CAC Calculator
Calculate your cost to acquire one new customer. Enter total sales and marketing costs and the number of new customers gained to find your CAC instantly.
By The Calcumatix Team Reviewed by Calcumatix Editorial Review
Result
$150.00
Customer acquisition cost is $150.00 per new customer from $75,000.00 in acquisition costs.
Quick Answer
Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) measures how much a business spends to gain one new paying customer. The formula is: CAC = (Sales Costs + Marketing Costs) / New Customers Acquired. If a company spends $12,000 on sales and $8,000 on marketing in a quarter and acquires 100 new customers, the CAC is ($12,000 + $8,000) / 100 = $200 per customer.
What A Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) Calculator Does
CAC bundles all direct sales and marketing expenditures (salaries, ad spend, software, agency fees) and divides by net new customers acquired during the period. Healthy businesses aim for an LTV:CAC ratio of 3:1 or higher.
How CAC Is Calculated: The Formula Behind The Result
CAC = (Total Sales Costs + Total Marketing Costs) / New Customers Acquired
- CAC = (Sales Costs + Marketing Costs) / New Customers
- Sales Costs: salaries, commissions, CRM, travel
- Marketing Costs: ad spend, content, salaries, tools, agencies
CAC Steps: Enter All Your Numbers And Get Your Answer
Inputs
- Sales Costs ($): total sales expenditure for measurement period
- Marketing Costs ($): total marketing expenditure for same period
- New Customers: net new paying customers acquired in period
Steps
- Define consistent measurement period (month, quarter, or year).
- Sum all sales-related costs for the period.
- Sum all marketing-related costs for the period.
- Count new paying customers acquired in the period.
- Enter values to calculate CAC per customer.
See CAC Applied To Real Numbers: A Full Worked Example
Q2 SaaS startup: $45,000 sales costs, $30,000 marketing costs, 75 new customers.
- Sum Costs: $45,000 + $30,000 = $75,000.
- Divide by Customers: $75,000 / 75 = $1,000 CAC.
The business spent $1,000 to acquire each new customer.
When A CAC Calculator Gives The Most Accurate Answer
Use this calculator when reporting unit economics to investors, evaluating paid campaign viability, or benchmarking acquisition channels.
Assumptions
- All costs and customer counts measured over identical calendar period.
- New customers means net new, excluding reactivations.
Limitations
- Does not model spend-to-conversion attribution time lag.
- Does not calculate LTV, LTV:CAC ratio, or payback period.
In Practice
The most common error in CAC reporting is inconsistent cost inclusion. Define cost categories once and apply them consistently every period so CAC trends remain reliable.
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Frequently Asked Questions About The CAC Calculator
What costs should I include in the CAC calculation?
Include all direct sales and marketing salaries, ad spend, content, tools, and agency fees. Exclude customer support and success.
What is a good CAC for my business?
Aim for an LTV:CAC ratio of at least 3:1. Below 1:1 loses money per customer.
How is CAC different from cost per lead (CPL)?
CPL measures cost per lead top-of-funnel; CAC measures cost per paying customer including closing sales effort.
Should I calculate CAC by marketing channel?
Yes. Channel CAC lets you allocate marketing budgets to the highest-ROI acquisition channels.
How often should I calculate CAC?
Monthly or quarterly depending on business growth velocity.
Sources
Reviewed for accuracy against the formula shown above.