A more complete way to budget is to price the full setup, terminal, printer, drawer, and scanner, against the transaction volume the business expects, rather than comparing a single terminal price across different vendors. For a full cost breakdown by terminal tier, see https://transcrire.histolab.fr/wiki/index.php?title=Utilisateur:Preston8525.
A slow checkout line costs more than a few minutes of customer patience. Every extra second per transaction adds up across a full shift, and during peak hours a sluggish terminal can turn a two person line into a five person line fast. The terminal itself, not just the software running on it, is usually the reason.
The honest answer to what a POS system costs is that it depends entirely on which pieces a business actually needs, and pricing pages that list a single number rarely tell the full story. Terminal hardware alone can range from an entry level unit built for a low volume counter to a flagship terminal with a faster processor built for a business running multiple transactions a minute during peak hours.
Connection type decides whether the drawer actually opens when it should. Most retail cash drawers connect through the receipt printer using an RJ11 or RJ12 cable, which means the drawer needs to be compatible with whatever printer the store uses, not just the terminal. A mismatched connector is one of the most common reasons a new drawer sits unused in its box for a week before someone notices.
Build quality and lock type are worth checking closely, since this is the piece of hardware that gets opened dozens of times a day for years. A metal cash drawer with a solid lock and an auto open or manual release that matches how the staff work is built for years of daily use, not just a quick unboxing test. For more detail on matching compartment layout and connection type to a specific setup, read https://transcrire.histolab.fr/wiki/index.php?title=Utilisateur:Preston8525.
Kitchens that benefit most tend to be the ones running multiple order sources at once, such as a counter, a drive through, and online orders all landing in the same kitchen. Keeping all three organized on paper gets messy fast, while a screen based system keeps every order visible in one place regardless of where it came from.