It probably depends on the recipe, and where you shop. If you're talking an $0.86 cake mix plus 3 eggs and 1/3 cup oil, that's probably the cheapest you can make a cake. But if you doctor your cake mix with additional ingredients, the cost starts to go up. Likewise, the cost of scratch would depend on the recipe. Recipes with butter will naturally be quite a bit more expensive than those without. The best thing to do is cost out your recipes based on your own grocery costs 
I make scratch cakes....I think it does cost more...depending on how you doctor the box mix...I don't have a problem with the mixes I just like to bake from scratch...I enjoy testing and changing recipes. I digress....back to your questions....I think scratch costs more. I spend A LOT of money on butter and sour cream for my cakes. But it's worth it to me...people just go crazy for these cakes....act like they have never had a scratch cake before.
Where you live (in the world) and the types of stores you have access to will all impact significantly on cost of scratch vs. mix recipes.
In the U.K., for instance, U.S. cake mixes are pretty pricey (if available).
In the U.S., it really helps if you have access to any type of warehouse stores or purveyors of institutional sized food stuffs (such as Sam's Club or Gordon Food Service).
Also if you live in a medium/large urban area, your shopping options will be greater than if you live "out in the country" (as in Yuba, WI which has a population of 77).
The best thing to do is cost out your recipes based on your own grocery costs
Whatever your best stock-up sale, bulk buying or coupon lowering prices are, they are.
HTH
We make all of our cakes from scratch. We used to use cake mixes, but have gone to scratch for the reason that we can give this area something that nobody else does.
$0.86 cake mix plus 3 eggs and 1/3 cup oil, that's probably the cheapest you can make a cake.
cake mix cakes will probably always be less expensive to make. I know that our scratch cakes are a little bit more costly, but our customer, friends and family love that they are not from a box. I love to experiment and bake, so I prefer scratch cakes.
I use butter, sourcream, milk/buttermilk, chocolate, pudding, etc. in my box mixes, so I doubt that they are any cheaper than scratch. I always make chocolate from scratch, but seem to like the doctored white mix cakes more than scratch. Maybe I just haven't found THE white scratch recipe.
seem to like the doctored white mix cakes more than scratch.
I will have to say that nothing seems to beat duncan hines white cake mix. It is so moist!!! Most white cakes from scratch are a little drier than the cake mix and so many people have gotten used to the way the cake tastes using the mix.
I use butter, sourcream, milk/buttermilk, chocolate, pudding, etc. in my box mixes, so I doubt that they are any cheaper than scratch.
Didn't mean any offense or anything, so let me clarify. I was speaking on just using the cake mix exactly as directed on the box. I do agree that if you doctor up your box mixes, you are going to be looking at a higher cost.
It all depends on what you want to do. Having done both box mixes at one time and from scratch now, I will have to say that the from scratch takes a little more time just because you have to measure out all of the flour and dry ingredients and most of the time sift them, whereas with a box mix, it's already done for you. And depending on where you are, the cost of your ingredients will play a big part.
Happy baking and decorating to all!!!!!
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