How the virtual assistant cost calculator works
This tool turns four simple inputs into a clear cost comparison. You choose the role you want to hire, the number of weekly hours, the experience level, and the base salary you would pay a local employee. The calculator then shows three things at a glance: the fully-loaded monthly cost of an in-house hire, the monthly cost of a dedicated virtual assistant through Cherry Assistant, and the difference between them as a dollar amount and a percentage. The effective hourly rate for each option appears underneath so you can compare on a like for like basis.
Results update instantly as you change the inputs, and nothing is hidden behind a form. The figure you see is a planning estimate built for budgeting, not a binding quote. When you are ready to lock in a real number for your role, scope, and timezone, you can book a meeting and we will confirm exact pricing on a short call.
How much does a virtual assistant cost in 2026
The honest answer is that virtual assistant cost ranges widely, and the single biggest reason is location. A US-based virtual assistant generally charges $25 to $40 per hour for general administrative work and $40 to $75 or more per hour for specialist skills like bookkeeping or paid media. Full-time, that lands a US VA somewhere between $3,000 and $7,000 per month once you account for their rate and the hours they keep.
Offshore virtual assistants cost a fraction of that. A South African VA typically runs about $4 to $15 per hour depending on experience, and a Philippines-based VA runs about $3 to $10 per hour. Managed, dedicated, full-time offshore VAs commonly land between $1,988 and $3,000 per month. Cherry Assistant tiers sit at or below that band, which is what produces the savings you see in the calculator above.
One trap worth flagging: the headline rates you see on freelance marketplaces are misleading for a true comparison. The Upwork median of roughly $13 per hour and the wide Fiverr range of $7 to $60 per hour reflect a global labor pool that is already dominated by offshore supply. Those numbers are not what a US-based freelancer charges, so comparing them against a US salary is not apples to apples. The calculator avoids that confusion by comparing a fully-loaded local hire against a vetted, managed offshore VA.
Virtual assistant cost by role and specialty
Cost also shifts by role. Admin and data entry sit at the low end, while bookkeeping, marketing, and executive support carry a premium on both the US and the offshore side. The table below gives a quick benchmark for common roles. US annual figures are fully-loaded planning ranges, offshore hourly is a typical South Africa range, and the Cherry column shows the starting monthly price for that kind of role.
| Role | US salary (annual) | US hourly | Offshore hourly | With Cherry |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Administrative / Virtual Assistant | $47,460 | $25 to $35 | $5 to $10 | From $497 |
| Executive Assistant | $73,000 | $35 to $60 | $10 to $15 | From $1,097 |
| Customer Support Representative | $48,000 | $22 to $32 | $5 to $9 | From $497 |
| Bookkeeping / Accounting Assistant | $52,000 | $28 to $45 | $8 to $14 | From $497 |
| Social Media / Marketing Assistant | $55,000 | $28 to $50 | $7 to $13 | From $497 |
| Real Estate Virtual Assistant | $46,000 | $22 to $35 | $5 to $10 | From $497 |
| E-commerce Virtual Assistant | $48,000 | $24 to $38 | $6 to $11 | From $497 |
| Data Entry Assistant | $41,200 | $18 to $28 | $4 to $8 | From $497 |
If you want to go deeper on a specific function, browse the roles we source, the industries we support, and common use cases to see how teams structure the work before they hire.
What drives virtual assistant pricing
Four levers move the price more than anything else, and understanding them helps you read your own estimate with confidence.
- Location and labor market. This is the single biggest lever. Offshore talent in South Africa or the Philippines costs a fraction of US and UK rates for comparable work.
- Experience and seniority. Junior, mid, and senior tiers price differently, and executive or specialist roles command a premium because the work carries more judgment and ownership.
- Task complexity. General admin and data entry sit at the low end. Bookkeeping, marketing execution, and executive support cost more because they require specific tools and accountability.
- Engagement model. Freelance hourly, managed agency retainer, and direct placement each carry different all-in costs. Managed retainers typically save 10 to 25 percent versus paying for the same work by the hour.
The true cost of an in-house hire: what fully-loaded means
Base salary is only part of what an employee costs. The fully-loaded cost adds employer payroll taxes such as FICA at 7.65 percent plus federal and state unemployment, benefits and paid leave, and the overhead of equipment, software, recruiting, and onboarding. The US Small Business Administration, citing the well known MIT formula from Joseph Hadzima, puts the all-in number at 1.25 to 1.4 times base salary. Bureau of Labor Statistics data showing benefits at roughly 30 percent of total compensation supports the upper end of that range.
