You've made the decision: it's time to delegate. The emails are piling up, meetings are double-booked, and the work that actually grows your business keeps getting pushed aside. You need an executive assistant.
But before you move forward, one question needs answering: how much does an executive assistant cost?
There's no shortage of salary data online. But cost alone doesn't tell you much. What matters is value — whether the investment pays off in reclaimed time, reduced stress, and capacity to focus on what actually drives your business.
This guide covers the real costs of executive assistants across different models and locations. More importantly, we'll give you a practical formula to calculate whether any EA investment makes financial sense for your specific situation.
Executive assistant costs range from €1,500/month for part-time virtual support to €8,000+/month for full-time in-house hires (including overhead). The right investment depends on your needs, location, and whether you choose virtual, remote, or in-house support. More important than the cost is the return - a skilled EA should save you significantly more time than they cost.
Before comparing costs, understand that "executive assistant" covers three distinct options with very different price points and capabilities.
Virtual assistants handle routine administrative tasks - email organisation, data entry, scheduling, basic research. They're typically freelancers hired through platforms like Fiverr or Upwork, or through agencies with talent in lower-cost regions.
In-house EAs are full-time employees recruited through your HR process. They work directly with you (on-site or remotely as part of your team), handling complex responsibilities: strategic planning, calendar management, project coordination, and serving as a trusted advisor.
Remote EAs combine the strategic capability of in-house assistants with the flexibility of virtual work.
They're typically employed by specialised virtual assistant agencies like DonnaPro, available to you on a part-time basis without full-time employment overhead.
According to DonnaPro, remote EAs represent the optimal balance for most growing businesses - delivering executive-level capability at a fraction of in-house cost, with flexibility that full-time hiring can't match.
Several factors influence what you'll pay for an executive assistant:
Experience dramatically affects compensation:
For C-level support, you generally need senior-level capability. Saving money on inexperienced help often costs more through inefficiency and turnover.
Geography significantly impacts salary expectations. An EA in London commands different compensation than one in Lisbon or Warsaw.
See full salary table below for country-by-country breakdownIn-house assistants come with overhead beyond salary:
Remote assistants eliminate these overheads, making the effective cost difference even larger than salary comparisons suggest.
Most leaders overestimate how much full-time support they need. If you've never had an EA, starting part-time lets you learn what to delegate before committing to full-time costs.
EAs with specific expertise command premium rates:
Here's what in-house executive assistants cost across European markets. These figures represent gross monthly salary - add 30-50% for fully-loaded employment costs including benefits, contributions, and overhead.
Average Monthly Salary |
Top-Tier EA (+15%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Switzerland | €7,500 | €8,625 |
| Austria | €7,810 | €8,980 |
| Denmark | €7,435 | €8,550 |
| Norway | €6,650 | €7,650 |
| Iceland | €6,080 | €6,995 |
| USA | $5,960 | $6,850 |
| Luxembourg | €5,610 | €6,450 |
| France | €5,230 | €6,015 |
| Ireland | €5,220 | €6,000 |
| Belgium | €5,030 | €5,785 |
| Germany | €4,840 | €5,565 |
| Sweden | €4,845 | €5,570 |
| Netherlands | €4,820 | €5,545 |
| Finland | €4,500 | €5,170 |
| UK | £3,810 | £4,380 |
| Spain | €3,640 | €4,185 |
| Italy | €3,465 | €3,985 |
| Portugal | €2,190 | €2,520 |
| Poland | €2,190 | €2,520 |
Note: Top-tier EAs command approximately 15% premium above average due to experience and demand. Figures exclude overhead costs.
These figures align with industry benchmarks. According to Glassdoor salary data, executive assistant compensation varies significantly by location, experience, and industry.
For comparison, DonnaPro's remote EA service costs €2,700/month flat - significantly less than in-house hiring in any Western European market, with none of the employment overhead or recruitment burden.
Here's where most cost discussions miss the point. The question isn't "how much does an EA cost?" but "how much value does an EA create?"
Every hour you spend on administrative tasks is an hour you're not spending on work that drives business growth. The formula below reveals whether an EA investment makes financial sense for your situation.
This simple equation balances your time reclaimed against the investment required.
Let's say your time is worth €200/hour when focused on high-value activities (strategy, sales, client relationships), and you hire a remote EA:
Your inputs:
Result: By investing €2,700 monthly, you unlock €9,300 in value - a 344% return on investment.
The formula reveals a critical insight: the break-even point for a €2,700/month EA saving 60 hours is just €45/hour.
If your time is worth more than €45/hour when applied to high-value work - and for most CEOs and founders, it absolutely is - an EA pays for itself. Everything above that is pure return.
