Budget guide · Updated November 2026
How much does a virtual assistant cost?
A virtual assistant you hire yourself costs $3.00–$17.31 an hour across the 9 countries with published rates, and in the Philippines that's $5.00–$10.00 an hour or $600–$1,500 a month full-time. Through an agency, one published rate card runs $6.50–$10.00 an hour all-inclusive, and an in-house assistant in the US earns $18.67–$27.89 an hour before benefits.
The same 80 hours, three receipts
An 80-hour month is about 18 hours a week. Here's what it costs on each route, with each line sourced. The calculator reruns these receipts for other hours, roles and countries.
Published by Outsourcing Insider, a VA MASTERS company. The agency example uses VA MASTERS' published rates; type in any agency's quote to compare. About us
In-house in the US
A virtual assistant on your payroll
Per month
- Wages180 hrs × $18.67–$27.89/hr$1,494–$2,231
- Paid leave2$125–$187
- Supplemental pay (overtime, bonuses)2$66.52–$99.37
- Health and other insurance2$127–$190
- Retirement plans2$46.36–$69.25
- Payroll taxes and required insurance2$159–$238
Monthly total$2,018–$3,014
One-time
- Average cost per hire3$5,475
First year$29,687–$41,644
- Benefit costs are the average for private employers with 1–49 workers; your own package may differ.
An agency, e.g. VA MASTERS Parent company
Administrative & Operations Support rate card
Per month
- Rate, all-inclusive480 hrs × $6.50–$10.00/hr$520–$800
- Recruitment or setup fee4$0
- Bank transfer fee4$0
Monthly total$520–$800
First year$6,240–$9,600
About 74% less than in-house, at mid-range
- Includes recruitment, contract and payments, time tracking and an account manager (as published).
- Replacement at no extra cost; 30-day trial with each new hire.
- A refundable advance payment, credited against your first invoices, is due once you choose your hire.
Hire directly in the Philippines
Someone you find, vet and manage yourself
Per month
- Pay580 hrs × $5.00–$10.00/hr (hourly rates)$400–$800
- Platform fee0% for now: add yours under Adjust$0
- Transfer fees0% for now: add yours under Adjust$0
Monthly total$400–$800
One-time
- Your time to find and vetNot counted: add it under Adjust$0
First year$4,800–$9,600
About 76% less than in-house, at mid-range
- You find, vet, pay and manage the person yourself.
- If it doesn't work out, the search starts again.
- Rates: what foreign businesses pay remote workers they hire directly (job ads, salary guides and surveys). From 120 hours a month the slip uses full-time pay; below that, hourly rates.
- United States pay: O*NET OnLine (U.S. Department of Labor), national wages for SOC 43-6014, BLS OEWS May 2025 (May 2025 (BLS 2025 wage data)); U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025, news release Table 1 (May 2025). Checked Oct 2026.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, June 2026, Table 6. Checked Oct 2026.
- SHRM, 'SHRM Releases 2025 Benchmarking Reports' press release (Oct 15, 2025). Checked Oct 2026.
- VA MASTERS pricing page: published hourly rates by role category, all-inclusive. Checked Oct 2026.
- Philippines, direct hire (remote work for foreign clients): OnlineJobs.ph job search results (job ads posted by employers hiring Filipinos directly) (ads posted 2026-10-28); OnlineJobs.ph blog, 'Comprehensive Guide To Virtual Assistant Salaries in the Philippines' (salary tables) (last updated April 2026). Checked Oct 2026. Local-currency figures converted at 1 USD = 63.5 PHP (Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, Reference Exchange Rate Bulletin, 23 October 2026 (BSP Reference Rate), rate for 23 Oct 2026).
What it costs by country
Sorted by the lowest published figure. The monthly columns are pay only, for you to compare like with like.
| Hire directly in | Hourly rate | Full-time, per month | 40 hours | 80 hours | 160 hours | Figures |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| India | $3.00–$9.00 | $120–$360 | $240–$720 | $480–$1,440 | 1 | |
| Philippines | $5.00–$10.00 | $600–$1,500 | $200–$400 | $400–$800 | $554–$1,385 | 4 |
| Ukraine | $700–$1,000 | $162–$231 | $323–$462 | $646–$923 | 1 | |
| Romania | $839–$2,333 | $194–$538 | $387–$1,077 | $775–$2,153 | 1 | |
| South Africa | $5.00–$6.00 | $200–$240 | $400–$480 | $800–$960 | 1 | |
| Mexico | $1,200–$1,500 | $277–$346 | $554–$692 | $1,108–$1,385 | 1 | |
| Colombia | $7.00–$9.00 | $2,000–$3,000 | $280–$360 | $560–$720 | $1,846–$2,769 | 2 |
| Argentina | $1,300–$3,000 | $300–$692 | $600–$1,385 | $1,200–$2,769 | 1 | |
| Brazil | $2,500–$3,000 | $577–$692 | $1,154–$1,385 | $2,308–$2,769 | 1 | |
| Poland | est. $8.48–$16.90 | est. $1,470–$2,929 | $339–$676 | $678–$1,352 | $1,357–$2,704 | 0 |
Read the thin cells carefully. India, Ukraine, Romania, South Africa, Mexico, Argentina and Brazil rest on one published figure each. The figures for India, Colombia, Argentina and Brazil come at least partly from executive-assistant ads, which pay more than general VA work, so a general admin VA there may cost less than these ranges suggest. The Philippines has the most published figures for this role, and that's the one to trust most.
