Customer Acquisition Cost Calculator
Allocate acquisition costs across newly acquired customers.
Formula and assumptions
CAC · Total acquisition cost = Marketing costs + Sales costs + Salaries and commissions + Other acquisition costs. CAC = (Marketing costs + Sales costs + Salaries and commissions + Other acquisition costs) ÷ New customers.
Count new customers once. Avoid counting the same salary in both marketing and payroll.
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Further reading: Digital Marketing Services: Elevating Your Brand and Driving Sales in the Online Era
Related tools: Marketing ROI Calculator · ROAS Calculator
Page editor: Usman Arshad · Last edited: November 3, 2026
How to use this tool
Choose the relevant mode, enter Marketing costs and complete the labelled fields. Use Calculate to review your result.
Worked example
Marketing costs = 300, Sales costs = 200, Salaries and commissions = 400, Other acquisition costs = 100, New customers = 20.
Total acquisition cost = 1,000.00 currency units · CAC = 50.00 currency units.
These example values are illustrative.
Interpreting the result
Match acquisition costs to the cohort they helped acquire. For a long sales cycle, one calendar month of payroll may support customers acquired much later.
Assumptions and limitations
Count new customers once. Avoid counting the same salary in both marketing and payroll.
Do returning customers belong in CAC?
Use new customers acquired during the cost window. Count retention expenses separately where possible.