How to calculate customer acquisition cost (CAC)
Enter Total sales & marketing spend and New customers acquired for one period. The calculator divides the first figure by the second, then shows the inputs, the formula, and the intermediate values used for Customer acquisition cost (CAC).
How to use the customer acquisition cost calculator
- Choose Currency and Period. These labels appear in the result and do not convert the amounts or change their time span.
- Enter Total sales & marketing spend and New customers acquired for the same period.
- Enter Average revenue per customer - optional to add the single-period revenue-to-CAC ratio.
- Enter Target CAC - optional to calculate the difference per customer and across the entered customer count.
- Click Calculate CAC. Copy result copies the summary, and Download result (.txt) saves it as a text file.
What formula does the CAC calculator use?
Customer acquisition cost (CAC) is Total sales & marketing spend divided by New customers acquired. With the sample values in the form, the calculation is:
Total sales & marketing spend: 24000
New customers acquired: 60
Customer acquisition cost (CAC): $400.00Average revenue per customer - optional adds Average revenue per customer ÷ CAC for the entered period. Target CAC - optional calculates CAC − Target CAC per customer and multiplies that difference by New customers acquired. These optional fields leave CAC unchanged.
What do Currency and Period change?
Currency supplies the symbol or label shown with the amounts. Period labels the result as Monthly, Quarterly, Annual, Campaign total, or Custom period. Neither control applies an exchange rate or changes the period represented by your figures.
Total sales & marketing spend accepts zero or more. New customers acquired must be greater than zero. Average revenue per customer - optional and Target CAC - optional accept zero or more when entered, and both can stay blank. The required figures should cover the same period. Invalid input stops the calculation and displays an error.
What the CAC result includes
The result shows Customer acquisition cost (CAC), New customers acquired, and Total sales & marketing spend. The assumptions table lists the entered values, calculated values, selected labels, and any optional comparisons. A target warning appears when the absolute per-customer gap is greater than 0.005 in the entered currency.
Copy result creates a plain-text summary. Download result (.txt) saves customer-acquisition-cost-calculator-result.txt. The calculation uses the figures entered in the browser and does not look up live rates or records from a CRM, advertising platform, or accounting system. It does not calculate customer lifetime value, churn, payback period, or currency conversion.
Where customer acquisition cost calculations come up
For a campaign total, enter the spend and customers attributed to that campaign, select Campaign total, and add Target CAC - optional if you have a comparison figure. For a monthly review, select Monthly and enter figures that cover the same month.
If you enter Average revenue per customer - optional, the result adds a single-period revenue-to-CAC ratio. That ratio uses the period you entered and does not estimate customer lifetime value.
When another business calculator fits better
Use Business Calculators for another business measure. Conversion Rate Calculator divides conversions by a matching total such as visitors, leads, sessions, or clicks. CPC Calculator divides advertising spend by clicks. ROAS Calculator divides attributed revenue by advertising spend.
Frequently asked questions
How is customer acquisition cost (CAC) calculated?
Customer acquisition cost (CAC) is Total sales & marketing spend divided by New customers acquired for the same period. If spend is 24000 and new customers are 60, the result is 400 in the selected currency.
What should I enter for total sales and marketing spend?
Enter the sales and marketing costs you want included in Total sales & marketing spend. The calculator does not choose that definition, so keep the costs represented by the total consistent when comparing periods.
What does the revenue-to-CAC ratio show?
The ratio divides Average revenue per customer - optional by CAC for the entered period. It is a single-period comparison, not a customer lifetime value estimate or an LTV:CAC ratio.
Can I use the CAC calculator for different currencies?
Yes. Currency changes the symbol or label in the result, while the calculator leaves the amounts unchanged. Enter figures that already use the same currency because the calculator does not look up exchange rates.
Does the CAC calculator connect to sales or marketing systems?
No. The calculation uses the figures you type in. The page makes no lookup for records or live rates from a CRM, advertising platform, or accounting system, and the figures stay in the browser.