Meeting Cost Calculator

Multiply attendees by their per-minute salary cost and meeting duration to see the true price tag of any meeting. Use this to justify canceling unnecessary meetings and protecting your team's productive time.

Calculator

Number of Attendees

Avg Annual Salary ($)

Duration (minutes)

Meetings Per Week

This Meeting

$245

Per Minute

$4.09

Weekly

$736

Annual

$38,250

The Formula

Meeting Cost = (Annual Salary ÷ 2,080 hours ÷ 60 minutes) × Duration in Minutes × Number of Attendees. The 2,080 figure represents standard full-time working hours per year (40 hours × 52 weeks).

Sample Meeting Costs

Attendees	Avg Salary	Duration	Cost
4	$70K	30 min	$67
6	$85K	60 min	$245
10	$100K	60 min	$481
15	$90K	90 min	$973

Worked Example

A weekly 1-hour standup with 8 engineers averaging $110K:

Hourly rate: $110,000 ÷ 2,080 = $52.88/hour
Per meeting: $52.88 × 1 hour × 8 people = $423
Weekly: $423 | Monthly: ~$1,692 | Annual: $21,996

Could that standup be a 15-minute async update instead? You'd save $16,497/year.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you calculate the cost of a meeting?

Convert each attendee's annual salary to a per-minute rate (salary ÷ 2,080 hours ÷ 60 minutes), then multiply by the number of minutes in the meeting. Sum all attendees' costs for the total meeting cost.

Why should I track meeting costs?

The average employee spends 31 hours per month in unproductive meetings. By quantifying the cost, teams can evaluate whether a meeting is worth the expense or if an email, Slack message, or async update would suffice.

What is the average cost of a meeting?

A typical 1-hour meeting with 6 people earning average salaries costs $200-$350. Executive meetings can cost $1,000+ per hour. Companies with 5,000+ employees can spend $100M+ annually on meetings.

How can I reduce meeting costs?

Set clear agendas, invite only necessary attendees, use 25 or 50-minute meetings instead of 30/60, cancel meetings that lack a clear decision or outcome, and use async communication when possible.

Does this include overhead costs?

This calculator uses salary costs only. True meeting costs also include benefits (add 30-40% to salary), opportunity cost of work not done, room/equipment costs, and preparation time. Our estimate is conservative.