What does an offshore virtual assistant actually cost?

The honest answer: a vetted offshore virtual assistant usually costs about a third of what you'd pay locally — but the sticker rate is only part of the story. Here's how the math actually works.

The hourly rate

Most offshore VAs land between $7 and $15 an hour, depending on the role and seniority. General admin and scheduling sit at the lower end; specialized work — bookkeeping, paralegal support, medical billing — sits higher because the skills are worth more.

For a full-time role (about 160 hours a month), that's roughly $1,100–$2,400 a month. Set that next to a US hire at $45–65k a year plus payroll taxes, benefits and overhead, and the gap is hard to ignore.

What should be included

A rate that looks cheap can hide costs. When you compare, make sure you're comparing like for like. A fair offshore rate should already cover:

• Sourcing, screening and interviewing
• Payroll, contracts and local compliance
• A free replacement if the hire isn't a fit
• Ongoing support, not a hand-off

If you're paying a recruiter retainer on top, or eating the cost of re-hiring when someone doesn't work out, your real number is higher than the rate suggests.

Total cost of ownership

The rate is the start. The real comparison is total cost of ownership:

1. Local hire: salary, plus ~20–30% in taxes and benefits, plus recruiting, plus management overhead, plus the cost of a bad hire.
2. Offshore hire: a flat monthly rate that already bundles recruiting, compliance and replacement.

For most support, admin and finance roles, the second number comes in around 60–70% lower — without cutting the quality of the work, provided the vetting is real.

Where it goes wrong

Cheap is not the same as good. The failure mode is rarely the hourly rate — it's weak vetting and no accountability. Protect yourself by insisting on three things: you interview and approve every hire, replacements are free, and there are no upfront fees. If a provider won't stand behind those, the low rate isn't a deal.

The simplest way to find your number

Every team is different, so a generic average only gets you so far. The fastest way to know your real savings is to price a specific role. Tell us the position you're hiring for and we'll send a side-by-side breakdown — local cost vs. Committees — usually within a business day.

If you run a law firm, accounting practice, real estate team or healthcare practice, we've already mapped the roles that pay off first.