannels.

The only time he ever forked over some of his money was to help Lorelai or pay for his many businesses. Basically, if you’re looking for a way to start saving, where Luke leads, you should follow.

Total: $2,618