Business calculators
Customer Acquisition Cost Calculator
Divide sales and marketing cost by the customers acquired in the same period. Your inputs stay in this browser.
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What this calculator measures
CAC spreads sales and marketing cost across new customers acquired in the same cohort or period.
Formula
CAC = Total Sales and Marketing Cost / New Customers Acquired
Worked example
- 1A team spends $12,000 and acquires 80 customers.
- 2$12,000 / 80 = $150 CAC.
How to interpret the result
Compare CAC with contribution-based customer value and the time required to recover acquisition cost.
Common mistakes and limits
- Excluding salaries or tools, mixing periods, or counting returning customers as newly acquired.
Frequently asked questions
Should payroll be included?
Include the sales and marketing payroll attributable to the measured period.
Is lower CAC always better?
Not if lower-cost customers retain or spend less.
Can CAC be compared with revenue CLV?
Use caution; contribution or gross-profit CLV is more comparable.