Customer Acquisition Cost Calculator
Customer acquisition cost (CAC) estimates the average marketing and sales spend associated with gaining each new customer during a period. It is useful for comparing campaigns when cost categories and customer attribution are consistent.
How to use this calculator
- Add the marketing and sales costs included in your chosen period, then enter the new customers attributed to that period.
- Review the worked campaign comparison and compare its arithmetic with the inputs you plan to use.
- Change one input at a time when exploring a different scenario, and keep units and assumptions consistent.
Average acquisition cost
CAC = included sales and marketing costs ÷ number of new customers acquired.
- Use matching periods and a consistent definition of a new customer; mixing monthly spend with quarterly customers distorts the result.
- The page's numerical output is calculated from the values entered; it does not independently verify whether those inputs fit the real-world situation.
Worked examples
Campaign comparison
A campaign spends €1,200 on included sales and marketing costs and gains 40 new customers.
€1,200 ÷ 40 = €30 per customer
Average CAC is €30 for this campaign and period.
Understanding the result
CAC can be compared with customer value only when the value measure and time horizon are defined clearly.
Attribution windows, refunds, sales salaries, agency fees, and repeat customers can change the cost definition.
Important notes
State which cost categories are included so later comparisons remain meaningful.
Displayed values may be rounded for readability. Keep appropriate precision for intermediate calculations and check the unit labels before using the result.
Frequently asked questions
What does the Customer Acquisition Cost Calculator result mean?
CAC can be compared with customer value only when the value measure and time horizon are defined clearly.
What should I check before using the customer acquisition cost calculator?
State which cost categories are included so later comparisons remain meaningful.
Related calculators
- Sales Commission Calculator — Calculate sales commission from a sales amount and commission rate.
- Customer Lifetime Value Calculator — Estimate gross-profit lifetime value from average revenue per customer, gross margin and an entered customer lifetime.
- Profit per Employee Calculator — Calculate a simple profit-per-employee metric from a reporting-period profit figure and average employee count.
- Customer Churn Calculator — Calculate a customer churn rate from the starting customer cohort and the customers lost during a chosen period.
- Customer Retention Calculator — Calculate customer retention using starting customers, new customers gained, and the ending customer count.
- Electricity Cost Calculator — Estimate electricity use in kilowatt-hours and energy cost from appliance wattage, usage time, and tariff.
Related explanations
Learn the method behind the number or compare the terminology before using the calculator.
- How to Calculate ROI — Learn the return on investment formula and how to interpret profit, cost, and percentage return.
- How to Calculate Break-Even Point — Learn the break-even formula for units and revenue and understand fixed costs, price, and variable costs.
- Markup — Learn what markup means, how markup is calculated from cost and selling price, and how it differs from margin.
This page provides a calculation tool plus explanatory information so you can understand what the result means and when the underlying method may not fit your situation.