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Cost Per Mille (CPM) Calculator

Convert ad spend and impressions into CPM — the cost per thousand impressions — and the reach a budget will buy.

Total ad spend

Impressions delivered

Planned budget (optional)

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How it works

CPM = (ad spend ÷ impressions) × 1,000 · Impressions from budget = (budget ÷ CPM) × 1,000

CPM — cost per mille, from the Latin for thousand — is the price of reaching a thousand people, the standard unit for brand and display advertising where the goal is exposure rather than immediate clicks. Because impressions are counted in the thousands, you multiply the per-impression cost by 1,000. Comparing CPM across placements shows which channel delivers the cheapest reach for a given audience.

Worked example

$800 of spend delivered 200,000 impressions. CPM is (800 ÷ 200,000) × 1,000 = $4.00. At that rate a $2,000 budget buys (2,000 ÷ 4) × 1,000 = 500,000 impressions.

Frequently asked questions

Why is it cost per "mille"?

Mille is Latin for a thousand. Advertisers priced exposure per thousand impressions long before digital media, and the convention carried over, so CPM always means cost per 1,000 views.

When should I optimise for CPM instead of CPC?

Choose CPM for awareness and reach campaigns where being seen matters most. Choose CPC when you are paying for action and want cost tied to actual visits rather than views.

What is a typical CPM?

Display CPMs often run a few dollars, while premium video or tightly targeted social placements can be much higher. Compare CPM within the same channel and audience to judge whether a placement is priced well.

Related calculators

CPM Calculator

Work out CPM (cost per 1,000 impressions) from campaign cost and impressions — or reverse it to find impressions from a budget.

Cost Per Click (CPC) Calculator

Work out your average cost per click from ad spend and clicks — and how many clicks a budget will buy.

Click-Through Rate (CTR) Calculator

Click-through rate from clicks and impressions — or solve for the clicks or impressions a CTR implies — with a confidence interval, channel benchmarks (search, display, social, email), CPC, CPM, conversion rate, CPA and ROAS from spend and conversions, email click-to-open rate, an A/B significance test and the clicks needed to reach a target CTR.

Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) Calculator

Turn ad revenue and ad cost into ROAS, its ratio, and the ACoS — plus the break-even ROAS your margin requires.

Marketing ROI Calculator

Measure the true return on a marketing campaign from the revenue it drove, your gross margin and the amount you spent.

Educational estimate, not financial or tax advice.