“Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.”
— Dorothy, The Wizard of Oz
That line couldn’t have captured my experience more accurately when I hired my first virtual assistant. I thought I was stepping into a small change—just someone to help with a few admin tasks. What I got instead was a complete shift in how I operated my business, saved money, and scaled. My business didn’t just leave Kansas… it landed somewhere a whole lot more magical.
If you’re curious about how virtual assistants can deliver not just convenience but a significant return on investment, you’re in the right place. In this article, we’ll break down the true cost of hiring in-house employees versus VAs, uncover hidden office overhead, and show you how to budget for virtual assistant costs in a way that unlocks massive ROI.
The Hidden Price Tag of In-House Admin Teams
Let’s break it down. What does it really cost to bring on an admin assistant in the U.S.?
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average hourly wage for an admin assistant is $21.87, which translates to $4,562/month for full-time work.
But that’s just the beginning.
Here’s what else you’re likely paying per employee each month:
- Office space: $400+
- Benefits mandated by the government (Social Security, Medicare, unemployment insurance): $436
- Utilities, supplies, internet access, etc.: $100+
- Recruitment and onboarding (spread over a year): easily another $100–$200/month
When you add it all up, one in-house admin can cost you well over $6,000/month—and that doesn’t include raises, PTO, or turnover costs.
In contrast, when you budget for virtual assistant cost, you’re looking at an entirely different game.
Physical Offices are Eating into Your Budget
You don’t just hire people—you have to house them.
For businesses with brick-and-mortar offices, here’s what you’re also paying (and probably not budgeting for in ROI calculations):
- Rent: $1,000–$3,000/month per employee in major cities
- Utilities: $200–$500/month
- Maintenance and cleaning: $150–$400/month
- Insurance and security systems: $100–$300/month
Add that up and you’re spending $12,000–$40,000 annually per head just to keep the lights on—literally.
Now imagine reinvesting those funds into sales, marketing, or product development. That’s where the real opportunity lies.
What a Virtual Assistant Actually Costs
Let’s talk real numbers.
Hiring a skilled Filipino virtual assistant through a trusted provider like Outsource Access can cost anywhere from $6–$12/hour. That’s about $1,200–$2,000/month for a full-time assistant, depending on skill level and responsibilities.
And unlike in-house hires, your virtual assistant:
- Doesn’t require office space
- Doesn’t use your internet or equipment
- Doesn’t have government mandated benefits or insurance
- Is already trained, vetted, and ready to go
When you compare that to the traditional $6,000–$7,000/month admin cost, the virtual assistant cost offers serious savings—with no compromise on quality.
ROI Deep Dive: Save 70%+ and Scale Smarter
Let’s break this down:
If you’re paying $5,000/month for a U.S.-based employee, you could easily fund an entire remote team that includes:
- A virtual assistant for admin tasks
- A bookkeeper to manage invoicing and reports
- A sales support VA to handle lead gen and update CRMs
And still have budget left over.
Here’s how the math shakes out:
- You save over 70% on labor costs alone
- Eliminate $12,000–$40,000/year in office rent
- Save $5,000–$10,000/year on utilities, supplies, and insurance
- Redirect that capital into growth-generating departments like marketing, sales, and operations
With proper planning around virtual assistant costs, you’re not just cutting costs—you’re reallocating them for exponential growth.
How to Budget for Virtual Assistant Costs (Without the Guesswork)
Whether you’re hiring one VA or building a team, budgeting is key.
Here’s a step-by-step breakdown:
- Identify the tasks you want to outsource (admin, bookkeeping, customer service, etc.)
- Decide how much weekly help you need. Most companies begin with either part-time (around 20 hours) or hire straight to full-time (40 hours) coverage.
- Match the VA level to your budget:
- Entry-level admin: $6–$8/hr
- Skilled bookkeeper or executive assistant: $8–$12/hr
- Set aside a small onboarding/training fund (one-time cost for SOPs or tool access)
A well-matched VA can do the work of 1.5 in-house employees at a fraction of the price. And because most VAs work remotely with their own setups, your virtual assistant cost remains predictable and contained.
From One VA to a Fully Remote Team
Once you see the ROI on one VA, it’s hard to stop there.
Many business owners start with a single virtual assistant and then build a remote operations team that supports:
- Bookkeeping and financial reporting
- Project management
- Client onboarding
- Lead nurturing and follow-ups
- Email and calendar management
- Social media and content creation
Especially when you’re hiring through agencies that train VAs in tools like ChatGPT, CRMs, and cloud platforms, you gain access to top 1% remote talent—without the bloated price tag.
Planning your virtual assistant cost isn’t about expense control; it’s about growth enablement.
Kansas Was Fine, But Oz Is a Lot More Profitable
When I first hired a virtual assistant, I thought I was solving a small problem—freeing up my time.
What I discovered instead was an entirely new operating model. One that’s a lot leaner, a lot smarter, easy to replicate, and most of all, built to scale. One that helped me do more by actually doing a whole lot less. One that took me out of “Kansas” and straight into Oz.
So if you’re still on the fence about whether it’s time to hire a VA, consider this your sign. The ROI is real. The savings are significant. And the transformation? Well, let’s just say… it’s more than just magical.
