Meeting cost calculator
Every meeting has a price tag. Use this calculator to find out exactly how much your recurring meetings cost, including hidden costs like focus recovery time.
How this calculator works
The basic calculation multiplies the number of participants by their average hourly cost and the meeting duration. Weekly, monthly, and annual projections scale from there.
The "true cost" includes focus recovery time based on research from the University of California, Irvine, which found that it takes an average of 23 minutes to fully regain focus after an interruption like a meeting.
This calculator uses conservative estimates. The actual cost may be higher when you factor in preparation time, scheduling overhead, and the opportunity cost of lost productive work.
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Frequently Asked Questions
The calculator multiplies the number of participants by their average hourly cost and the meeting duration. Weekly, monthly, and annual projections scale from there. The 'true cost' also includes 23 minutes of focus recovery time per participant, based on research from the University of California, Irvine.
A typical 1-hour meeting with 5 participants at an average hourly rate of €50 costs approximately €250 in direct costs. When you factor in focus recovery time, the true cost rises to around €345. Recurring weekly meetings like this can exceed €17,000 per year.
The most effective strategies are: reduce meeting frequency, shorten meeting duration, invite fewer participants, and use AI tools like Menutes to automate note-taking so participants stay focused. Even eliminating one unnecessary weekly meeting can save thousands of euros per year.
Focus recovery time is the period it takes an employee to fully regain deep focus after an interruption like a meeting. Research from the University of California, Irvine found this averages 23 minutes per interruption. This hidden cost is often larger than the meeting itself.
Menutes automates meeting documentation by recording, transcribing, and summarizing meetings with AI. This eliminates the need for a dedicated note-taker, reduces post-meeting documentation time from hours to seconds, and ensures nothing gets lost. The Free plan includes 5 hours of transcription per month.