Here is a worked example. A local hire on a $50,000 salary does not cost you $50,000. Once you add taxes, benefits, paid time off, and overhead, the real annual cost is closer to $62,500 to $70,000, and that is before you count the weeks of recruiting time it takes to fill the seat. The calculator uses a 1.3 times multiplier by default, which sits in the middle of that range, and you can change the base salary to match a real offer in your market.
US versus offshore versus freelance: a side by side comparison
There are three common paths to getting work off your plate, and they are not equal. A US in-house employee gives you the most direct control but the highest fully-loaded cost. A managed offshore VA gives you a dedicated, vetted person for roughly 50 to 70 percent less than a fully-loaded US hire, with a partner handling sourcing and support. A freelance marketplace gig looks cheap on the surface but often carries hidden costs: turnover, no backup coverage when your person is sick or quits, no vetting or supervision, and quality that varies from one hire to the next.
For most teams the sweet spot is managed hire, because it bundles vetting, supervision, and backup coverage so you are not managing a marketplace by yourself. You can read the detailed breakdowns on our Cherry versus in-house, Cherry versus Upwork, and Cherry versus Fiverr pages, and see how the managed hire service is structured.
Why hire a virtual assistant from South Africa
South Africa has become the standout choice for US and UK teams that want offshore savings without giving up communication quality or working-hours overlap. English is an official language, so South African VAs speak with native or near-native, neutral-accent fluency, and English literacy is high. That removes the friction many teams worry about with offshore support.
The timezone is the other advantage. South Africa runs on GMT+2, which is only one to two hours ahead of the UK and gives 6 to 8 hours of daily working overlap. For US teams, the South African morning lines up with the start of the US East Coast and Central day, so you get real time collaboration during the hours that matter most. The result is 30 to 50 percent savings versus US and UK rates with a person who can join your standup and answer in real time.
South Africa versus the Philippines: which offshore VA is cheaper
On price alone, the Philippines wins. Entry to mid-level Filipino VAs run about $360 to $800 per month, versus about $640 to $1,600 for comparable South African talent. The tradeoff is overlap. The Philippines sits roughly 12 hours ahead of the US East Coast, which means almost no live overlap with a US or UK working day. That is fine for purely asynchronous task work where you hand off at night and review in the morning.
South Africa carries a modest premium, but that premium buys English fluency and meaningful daytime overlap. If you need someone who can hop on a call, handle live customer chats, or coordinate with your team during business hours, South Africa is usually the better value despite the slightly higher rate. If your work is fully async and price is the only thing that matters, the Philippines can be the right call. Cherry sources from both, so you can match the region to the work.
How to estimate your own savings step by step
To get a number tailored to your situation, work through the calculator like this. First, pick the role that is closest to what you need. If nothing matches exactly, choose the nearest fit and adjust the salary. Second, set the weekly hours, from 10 hours for light part-time support up to 40 hours for a full-time hire. Third, choose the experience level that matches the ownership you expect, from junior for repeatable tasks to senior for work that runs without close supervision.
Finally, edit the base salary to reflect a real local offer in your area, since salaries vary a lot by city and industry. Read the savings figure as both a dollar amount and a percentage, and check the effective hourly rate on each side to sanity check the comparison. Notice how part-time versus full-time changes both the monthly cost and the per-hour economics, since fixed overhead on a local hire is spread across fewer hours when the role is part-time.
Cherry Assistant pricing and how to hire
Cherry Assistant keeps pricing simple. Essential plans, with talent at 3 to 4 years of experience, are $497 per month at 10 hours, $797 per month at 20 hours, and $1,497 per month at 40 hours per week. The senior track, for 5 or more years of role-specific experience, is $1,997 per month at 20 hours and $3,000 per month at 40 hours, and specialist roles add roughly $100 to $200 per month. There are no payroll, benefits, or recruiting fees stacked on top, which is the whole point of the offshore model.
If you would rather own the relationship directly, the direct placement option is a one-time $3,000 placement fee with a $500 refundable deposit credited toward it. Either way, the process is the same: we handle vetting, matching, and onboarding support so you meet a short list of qualified candidates rather than sorting through hundreds of applications. See exactly how it works, review the full pricing, then book a meeting or request candidates to get started.
Sources and methodology
The defaults in this calculator are grounded in public data so the comparison stays honest. The salaries you see are editable starting points, the loaded multiplier follows a widely cited employer cost rule of thumb, and the Cherry figures mirror the published pricing used across this site. Key sources:
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Secretaries and Administrative Assistants (median wage $47,460, May 2024)
- US Small Business Administration, How Much Does an Employee Cost You (the 1.25 to 1.4 times base salary rule of thumb)
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employer Costs for Employee Compensation (benefits near 30 percent of total compensation)
- Indeed, Virtual Assistant Salaries (US VA average near $25.55 per hour)
