Texas First Hire

How Much Does a Virtual Assistant Cost?

By Jeremy Kenerson, Founder and CEO at DeskTeam360

Last updated . Every number on this page was checked October 2, 2026.

For US virtual assistant jobs, Indeed shows an average of $22.70 an hour (its page changes often) and PayScale shows $19.70 an hour, both as read on October 2, 2026. The headline on Upwork's own cost page says virtual assistants on Upwork cost $10 to $20 an hour, as of October 2026. So the answer to "how much does a virtual assistant cost" comes down to which figure matches your case, because there isn't one price. Overseas, this site found no market rate it could source, so it shows what Jeremy Kenerson has paid a contractor in his own hiring: about $1,500 a month.

How much is a virtual assistant by the hour?

By the hour, US virtual assistant jobs pay an average of $22.70 on Indeed (its page changes often) and $19.70 on PayScale, as read on October 2, 2026, and the headline on Upwork's own cost page says virtual assistants on Upwork cost $10 to $20 an hour, as of October 2026. Each figure measures something different.

Two pay sites give US figures for virtual assistant jobs. Indeed shows an average of $22.70 an hour, from 493 salaries in job posts. That's as read on October 2, 2026, when the page said it was updated September 23, 2026. Indeed's page changes often. PayScale shows $19.70 an hour, from 297 salary profiles, as read on October 2, 2026. Both are what the jobs pay in the US. Neither one is what a service charges, and neither one is an overseas rate.

The headline on Upwork's own cost page says virtual assistants on Upwork cost $10 to $20 an hour, as of October 2026. That's one marketplace's figure, for the people on that marketplace, and the headline isn't split by country. The same page also lists other figures: a median of $13 an hour in its search description, an average of $18 to $35 an hour in its body, and a table that runs from $12 to $20 and up for data entry work to $38 to $50 and up for advanced work, for people in North America with over 1,000 hours on Upwork (all read October 2, 2026). This page uses the headline figure.

For scale, BLS publishes a wage for a nearby office job. The middle (median) wage for Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive was $22.86 an hour in the US and $21.70 in Texas in May 2025. BLS's job guide notes that some administrative assistants work from their own homes as virtual assistants. The wage is for the whole office job, so don't read it as a virtual assistant rate. It's also the wage alone, before employer taxes and benefits.

Table: Each published figure, its source, and what it measures. All read October 2, 2026.
Figure Source What it measures
$22.70 an hour Indeed, as read on October 2, 2026. The page said it was updated September 23, 2026, and it changes often The average for US virtual assistant jobs, from 493 salaries in job posts
$19.70 an hour PayScale, as read on October 2, 2026 The average base hourly rate for US virtual assistant jobs, from 297 salary profiles
$10 to $20 an hour The headline on Upwork's own cost page, as of October 2026 What virtual assistants on Upwork cost. One marketplace. Not split by country
$22.86 an hour in the US, $21.70 in Texas BLS, May 2025 The middle (median) wage for a different job: Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive
About $1,500 a month, paid by Jeremy Kenerson Jeremy Kenerson's own hiring What one owner has paid a full-time overseas contractor. One owner's number

Each row measures something different. So the rows can't be added up or averaged into one rate.

What do virtual assistant services cost by the month?

By the month, the $10 to $20 an hour in Upwork's headline works out to about $867 to $1,733 for 20 hours a week. That's a marketplace figure turned into a month, not a service's price. This page gives no monthly price for virtual assistant services. This site doesn't treat one seller's own pricing page as a market price, and it has no other source for one.

In his own hiring of contractors, Jeremy Kenerson has paid about $2,000 a month for part-time help and about $4,000 a month for a full-time remote person based in the US. Those are one owner's numbers, not market rates, and not a service's price.

You can still compare services by the month. Here's how.

  1. Ask each service for its published monthly price.
  2. Ask what that price includes: how many hours or tasks, and who manages the work.
  3. Turn any hourly figure into a monthly one, so you compare like with like. Multiply the hourly figure by the hours a week, then by 52 weeks, then divide by 12 months.
  4. Set the price next to the monthly cost of a hire. The four first-hire options by the month show an employee, a contractor, outsourcing overseas, and insourcing with DeskTeam360, with the math.

Here's step 3 worked out with Upwork's headline figure, at three sets of hours.

Table: Upwork's headline $10 to $20 an hour, turned into a month. The hours are this site's examples.
Hours a week At $10 an hour At $20 an hour
10 About $433 a month About $867 a month
20 About $867 a month About $1,733 a month
40 About $1,733 a month About $3,467 a month

The 20-hour row uses the same part-time assumption as this site's cost worksheet: 20 hours a week for 52 weeks. No source sets that number. The table is math on one marketplace's figure. It isn't a quote, and it isn't a service's price.

For what a service is and how to pick one, see virtual assistant services.

A flat-rate team is one more option to price. DeskTeam360, the company that runs this site, publishes its monthly price. A call shows whether its team fits your tasks.

Book a call

The button opens DeskTeam360's Book a Call page.

Why do virtual assistant services rates vary so much?

Rates vary because the published figures measure different things. Even inside one source the spread is wide. On PayScale's page, as read on October 2, 2026, the figure at the 10% mark is $12.71 an hour, and the figure at the 90% mark is $29.89. The table on Upwork's own cost page lists a different figure for each kind of assistant.

When two figures don't match, check four things.

  • What's being measured. A job's pay, a marketplace listing and a service's plan are three different numbers.
  • Where the person works. The Indeed, PayScale and BLS figures above are for jobs in the US. Upwork's headline figure isn't split by country.
  • The tasks. Inbox and calendar work is one kind of job. Work that needs a skill, such as website updates or design, is another. For the task list, see what does a virtual assistant do.
  • What comes with the person. Ask whether someone reviews the work before it reaches you. With a direct hire, you're the manager.

Cost is one part of the choice. For reasons to hire one, and when not to, see reasons to hire a virtual assistant.

What does an overseas virtual assistant cost?

Overseas, the only number this site has is Jeremy Kenerson's own: about $1,500 a month, paid to a full-time contractor in his own hiring. That's what one owner has paid, not a market rate. This site found no sourced market rate for an overseas virtual assistant.

The sourced figures for an employee in Texas and the US are in the same table, on the four first-hire options by the month.

Upwork's headline $10 to $20 an hour isn't split by country, so it isn't an overseas rate either.

For the Philippines, see hire virtual assistant philippines.

More on virtual assistants

If the tasks you'd hand off are production work, a call with DeskTeam360 is where you set a team next to the figures above.

Book a call

The button opens DeskTeam360's Book a Call page.

Sources

All checked October 2, 2026.

This site isn't connected to the State of Texas or any government agency.

What changed

  • October 2, 2026: First version of this page.