Meeting Cost Calculator
See what your meetings really cost — live ticker as time passes.
Meetings are expensive. This calculator makes the cost visible — often the first step to shorter, better meetings.
How to use
- Enter the number of attendees and their average hourly rate.
- Set the planned duration to see the total cost.
- Click "Start live ticker" during the meeting to watch the cost climb in real time.
About this tool
Share the live ticker on a screen for maximum impact.
How it works
The cost of a meeting is the combined hourly cost of everyone in it, multiplied by its duration: cost = Σ(hourly rates) × hours. Hourly rate is approximated from salary as annual pay ÷ 2,080 (52 weeks × 40 hours). True loaded cost — salary plus benefits, taxes and overhead — often runs 1.25–1.4× salary, so treat the tool’s figure as a conservative estimate.
The live ticker just multiplies elapsed seconds by the per-second burn rate. It looks dramatic on purpose: a 10-person meeting at a $50/hr average burns about $8.33 every minute, and watching it tick makes the cost visceral in a way a static number never does.
Meetings have no price tag, so organisations over-consume them. Putting a number on the ‘quick sync’ reframes it as a purchasing decision — which is exactly the point of the exercise.
Worked examples
The weekly status meeting: 8 attendees averaging $90k: about $43.27/hr each → $346/hr combined. A one-hour meeting costs ~$346; cutting it to 30 minutes ‘saves’ $173 every week.
The daily standup: 6 people at $70k, 15 minutes daily: ~$33.65/hr each → $202/hr → $50/day → roughly $13,000 a year. Worth asking whether it could be an async update.
Quick reference
| Annual salary | ≈ Hourly rate | 1 hr, 5 people |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $24.04 | $120 |
| $75,000 | $36.06 | $180 |
| $100,000 | $48.08 | $240 |
| $150,000 | $72.12 | $361 |
| $200,000 | $96.15 | $481 |
Frequently asked questions
Should I include overhead?
The rate you enter is up to you. Many use fully-loaded cost (salary + benefits + overhead), typically 1.25–1.4× base salary.
Can I share the ticker?
Take a screenshot or share your screen. The ticker runs locally — no account needed.
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