Customer Acquisition Cost CalculatorFree online financial calculator — instant results, no sign-up
Calculate customer acquisition cost from sales and marketing spend and new customers.
Estimates only, based on the inputs and assumptions shown. This is not financial, investment, tax, or legal advice. Prices, rates and local rules may change; crypto scenarios do not predict returns. Confirm important decisions with a qualified professional.
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About the Customer Acquisition Cost Calculator
The Customer Acquisition Cost Calculator divides your combined marketing and sales acquisition spend by the number of new customers acquired. It estimates the average acquisition cost per new customer for the period you select. With marketing spend of $18,000, sales acquisition spend of $12,000, and 200 new customers, customer acquisition cost is $150.00.
- Marketing spend ($)
- The amount spent on marketing to acquire customers during the selected period, entered in dollars.
- Sales acquisition spend ($)
- The amount spent on sales activities to acquire new customers during the same period, entered in dollars.
- New customers acquired (customers)
- The number of distinct new customers acquired during the selected period, entered as a customer count.
Formula and method
CAC = (M + S) / N = ($18,000 + $12,000) / 200 = $150.00 per customer
- CACCustomer acquisition cost, measured in dollars per new customer.
- MMarketing spend for the selected period, in dollars.
- SSales acquisition spend for the selected period, in dollars.
- NNumber of new customers acquired during the selected period; must be greater than zero.
Add marketing spend and sales acquisition spend, then divide the total by the number of new customers acquired. The default inputs produce total acquisition spending of $30,000; dividing by 200 gives a customer acquisition cost of $150.00, displayed to two decimal places.
Worked example
These are the calculator's starting values and the results it actually produces for them.
Inputs
- Marketing spend18000 $
- Sales acquisition spend12000 $
- New customers acquired200 customers
Results
- Customer acquisition cost$150.00
How to use the Customer Acquisition Cost Calculator
- 1Choose a reporting period and gather spending and new-customer counts for that same period.
- 2Enter marketing spend in dollars; the default is 18000.
- 3Enter sales acquisition spend in dollars; the default is 12000, and costs already included in marketing should not be counted again.
- 4Enter the number of distinct new customers acquired; the default is 200, and the count must be greater than zero.
- 5Read the customer acquisition cost result: the default inputs yield $150.00 per new customer.
Reading your result
The Customer acquisition cost output shows the average sales and marketing acquisition spend per new customer. A result of $150.00 means that the included spending averaged $150.00 for each of the 200 new customers acquired; it does not mean every customer individually cost that amount. Lower CAC indicates less spending per acquired customer, but whether the result is sustainable depends on customer margins, retention, and lifetime value.
Limitations
This is a simple period-based average, not a customer-level attribution model. It assumes spending and customer counts cover a consistent period, costs are not double-counted, and customers are counted only once. Acquisition spending can generate customers in later periods, so long sales cycles may distort the result. Omitted salaries, commissions, tools, or agency fees can understate CAC if they belong in your acquisition cost definition. The calculator does not measure profitability, customer lifetime value, payback period, or differences between acquisition channels. Spending should be nonnegative, and zero new customers makes CAC undefined.
Common questions
Which costs should I include in marketing and sales acquisition spend?+
Include costs attributable to acquiring new customers, such as advertising, acquisition campaign fees, and relevant sales salaries or commissions. Allocate shared costs consistently, exclude unrelated retention or service costs, and avoid including the same expense in both inputs.
Should I enter leads, orders, or repeat buyers as new customers?+
No. Enter distinct customers acquired for the first time during the selected period. Leads that have not become customers, additional orders, and repeat buyers should not increase this count.
Why do the default inputs produce a CAC of $150.00?+
Marketing spend of $18,000 plus sales acquisition spend of $12,000 equals $30,000. Dividing $30,000 by 200 new customers gives $150.00 per customer.
Is a customer acquisition cost of $150.00 good?+
There is no universal target. Compare $150.00 with the gross profit you expect from an acquired customer over their lifetime and consider how quickly that profit recovers acquisition spending; revenue alone is not enough to judge sustainability.
Does the calculator save my information?+
Calculations run in your browser. While signed in, inputs and results are automatically recorded in account history; saving a result creates a separate saved record.
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Results are estimates for informational purposes and are not financial, medical or legal advice.