vCISO vs. Full-Time CISO Cost Calculator

See the fully loaded cost of hiring a full-time CISO next to typical vCISO pricing for your actual compliance complexity.

Directional estimate, not a quote. Actual full-time compensation and vCISO pricing vary by market, industry, and location. This excludes one-time costs on the full-time side — recruiting/search fees, onboarding time, and the cost of the role sitting vacant during a multi-month search — all of which widen the real gap, not narrow it.

Full-Time CISO — Fully Loaded Annual Cost

$310,500 – $540,000

Based on $230,000–$400,000 typical total compensation for a full-time CISO at a small-to-midsize organization, with a 1.35× multiplier for benefits, payroll taxes, and overhead per BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation data. This is one figure regardless of complexity below — a full-time hire's base cost doesn't change with your compliance load the way a vCISO engagement's scope does.

What's your compliance/regulatory complexity?

Select a complexity tier above to see the vCISO comparison.

Want an actual quote instead of an estimate?

Optional — the estimate above is already yours either way. Submitting sends us your numbers so a real conversation starts from where you actually are.