Examples of variable costs are sales commissions, direct labor costs, cost of raw materials used in production, and utility costs.
Variable costs may include labor, commissions, and raw materials. Fixed costs remain the same regardless of production output. Fixed costs may include lease and rental payments, insurance, and interest payments.
The cost of electricity is an indirect cost since it can't be tied back to the product or the specific machine. However, the cost of electricity is a variable cost since electricity usage increases with the number of products that are produced or manufactured.
It's much easier to budget for fixed expenses than it is to budget for a variable expense or discretionary expense. Your health insurance, car insurance, life insurance and homeowners or renters insurance are also examples fixed costs.
Ways to Reduce Variable Costs
- Scrutinize your products or services. Find out which of them are the most or the least cost-effective.
- Make variable costs your target.
- Question every aspect of your business.
- Monitor your variable cost constantly.
A variable expense is one that fluctuates each month. Some examples of variable expenses you may have can include: Utility bills such as electric, gas and water. Food expenses.
In mathematics, a variable is a symbol or letter, such as "x" or "y," that represents a value. For example, a variable of the string data type may contain a value of "sample text" while a variable of the integer data type may contain a value of "11".
What Are Fixed Expenses? Fixed expenses are consistent and expected bills you pay each month, such as a mortgage or rent, a cellphone bill and a student loan payment. Car insurance, home insurance and life insurance are also fixed payments, along with your monthly electric and water bills.
Fixed expenses or costs are those that do not fluctuate with changes in production level or sales volume. They include such expenses as rent, insurance, dues and subscriptions, equipment leases, payments on loans, depreciation, management salaries, and advertising.
Variable expenses include such things as groceries, gas for your vehicle, utilities, entertainment expenses, and clothing. By keeping track of these expenses over time, you can get a better idea of how much you're spending each month and plan accordingly.
Calculate total variable cost by multiplying the cost to make one unit of your product by the number of products you've developed. For example, if it costs $60 to make one unit of your product, and you've made 20 units, your total variable cost is $60 x 20, or $1,200.
Examples of fixed costs include rental lease payments, salaries, insurance, property taxes, interest expenses, depreciation, and potentially some utilities.
How to Calculate Variable Costs Per Unit
- Variable costs change with the level of production.
- Total fixed costs - $616,000.
- The formula is: Total Fixed Costs/Output volume.
- The formula is: Breakeven Sales Price = (Total Fixed Cost/Production Volume) + Variable Cost per pair.