How much is a virtual assistant in the Philippines?
The direct-hire answer is $5.00–$10.00 an hour on hourly work, or $600–$1,500 a month full-time. Here's every figure behind that, as published:
- Hourly rate$5.00–$10.00/hrOnlineJobs.ph job search results (job ads posted by employers hiring Filipinos directly) (ads posted 2026-10-28). Checked Oct 2026.
- Full-time pay$600–$1,500/monthOnlineJobs.ph job search results (job ads posted by employers hiring Filipinos directly) (ads posted 2026-10-28). Checked Oct 2026.
- Hourly rate$6.00–$9.00/hrOnlineJobs.ph blog, 'Comprehensive Guide To Virtual Assistant Salaries in the Philippines' (salary tables) (last updated April 2026). Checked Oct 2026.
- Full-time pay$800–$1,100/monthOnlineJobs.ph blog, 'Comprehensive Guide To Virtual Assistant Salaries in the Philippines' (salary tables) (last updated April 2026). Checked Oct 2026.
Local employers in the Philippines pay $1.65–$2.63 an hour ($285–$457 a month full-time). That's what a local office job pays, so treat it as background and never as the price of a remote hire. More detail, including how the Philippines compares with other countries, is on the Philippines VA salary page.
What moves the price
Every range above is wide for a reason. Roughly in the order they matter:
- The job itself. Data entry, general admin and executive support all get called "VA", and they don't pay the same. Write down the tasks before you compare quotes.
- Experience in your tools. Someone who already knows your CRM or accounting software costs more and needs less of your time.
- Hourly or full-time. In the Philippines, full-time pay works out lower per hour. See part-time vs full-time.
- Language. Client calls in English ask more than written admin does, and a second language such as German or Spanish narrows the pool.
- Your hours. Working your daytime from the other side of the world means night shifts for the person, and many people want more for that. Compare the time zones.
- How you hire. You can do the recruiting and admin yourself, or pay someone to. See VA vs freelancer vs agency.
What sits on top of the rate
- Hiring directly: platform and transfer feesYours to addThey depend on how you find and pay the person. The calculator starts them at 0% and lets you type your own.
- Hiring directly: your recruiting timeYours to addAd, screening, interviews, a paid test and references. Count it again if the first hire doesn't last.
- Agency: fees beyond the rateAskSetup fees, card fees, any advance payment and the notice period. The example on this page lists no setup fee and 4% on card or PayPal payments.
- In-house in the US: benefits and payroll taxes+35.1% of wagesSum of the five employer-cost lines on the receipt above, at the average for private employers with 1–49 workers.
- In-house in the US: average cost per hire$5,475SHRM, 'SHRM Releases 2025 Benchmarking Reports' press release (Oct 15, 2025). Checked Oct 2026.
- Any route: tools and managementYours to addSoftware licences, and your own time setting tasks and checking work. A new hire takes the most of it in the first month.
Budget it in three steps
- Count the hours. Log a week of what you'd hand over, using the tasks to delegate checklist.
- Pick a route and a country. Put your hours in the calculator and read all three receipts, including the fields for your own time.
- Budget toward the top of the range. The low end of a published range usually buys less experience. If the role touches clients or money, plan on the upper half, and let a paid test task prove what the person is worth.
FAQ
How much does a virtual assistant cost per hour?
Hired directly abroad, published rates run from $3.00 to $17.31 an hour across 9 countries, with full-time pay converted to an hourly figure. In the US, an employee doing the same job earns $18.67–$27.89 an hour before benefits and payroll taxes. Agency rates vary and many aren't published; the example on this page is $6.50–$10.00 an hour, all-inclusive.
How much does a virtual assistant cost per month?
It depends on the hours. Hired directly in the Philippines, 80 hours a month costs $400–$800 and 160 hours costs $554–$1,384, in pay. The agency example on this page comes to $520–$800 and $1,040–$1,600 for the same hours.
How much is a virtual assistant in the Philippines?
Foreign businesses hiring directly pay $5.00–$10.00 an hour on hourly work, or $600–$1,500 a month full-time (OnlineJobs.ph job search results, OnlineJobs.ph blog, checked Oct 2026). Local employers in the Philippines pay $1.65–$2.63 an hour, but that's the price of a local job, not of remote work for a foreign client, so don't budget from it.
Why do some sites quote much lower Philippine VA rates?
They're often quoting local pay. Local employers in the Philippines pay $1.65–$2.63 an hour, and remote work for foreign businesses pays more. In our data, direct-hire pay there runs about 3.4 times local pay, the median across roles. If a quote looks far below the direct-hire range, ask what it covers and who you'd really get.
Is a virtual assistant cheaper than hiring an employee?
On pay, usually by a wide margin. For 160 hours a month, a US employee costs $4,035–$6,028 with benefits and payroll taxes, against $554–$1,384 hiring directly in the Philippines. An employee does things a remote VA can't, such as being on site, so compare the work as well as the price. Our outsourcing vs in-house guide goes through it role by role.
Are there hidden costs in hiring a virtual assistant?
They're less hidden than uncounted. Hiring directly, add any platform fee, payment transfer fees, tools and licences, and your own hours for recruiting and managing. With an agency, ask about setup fees, card fees, any advance payment and the notice period. The calculator has a line for most of these.