CAC Calculator
Calculate customer acquisition cost from sales and marketing spend.
This CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost) calculator finds the average cost to acquire a single new customer, by dividing total sales and marketing spend by the number of new customers gained over the same period.
Enter your total acquisition spend and number of new customers, and the calculator returns your CAC.
Worked Calculation Examples
| Scenario | Result | Calculation Step |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 spend, 500 new customers | CAC = $100 | CAC = 50,000 ÷ 500 = $100. |
| $30,000 spend, 150 new customers | CAC = $200 | CAC = 30,000 ÷ 150 = $200. |
The CAC Formula
CAC = total sales and marketing spend / number of new customers acquired, over the same time period. Spending $50,000 on sales and marketing in a quarter that produced 500 new customers gives a CAC of $100 per customer.
Why CAC Must Be Compared to Customer Value
CAC alone doesn't reveal whether acquisition spending is profitable - it needs to be compared against customer lifetime value (LTV). A commonly cited healthy benchmark is an LTV:CAC ratio of at least 3:1, meaning a customer's lifetime value should be at least three times what it cost to acquire them.
How to Use the CAC Calculator
- Open the CAC Calculator and enter the values requested in the input fields.
- Check the units, percentages, dates, or time periods before reading the answer.
- Review the instant result and adjust any value to compare another scenario.
- Use the formula, example, and FAQs below to understand how the cac calculator works.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you calculate customer acquisition cost?
Divide total sales and marketing spend by the number of new customers acquired over the same period: CAC = spend / new customers.
What is a good CAC?
There's no universal target - CAC should be evaluated relative to customer lifetime value (LTV), with a common healthy benchmark being an LTV:CAC ratio of 3:1 or better.
Does CAC include only marketing spend or also sales costs?
A complete CAC calculation typically includes both sales and marketing costs (salaries, ad spend, tools), not marketing spend alone, since sales efforts also directly contribute to acquiring new customers.
How do I use this cac calculator?
Enter the known values, review the units or settings, and the calculator updates the result instantly. The formula and example on this page show how the answer is produced.
What does the CAC Calculator calculate?
Calculate customer acquisition cost from sales and marketing spend. It is designed for fast browser-based calculations without sign-up, downloads, or manual spreadsheet setup.
What formula does this cac use?
The formula is: CAC = acquisition spend / new customers. CAC became a headline metric for venture-backed startups particularly through the 2000s and 2010s growth of digital marketing, since trackable online advertising made it possible, for the first time, to attribute specific acquisition spend to specific new customers with much greater precision than traditional offline marketing ever allowed.
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Last updated: September 27, 2026.