Use this calculator to see exactly what an executive assistant would be worth for your business:
Beyond monthly cost, consider the total picture:
Scroll left-right to see full table.
Virtual EA (DonnaPro) |
In-House EA | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | €2,700 | €4,000-8,000+ |
| Overhead (benefits, etc.) | Included | +30-50% of salary |
| Recruitment time | 1–2 weeks | 2-4 months |
| Recruitment cost | €0 | €5,000-15,000 |
| Training/onboarding | Handled by agency | Your responsibility |
| Sick day coverage | Agency provides backup | No coverage |
| Holiday coverage | Agency provides backup | No coverage |
| HR administration | None | Ongoing burden |
| Termination risk | Switch easily | Employment law applies |
| Total year-one cost | ~€32,400 | €60,000-120,000+ |
According to DonnaPro, the total cost of in-house hiring - when you factor recruitment, training, overhead, and HR administration - typically runs 2-3x the apparent salary cost in the first year.
List the tasks draining your time and focus. Are they routine administrative work, or complex projects requiring strategic thinking?
Be honest about what you can invest - but weigh cost against value, not just price.
The cheapest option often costs more long-term through:
Use the formula above with your actual numbers:
If the ROI is positive, the investment makes sense. If it's strongly positive (200%+), you're likely underinvesting in support.
If you've never had an EA, start part-time. You'll learn what to delegate, develop the relationship, and prove the value before committing to larger investment.
According to DonnaPro, 99% of first-time EA clients don't need full-time support initially - but most grow into it as they discover how much they can effectively delegate.
Hire directly if:
Use an agency if:
The question isn't whether you can afford an executive assistant. For most CEOs and founders, the question is whether you can afford not to have one.
Every hour spent on administrative tasks is an hour not spent on work that grows your business. The ROI formula makes this concrete: if your time is worth more than €45/hour on high-value activities, a DonnaPro EA pays for itself - and everything beyond that is return on investment.
The cost of an executive assistant matters. But the cost of not having one - in missed opportunities, fragmented focus, and leadership capacity lost to administrative overhead - often matters more.
Executive assistant costs range from €1,000-2,000/month for basic virtual assistants, €2,000-4,500/month for remote executive assistants, to €4,000-8,000+/month for in-house hires (before overhead). The right investment depends on your needs, location, and chosen model.
VAs cost less (€10-30/hour) but provide task-based support requiring significant oversight. Executive assistants cost more (€25-75+/hour equivalent) but operate as strategic partners who anticipate needs and work autonomously. For most executives, the EA's higher productivity justifies the higher cost.
Agencies like DonnaPro typically cost less than in-house hiring when you factor total costs: recruitment fees, training time, benefits, overhead, and HR administration. A €2,700/month agency EA often costs half of what an in-house EA costs when fully loaded.
Use the ROI formula: (Hours Saved × Your Hourly Value) − EA Cost. If your time is worth €100/hour and an EA saves you 60 hours monthly at €2,700/month cost, you gain €3,300 in value monthly - a 122% return.
Salaries vary significantly by country. In Western Europe: Switzerland (€7,500/month), Germany (€4,840), France (€5,230), UK (£3,810), Netherlands (€4,820). Add 30-50% for fully-loaded employment costs. Eastern Europe offers lower costs but may involve quality and timezone trade-offs.
Start part-time if you've never had an EA or aren't certain you can delegate 40+ hours of meaningful work monthly. Full-time makes sense when you consistently have substantial workload and need throughout-the-day availability. Most first-time clients don't need full-time initially.
DonnaPro's flat fee includes a dedicated, part-time executive assistant, all matching and onboarding, ongoing quality management, and access to DonnaPro frameworks. The focus is on outcome (60+ hours saved monthly) rather than hours worked.
Direct hiring takes 2-4 months including job posting, screening, interviews, and onboarding. Agency services like DonnaPro match you with a vetted EA within 11 days. The time savings alone often justify the agency approach.
With direct hires, you face employment law considerations, difficult conversations, and restarting recruitment. With agency services, replacement is typically straightforward and guaranteed at no additional cost.
In-house EAs have significant hidden costs: recruitment fees, training time, benefits, equipment, office space, HR administration, and coverage during absence. Agency services like DonnaPro include these in the monthly fee - what you see is what you pay.
DonnaPro connects CEOs and founders with dedicated executive assistants who save clients 60+ hours monthly. Use our calculator above to see what that's worth for your business - then schedule a consultation to make it happen.
Book Your Free Strategy SessionExplore more guides to help you hire, work with, and get the most from your executive assistant.
