Intelligent Protection › Security Blog › Close Protection › How much does a Bodyguard cost
by Virginie Roux, Head of Marketing

How much does a Bodyguard cost to hire?

At Intelligent Protection International Limited, we get asked daily what the cost is for a Bodyguard by our clients and members of the public who are curious and want to figure out whether or not they could afford what their favourite idol are paying for security. In reality, there is no straight answer to give as this service isn’t estimated on the basis of “one-price-fits-all” but very much depends on the personal situation of each individual requiring the use of close protection. Indeed, there are few aspects that must be considered when asking for a quote, which will affect the final cost for a Bodyguard.

What are the underlying aspects of the cost of a Bodyguard?

Profile of client
In close protection, clients come from very diverse backgrounds and therefore need security for very distinct reasons. The cost of a Bodyguard will very much depend on the profile of the principal: their media exposure, their wealth and possible involvement in politically sensitive work.

High-net-worth individuals may be at fear of kidnapping and employ the service of a Bodyguard to protect them and escort them wherever they go.

Conversely, personalities that are constantly in the limelight such as celebrities, dignitaries or politicians face a higher level of danger as they are constantly in the public eye on social media and in the tabloids, which makes it harder for them to keep their whereabouts secret, as highlighted in our previous article: Social Media, your ego and security. Their security arrangement will often combine the use of Bodyguards, residential security and a social media monitoring service.

For celebrities who are always in the spotlight, stalkers and crazed fans are a serious source of concerns, and sadly there are a lot of Celebrity Stalking Cases that set precedent. So, a 24-hour close protection is often deemed necessary and will incur at least the deployment of two Bodyguards, which can cost in total about £3000 a day minimum on average. Bodyguards will stay with them at all times whether they are at home, on tour, on vacation or invited to a red-carpet event. The level of threat they face will be reviewed continually, which means that pricing may fluctuate from time to time, and security detail may be increased to suit the threat level.

To give you a price range for celebrity Bodyguard services based on real-life cases, let’s look at two big names who often hit the headline. Kim Kardashian has invested about $7 million a year into security after being the victim of a robbery in Paris. Whereas Jay-Z is reported to have spent an extra $4 million in the past to beef up the security for his wife, Beyonce, by employing five new personal security guards to add up to her existing five-man team after an overzealous fan pulled her off stage during a performance in Brazil few years ago.

In contrast, the security details of someone in the anonymous world who would like to employ a Bodyguard short-term will be a more low-key affair so will incur a lower price.

Reviewing the profile of the principal will help determinate the existing threat level to elaborate and price a security plan.

Location(s) of the service
The price of a Bodyguard will vary depending on the location where close protection will be required. Different countries present different risks, which will be evaluated at different levels. Therefore, the higher the risk the higher the price, providing security in France for instance will require a different security plan to be put in place than for a country like India, as the cost to hire a Bodyguard in India in cities like Mumbai would be higher.

On the other hand, the environment in which close protection will be provided will also influence the price. Carrying out close protection in a city will not be the same as operating in a rural environment. In an urban environment, risks like petty crime or stabbing will prevail. Whereas if the principal is in a remote location, away from hospitals, services such as police stations and critical infrastructures such as water and food supplies will be limited, so a medically trained Bodyguard and security chauffeur may be necessary.

Additionally, when asked to provide a quote for a specific country, the terrorism threat and situation in country is another factor that may change and will impact the price.

Unarmed and Armed Security
Armed security may be required by certain clients, although this isn’t always possible as it will depend on the legislation of the country concerned. For instance, if you were interested in hiring armed Bodyguards in the UK or using armed security in France, different conditions would apply.

Armed close protection would require firearm-trained operatives who are licensed and the company to be authorised by the local government body who is in charge of regulating armed security work. This can cost double the price of normal close protection as it also involves lots of administration and paperwork for the security provider.

Duration of service
Another facet of the cost will be the duration of the service. The cost of a Bodyguard on an ad-hoc basis tend to be more expensive than a long-term service, as lots of elements are organised at short notice and like any other fixed-term employment contracts, Bodyguards will be remunerated more than if they were employed full-time as their work is more precarious.

Expenses
One thing to keep in mind is that there may well be expenses associated with hiring a Bodyguard or Bodyguards. Expenses may include taxis, hotels, food, flights but obviously, these will very much depend on your requirements.

With close protection, it is not uncommon for expenses to exceed the actual cost of any daily rate. Our advise is to discuss expenses at the outset of any agreement, once the particulars have been agreed.

Calibre of Bodyguards
Experienced bodyguards with specialist training can be a prerequisite for a very selective clientele. Former intelligence or special forces operatives, as well as multilingual Bodyguards are few and far between and for this reason, will be more pricey than other experienced Bodyguards with less specialist skills.

On average, the cost of a Bodyguard can go up to £1500 for one Bodyguard depending on the client, location, duration, the type of security provided and calibre of the required Bodyguard.

Do you want to hire a Bodyguard?

If you want to hire a Bodyguard but have never hired security in the past, we would recommend reading our guide on how to hire a Bodyguard, which provides all the information you need to know to employ the service of a Bodyguard through a reliable security provider. Please contact us now if you would like to receive a quote for a Bodyguard.