One of the first questions business owners ask us is: how much does a virtual assistant cost? And honestly, the answer depends heavily on where you hire from, what skills you need, and whether you want part-time or full-time support. Let's break it down without the fluff.
The Virtual Assistant Cost Spectrum in 2026
Virtual assistant pricing falls into roughly four tiers, and each comes with a very different quality-to-cost trade-off. Understanding this spectrum is the first step to making a smart hiring decision for your business.
- Offshore (South and Southeast Asia): $5–$12/hr. Often asynchronous, English fluency varies, significant time zone mismatch for US businesses.
- Domestic US Freelancers: $25–$45/hr. US time zone and culture, but expensive and inconsistent availability.
- Gig Platforms (task-based): $8–$20/hr. No long-term reliability, high turnover, transactional relationship.
- Nearshore Latin America via Strivana: $12–$22/hr equivalent. US time zone, bilingual, university-educated, dedicated and long-term.
Why 'Cheap' Often Costs More
We see it constantly: a business owner hires the cheapest VA they can find, spends three weeks onboarding them, and then the relationship falls apart. The hidden cost of turnover — your time, your systems, your mental energy — is almost never factored in when people calculate virtual assistant cost.
The question isn't 'how cheap can I get a VA?' It's 'what's the best return on investment for the support I need?' A $15/hr nearshore VA who saves you 20 hours a week is worth far more than a $7/hr worker who misses deadlines and works the wrong hours.
The Strivana Cost Breakdown
At Strivana, a part-time placement (20 hrs/week) starts at $1,500/month. A full-time dedicated VA starts at $2,500/month — compared to $55,000–$70,000 per year for an equivalent in-house US hire when you factor in salary, benefits, payroll taxes, and office overhead. That's a $25,000–$40,000 annual saving on a single role.
What's Included in Every Strivana Placement
- Rigorous pre-vetting: skills tests, background checks, English fluency assessments.
- US time zone matching: your VA works your exact business hours.
- Dedicated placement: not a shared pool or ticket system.
- Onboarding support: we help integrate your VA into your tools and workflows.
- Satisfaction guarantee: if it's not working in the first 30 days, we rematch you at no charge.
Calculate Your Exact Savings
Strivana offers a free ROI calculator at strivanallc.com/roi-calculator. Input your current admin hours per week and your average hourly value — it shows you exactly how much you're leaving on the table by not delegating. Most Nashville business owners find they're sitting on $40,000–$60,000 in unrealized annual value.
See exactly how much you'd save with a Strivana nearshore VA in Nashville.
Join 50+ US businesses scaling with Strivana.
Bottom Line
Virtual assistant cost isn't just a number — it's a trade-off between price, quality, and reliability. Nearshore Latin American talent through Strivana consistently delivers the best combination of all three for US businesses, especially those in fast-paced markets like Nashville, Atlanta, and Austin.
