Small business site
18 design hours, 42 development hours, 12 content hours, $95 per hour, and $800 fixed expenses.
Estimated total is $7,640.
A compact site can still take real time once design and content are included.
Website Cost Calculator
Use this when you need a quick website budget that feels realistic, not just a rough guess.
Inputs
Website Cost Calculator
Estimate the cost of designing, building, and launching a website.
Results
Project cost estimate
Combine hours, hourly rate, and fixed expenses to get the final build cost.
Total hours
72
Design, development, and content combined.
Labor cost
$6,840.00
Hours multiplied by the hourly rate.
Fixed expenses
$800.00
Recurring and one-time project costs.
Estimated total
$7,640.00
What the website is likely to cost overall.
Quick take
A quick read before you calculate
Use this when you need a quick website budget that feels realistic, not just a rough guess.
Break the build into parts
Separating design, development, and content makes the budget much easier to explain and defend.
Example snapshot
Break the build into parts
Design18h
Development42h
Content12h
Formula
Website cost formula
Examples
2-3 real scenarios to make the result easier to trust.
FAQ
Clear answers to the questions people usually ask first.
Formula
Website cost formula
Total cost = (Design hours + Development hours + Content hours) × Hourly rate + Fixed expenses.
This is handy when you want to quote a client or plan your own build budget before work starts.
Examples
Landing page
8 design hours, 14 development hours, 4 content hours, $120 per hour, and $250 fixed expenses.
Estimated total is $2,890.
Even a small page needs a realistic buffer for design and launch work.
Custom build
40 design hours, 90 development hours, 25 content hours, $110 per hour, and $1,500 fixed expenses.
Estimated total is $17,750.
This helps you see why larger builds need a broader budget.
When to use
Use it when you are pricing a new site, reviewing a proposal, or checking whether the project scope still fits the budget.
Common mistakes
- Leaving out content, revisions, or QA time.
- Forgetting fixed costs like hosting, plugins, or domains.
- Using a rate that is too low for the full scope of the work.
FAQ
Does this include hosting?
It can, if you include hosting inside fixed expenses.
Can I use it for client quotes?
Yes. It is a quick way to estimate build cost before you draft the final proposal.
Next step
Need the project finances to stay tidy?
QuickBooks or Xero can help you track deposits, project costs, and remaining balances after the site is delivered.
Recalculate when the scope or hourly rate changes.