Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) Calculator
Find out how much it really costs to win a new customer once you count every sales and marketing dollar. Use CAC to set budgets and protect your margins.
Calculate your CAC
CAC equals total sales and marketing cost divided by the number of new customers acquired in the same period. Include ad spend plus labor and tools, not only media.
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How the CAC calculation works
Two inputs reveal the true cost of every new customer.
Add total sales and marketing cost
Include all ad spend along with sales and marketing salaries, software, and tools for the period. A media-only number understates your real CAC.
Enter new customers acquired
Count the new customers you won during the same period that the spending covers. Keep the time window consistent for an accurate result.
See your cost per customer
We divide total cost by new customers to show CAC, plus the cost to acquire 100 customers so you can plan campaigns at scale.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about customer acquisition cost.
Customer acquisition cost is the average amount you spend to win one new customer. It includes advertising plus the sales and marketing labor and tools behind that growth. Knowing CAC tells you whether your acquisition is profitable.
Divide your total sales and marketing cost by the number of new customers acquired in the same period. For example, 10000 dollars in spend that produces 100 new customers gives a CAC of 100 dollars. Always match the spending window to the customers counted.
Include far more than ad spend. Add salaries for sales and marketing staff, agency or freelancer fees, software and tools, and any other cost tied to winning customers. Leaving labor and tools out makes CAC look artificially low.
There is no single good number because CAC only matters next to lifetime value. A healthy business earns far more from a customer than it spends to acquire them, often aiming for an LTV that is at least three times CAC. Compare the two before judging your CAC.
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Related tools
Compare your CAC against lifetime value to judge health.