How much does a website for a mid-sized company cost?

This question is about as common for a web developer as “What’s the weather like today?”—and often just as confusing to answer. Let’s try to break it down. It won’t be simple, but hopefully it brings some clarity.

No one asks: “How much does a car cost?”

The immediate answer is: “Well, it depends on the car. Which one are you talking about?”

At Caotica, we get about 3–5 requests for proposals each month. And the price range we see in the market is all over the place.

On one extreme, there are offers to build a “website” for €600. And yet many business owners don’t see this as a red flag. But trust me—it is. It usually means you’re just wasting money. I can easily imagine a high school student behind this “LLC agency” doing quick jobs for pocket money.

On the other extreme, some big-name agencies take part in public tenders and boldly put €30,000 to €100,000 on a basic company website. Thirty thousand… for a website?

Recently, I saw two tenders where Caotica also participated. In one case, a library website (larger than average, including a couple of years of maintenance, but without complex systems like borrowing platforms or user accounts) was priced by a well-known agency at €300,000. Our offer was €45,000. That’s quite a difference, isn’t it?

In another tender, the story was the same. I was left wondering—what’s going on? Are they factoring in their office rent, car leases, and mortgage payments multiple times over?

And then there’s the more typical case: a company sends out a request for a standard business site, and receives a reasonable offer of around €5,000. But then comes the inevitable question: “Could you also do it for €2,000?” A classic bargaining move straight out of a bazaar.

So how do you know what’s real and what’s fantasy?

Let’s take an example. A mid-sized construction company wants a corporate site with around 20 pages of content.

In this case, €600 is suspiciously cheap. We’ve all heard the saying, “buy cheap, pay twice”—and in web development, that’s painfully true.

We even built a simple cost calculator to give you a rough picture of how pricing is formed. Try the calculator and ask us if you want a more precise breakdown.

I’ve often seen this in practice: a company is thrilled to get a cheap website, but just a month later they come to me asking: “Martin, could you add this and that? How much will it cost?” My first question: “Why not ask the original developer?” The answer: the person is gone, too busy, or charging sky-high rates for changes. In the end, the “cheap” website costs far more than a solid, fairly priced one from the start.

So what is a fair price?

Based on nearly 20 years of experience, I’d say a standard corporate site for a mid-sized business should reasonably land in the €5,000–€6,000 range.

Sure, it could be a bit less or a bit more, depending on your goals. But in that range, you should expect a quality product: well-thought-out design, clean development, and content that supports your brand.

Below this price range, you risk losing out on proper project management, SEO optimization, and technical support. Above this range, you should start getting extras—custom features, CRM integrations, or advanced technical solutions.

What drives the price up?

Let’s stick with the construction analogy. Imagine you’re building a house. The client says: “Could you also paint this wall? Oh, and add a fire escape here too. But let’s keep the same budget.”

Would you just say yes? No—you’d adjust the estimate. Same with websites.

Every special request adds cost. Integrations with third-party systems (like CRMs or payment gateways), custom calculators, interactive maps, 3D graphics, AI features, or advanced video elements all require more time, more expertise, and more budget. Sometimes, these extras can double or triple the cost of a site.

That’s why it’s worth sitting down before you request a quote and thinking through which features you actually need—and what you’re prepared to invest in. That way, you avoid ending up with a “cheap” website that turns into the most expensive option of all.

If you want a website that actually works and delivers results, don’t pick the cheapest offer. Pick the smartest one. Work with experienced professionals who can realistically assess your needs and budget. That’s the only way to get clarity—not chaos.