Google Ads calculator for what to spend and what you get
Enter your monthly budget or the customers you want. See the clicks, leads and customers it brings, what each one costs you and the highest CPC that still pays.
Google Ads calculator
What you get each month
- Clicks
- 369
- Leads
- 30
- Cost per lead
- $66.26
- Minimum to know if it works
- $1,988
- Google recommends judging a campaign on at least 30 conversions in 30 days. At your cost per lead, that's $1,988 a month.
- Enter the share of leads that become customers to see customers, cost per customer and break-even CPC.
If your website converted better
Same budget, different website conversion rate. Improving the page the click lands on usually costs less than buying more clicks.
| Website conversion rate | Leads per month |
|---|---|
| 4.09% | 15 |
| 6.13% | 23 |
| 8.18% | 30 |
| 10.23% | 38 |
| 12.27% | 45 |
| 16.36% | 60 |
This is an estimate based on your numbers and public benchmarks, not a promise: cost per click changes with competition, location and season.
Do the numbers work for you?
In the free audit we check them against real searches in your area and tell you whether to start with ads, your website or both.
Your numbers are saved in this page's address: copy the link to come back to them or share them.
To estimate a Google Ads budget, divide your spend by the cost per click and multiply by your conversion rate: that gives you leads. Add your close rate and average sale and you get customers, revenue, ROI and the highest CPC you can pay without losing money.
How to use the Google Ads cost calculator
Pick your industry
It fills in cost per click and conversion rate with a sourced benchmark. If you already run ads, use the numbers from your account.
Choose a mode
“I have a budget” shows what it buys. “I want customers” shows what you'd need to spend each month to get there.
Add your sales numbers
Out of 10 leads, how many buy? What does a customer pay on average? Without these there are no customers, revenue or ROI.
Check the break-even CPC and the chart
If your CPC is above break-even, every click loses money. The chart shows what happens if your website converts better.
Share the link: it keeps your numbers.
Google Ads benchmarks by industry
| Industry | Cost per click | CTR | Conversion rate | Cost per lead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | $5.42 | 6.64% | 8.18% | $66.69 |
| Animals and pets | $4.06 | 7.49% | 16.22% | $31.50 |
| Apparel, fashion and jewelry | $4.44 | 6.64% | 4.50% | $97.51 |
| Arts and entertainment | $1.63 | 12.75% | 5.91% | $26.84 |
| Attorneys and legal services | $9.87 | 5.87% | 5.55% | $131.63 |
| Auto repair, service and parts | $4.35 | 5.56% | 15.51% | $29.96 |
| Beauty and personal care | $4.62 | 6.75% | 10.35% | $39.25 |
| Business services | $5.87 | 6.10% | 4.85% | $93.69 |
| Car dealers | $2.27 | 8.28% | 6.01% | $44.26 |
| Careers and employment | $5.81 | 5.88% | 3.05% | $67.36 |
| Dentists and dental services | $8.00 | 5.66% | 10.67% | $72.97 |
| Education and instruction | $4.81 | 7.56% | 13.14% | $77.48 |
| Finance and insurance | $3.39 | 9.83% | 2.64% | $74.44 |
| Furniture | $3.97 | 6.57% | 2.99% | $106.70 |
| Health and fitness | $6.17 | 5.81% | 6.94% | $67.36 |
| Home services and improvement | $8.33 | 6.47% | 8.05% | $90.92 |
| Industrial and commercial | $5.87 | 6.57% | 8.20% | $75.19 |
| Personal services | $7.17 | 7.16% | 12.34% | $54.60 |
| Physicians and surgeons | $4.76 | 6.61% | 12.43% | $40.04 |
| Real estate | $3.22 | 7.61% | 3.70% | $102.51 |
| Restaurants and food | $2.05 | 6.83% | 8.05% | $30.57 |
| Shopping, collectibles and gifts | $4.14 | 8.28% | 4.01% | $49.40 |
| Sports and recreation | $2.77 | 8.75% | 7.69% | $44.26 |
| Travel | $2.14 | 9.32% | 5.83% | $44.70 |
Amounts in U.S. dollars, as published. Use them as a starting point. LocaliQ, Search Advertising Benchmarks for Every Industry (2026)
Download the table (CSV)How we calculate
- Clicks per month
- budget ÷ cost per click
- Leads
- clicks × website conversion rate
- Customers
- leads × close rate
- Cost per lead
- budget ÷ leads
- Cost per customer
- (budget + management fee) ÷ customers
- ROAS
- revenue ÷ budget
- ROI
- (customer value − budget − fee) ÷ (budget + fee)
- Break-even CPC
- customer value × margin × conversion × close rate ÷ (1 + fee ÷ budget)
- Minimum to know if it works
- 30 leads × cost per lead
- “I want customers” mode
- customers ÷ close rate ÷ conversion × cost per click
- Customer value is lifetime value if you enter it; otherwise, the average sale. Without a margin, profitability is calculated on revenue.
- The 30 comes from Google Ads Help, which recommends judging a campaign on at least 30 conversions over the last 30 days.
- Industry benchmarks come from LocaliQ's 2026 search advertising study (U.S. campaigns, in dollars). If you have your own numbers, use them.
- The cost per lead in the results is calculated from the cost per click and the conversion rate, so it can differ by a few cents from the cost per lead LocaliQ publishes in the table.
- Worked example with the all-industries average conversion rate (8.18%): a budget that buys 300 clicks brings about 25 leads; if you close 3 out of 10, that's 7 or 8 new customers a month.
Where the data comes from
- LocaliQ, Search Advertising Benchmarks for Every Industry (2026) · May 26, 2026
- Google Ads Help, About Target CPA bidding · October 22, 2026
Checked on Oct 22, 2026
Embed this calculator
Free. We only ask that you keep the source link underneath.
How to cite this calculator
Scalia (2026). Google Ads calculator. Retrieved October 22, 2026, from https://scalia.agency/en-us/tools/google-ads-calculator
Questions about Google Ads budgets
How much should I spend on Google Ads per month?
It depends on what a click costs in your searches and how many leads you need. One way to set a floor: what 30 leads a month cost, because Google recommends judging a campaign on at least 30 conversions in 30 days. The calculator gives you that number with your industry's benchmark.
Is there a minimum budget for Google Ads?
Google doesn't set one: you can start small. The problem with going too low is that you get so few leads you can't tell whether the campaign works. That's why we show the minimum to know if it works next to your results.
What is break-even CPC?
The most you can pay per click without losing money. It comes from what a customer is worth, your margin, your conversion rate and your close rate. Pay less and every click makes money; pay more and the more you spend, the more you lose.
What is a good ROAS?
One that covers your costs. With a 40% margin you need a ROAS of at least 2.5 to break even (1 ÷ 0.4). That's why the calculator asks for your margin: a high ROAS on a thin margin can still lose money.
What is a normal Google Ads conversion rate?
In LocaliQ's 2026 benchmarks (U.S. campaigns), the average across industries is 8.18% of clicks turning into a lead, ranging from 2.64% to 16.22% by industry. The page the click lands on changes it more than anything else.
Where does my industry's data come from?
From LocaliQ's 2026 search advertising benchmarks, based on U.S. campaigns. They're a starting point; the numbers in your own Google Ads account come first.
How do I include what I pay for management?
Enter it in the “Management fee per month” field. It's added to cost per customer, ROI and break-even CPC, because it's money you spend even though it isn't a click.
Want these numbers with data from your area? We'll check your account for free.
In the free audit we look at what people search for in your area, what each click costs, your Google Ads account if you have one and whether your site turns clicks into leads.
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