Project Cost Estimator
Estimate a project's cost from the hours and rates of three roles, other costs and a contingency, and share it with your team or client.
- Free
- No sign-up to try
- Works as you type
Project cost estimate
Total with contingency
$29,810
People cost
$24,600
Contingency amount
$2,710
Total hours
300 h
- People cost = each role's hours × its rate, added up.
- Subtotal = people cost + other costs.
- Total = subtotal × (1 + contingency).
Free, no sign-up to try. Save it as a live calculator you can share; an estimate from the numbers you enter, not financial advice. Check the result against your own records before you rely on it.
How it works
How the Project Cost Estimator works
- 1
Enter your numbers
Every result updates as you type, with the formula shown under it.
- 2
Check the method
See how each number is worked out and what it assumes.
- 3
Save it as a Room
Share a live calculator: others can change the numbers and see the result update.
Worked example
What it makes
Example inputs
- Lead hours
- 60
- Lead rate per hour
- $110
- Specialist hours
- 160
- Specialist rate per hour
- $85
- Support hours
- 80
- Support rate per hour
- $55
- Other costs (software, travel, materials)
- $2,500
- Contingency
- 10 %
Results
- Total with contingency
- $29,810
- People cost
- $24,600
- Contingency amount
- $2,710
- Total hours
- 300 h
How it's calculated
- People cost = each role's hours × its rate, added up.
- Subtotal = people cost + other costs.
- Total = subtotal × (1 + contingency).
- Assumes: Rates are what each hour costs or is charged at, whichever you are estimating.
- Assumes: Contingency is applied to the whole subtotal, including other costs.
An estimate from the numbers you enter, not financial advice. Check the result against your own records before you rely on it.
Who it's for
Who uses it
Project managers
Build a first budget before detailed planning.
Agencies and freelancers
Price a piece of work from the hours it needs.
Internal teams
Put a cost on a project request before it's approved.
Good to know
What to consider
- An estimate is only as good as the hours in it: break the work into tasks before you total them.
- Contingency covers known unknowns; it is not a fix for scope that keeps growing.
Questions
About the Project Cost Estimator
How much contingency should I add?
It depends on how well the work is understood. Work your team has done many times needs less; new or loosely defined work needs more. Look at how far past projects ran over and use that as your guide.
Can I share the calculator with my team or a client?
Yes. The Room keeps the calculator live: anyone with the link can change the numbers and see the result update, with the method and assumptions on the same page.
Make your calculator now
Free, no sign-up to try. It becomes a Room you can edit, publish and share.
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