Quick answer
Meeting cost = attendees × average hourly cost × duration in hours. Eight people at $85 an hour for 1.5 hours cost $1,020.
Enter the attendees, the average hourly cost per person and the duration. The calculator returns the cost.
Related tools: Payroll Cost Calculator: Total payroll cost with a payroll burden you enter. Monthly Working Days Calculator: Weekdays in a month less holidays you enter. Utilization Rate Calculator: Billable hours as a share of available hours.
How to use the Meeting Cost Calculator
- Enter attendees (above 0).
- Enter average cost per person per hour ($) (above 0).
- Enter duration (hours) (above 0).
- Press Calculate to see the result, and use Reset to start again.
| Input | What to enter | Allowed values |
|---|---|---|
| Attendees | A number | > 0 |
| Average cost per person per hour | A number, in $ | > 0 |
| Duration | A number, in hours | > 0 |
Formula and method
Formula
cost = attendees × hourly cost × hours
IEEE-754 double precision; shown to the decimals indicated.
Use fully loaded cost for a realistic figure.
Worked examples
These examples are verified: each one is an automated test case that the live calculator must reproduce exactly.
Example 1
Inputs: Attendees = 8; Average cost per person per hour = 85; Duration = 1.5.
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Meeting cost | $1,020.00 |
Example 2
Inputs: Attendees = 3; Average cost per person per hour = 120; Duration = 0.5.
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Meeting cost | $180.00 |
The first line is the headline result (meeting cost). IEEE-754 double precision; shown to the decimals indicated.
Using a loaded hourly cost
Use salary plus benefits and overhead divided by working hours, not take-home pay. A $60,000 salary with a 30% load is about $37.50 an hour. The estimate shows the opportunity cost of time, not cash paid out.
Cutting the cost
Halving the invitation list or the duration halves the cost. A weekly 1.5 hour meeting for eight people costs about $53,000 a year at these figures, which makes a case for agendas and shorter slots.
How the result changes with attendees
Holding every other input at the first worked example, this table changes only attendees. It shows how sensitive the answer is to that one value; each row was produced by running this calculator.
| Attendees | Meeting cost |
|---|---|
| 4 | $510.00 |
| 8 | $1,020.00 |
| 16 | $2,040.00 |
| 32 | $4,080.00 |
What happens with invalid input
These messages are produced by the calculator itself, so you know what to fix.
- Attendees: entering "0" shows "Attendees must be greater than 0." beside that field and no result.
- Duration: entering "0" shows "Duration must be greater than 0." beside that field and no result.
Choosing between the Meeting Cost Calculator and similar calculators
Each row shows what a related calculator on this site asks for and what it returns, so you can pick the one that matches your question.
| Calculator | You enter | It returns |
|---|---|---|
| [Payroll Cost Calculator](/business/payroll-cost-calculator/) | employees, average annual salary and taxes and benefits on top of salary | Annual payroll cost |
| [Monthly Working Days Calculator](/business/monthly-working-days-calculator/) | year and month | Working days |
| [Utilization Rate Calculator](/business/utilization-rate-calculator/) | billable hours and available hours | Utilization rate |
| [Marginal Cost Calculator](/business/marginal-cost/) | total cost before, total cost after and quantity before | Marginal cost |
| [Opportunity Cost Calculator](/business/opportunity-cost/) | return of the option you gave up and return of the option you chose | Opportunity cost |
Background: business metrics
Business ratios depend on exactly which costs and revenues you include, so read each page's definition. Two common checks: break-even units = fixed costs ÷ (price − variable cost per unit), so $50,000 of fixed costs with a $10 price and $5 variable cost breaks even at 10,000 units; and net profit margin = net profit ÷ revenue, so $20,000 profit on $100,000 revenue is 20%.
Return on investment ignores time: 20% over five years is far less impressive than 20% in one, so compare returns over the same period.
Assumptions and limitations
- Duration in hours
If a required value is empty, not a number, or outside its allowed range, the form marks that field with a message and shows no result instead of a misleading number. The automated checks deliberately try invalid entries for attendees and duration to confirm this.
Frequently asked questions
Is the duration in hours?
Yes: 90 minutes is 1.5 hours.
Should I add preparation time?
Add it to the duration if you want the full cost.
Does it include travel?
No, add it separately.
What does the Meeting Cost Calculator calculate?
Cost of a meeting from attendees and hourly cost. It returns Meeting cost.
What formula does the Meeting Cost Calculator use?
cost = attendees × hourly cost × hours. Use fully loaded cost for a realistic figure.
What do I need to enter in the meeting Cost Calculator?
You enter Attendees, Average cost per person per hour ($) and Duration (hours).
How is the result rounded or limited?
IEEE-754 double precision; shown to the decimals indicated. Duration in hours.
What is an example of a meeting Cost result?
With attendees 8, average cost per person per hour 85 and duration 1.5, the meeting cost is $1,020.00.
Related calculators
- Payroll Cost Calculator — Total payroll cost with a payroll burden you enter.
- Monthly Working Days Calculator — Weekdays in a month less holidays you enter.
- Utilization Rate Calculator — Billable hours as a share of available hours.
- Marginal Cost Calculator — Extra cost of producing additional units.
- Opportunity Cost Calculator — Value given up by choosing one option over another.
- Cost of Goods Sold Calculator — COGS from inventory and purchases.
Sources
- OpenStax, Principles of Accounting, Volume 2: Managerial Accounting (Rice University)
Content last reviewed 2026-11-04. Formulas and worked examples are checked by automated tests against independently computed values.