Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) Calculator
Calculate customer acquisition cost (CAC) from sales and marketing spend and the number of new customers acquired.
Your inputs
Results
Customer acquisition cost
$200.00
- Marketing-only CAC
- $120.00
- Total acquisition spend
- $50,000.00
✓Exact calculation — rounded only for display
What this calculator does
CAC is the average cost to win one new customer. It is a key input for unit economics alongside customer lifetime value.
Formula and method
Worked example
Calculated by this tool with its default inputs:
Inputs
- Marketing spend: 30000 (any currency)
- Sales spend (salaries, commissions, tools): 20000 (any currency)
- New customers acquired: 250
Results
- Customer acquisition cost: 200
- Marketing-only CAC: 120
- Total acquisition spend: 50,000
How to read the results
Compare CAC with customer lifetime value and payback period.
Assumptions and limitations
- Use spend and customers from the same period, allowing for sales-cycle lag.
Financial results are estimates based on the inputs and assumptions shown. They are not financial advice; confirm figures with your lender, provider or a qualified adviser before making decisions.
Questions
Blended vs paid CAC?
Blended includes all new customers; paid CAC counts only customers from paid channels.
Methodology and verification
- Result type
- Exact mathematical calculation (rounded only for display)
- Formula version
- 1.0
- Automated verification
- 2 reference and validation test cases, checked against independently computed values. The site cannot be built if any of them fail.
- Editorial review
- Awaiting human editorial review. The explanation was drafted with AI assistance; the formula and examples are verified by the automated tests above.
Privacy
Everything you enter is calculated in this browser and is not sent to Numerith or anyone else. Inputs are added to a share link only if you choose to include them. Privacy policy