How Much Does a Bodyguard Cost? 2026 Rates (Hourly & Daily)
Bodyguard pricing is quoted in ranges wide enough to be useless — because providers would rather qualify you on a call than publish a number. Here is the honest math, from a licensed California security company (BSIS PPO 122150) that publishes its rates: what personal protection costs per hour and per day in 2026, what moves the number, and — the part most people get wrong — how much protection a given situation actually needs.
The short answer: hourly for events, daily for details
| Engagement | Typical 2026 price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Off-duty / former-LE protection officer (hourly) | From $60/hr | Pronto Guards tier, booked online, 4-hour minimum — the right shape for events and single-day needs |
| Market hourly rate, personal protection | $75–$150/hr per agent | What dedicated EP firms quote for hourly work, where they offer it at all |
| Executive protection day rate | $1,000–$3,000+/day per agent | 10–12-hour days; armed, travel-heavy, or multi-agent details sit at or above the top |
Three different numbers because they are three different products. An officer working your event for six hours is priced like security staffing. A dedicated protection agent spending a day with a principal — advance work, movement, arrivals and departures — is priced like a professional’s day, because that is what it is. Most people asking “how much does a bodyguard cost” need the first product and are quoted the second.
What drives the price up or down
- Armed vs. unarmed — an armed protection officer needs a BSIS Exposed Firearm Permit and firearms liability coverage behind the post; expect the upper half of any range.
- Advance work — route planning, venue walk-throughs, and coordination are billed time. A gala with an advance visit costs more than the same gala without one, and is safer.
- Team size — one agent covers a person; movements through crowds, multiple exposed stops, or an elevated threat add a second. Costs scale per agent, linearly.
- Travel — multi-city days, overnight stays, and vehicle time turn hourly engagements into day-rate details.
- Profile — plainclothes discretion and command presence are selection criteria, not surcharges, at a serious company — but they shrink the pool of qualified officers, which is what the day-rate premium actually pays for.
What most situations actually need
The expensive mistake in personal security is buying a motorcade when the situation calls for a capable officer. A high-profile guest at a wedding, an executive at a public event, a contentious deposition or termination, an estate sale with valuables on display: each is typically one protection officer, sometimes two, working alongside whatever event or site security is already in place — hourly, with a four-hour minimum, booked like any other shift.
A dedicated detail — day rates, advance work, the full apparatus — earns its cost when there is a specific, credible, continuing threat: a stalker with a pattern, a public figure with documented hostility, litigation with a history of confrontation. If that is your situation, the right provider will ask about the threat before quoting the team, not after.
A worked example
A charity gala with a well-known host: one plainclothes protection officer for the host (6pm–midnight), working arrivals, positioning, and departure, alongside two event officers covering the room. At Pronto Guards rates: the protection officer from $60/hr × 6 hours — about $360–$500 — plus the event officers at standard event rates. The same evening quoted as a “bodyguard package” by a dedicated EP firm commonly lands at $1,500–$2,500. The difference is not the officer — it is the packaging.
How to buy it without getting played
- Verify the license — in California a bodyguard must hold a BSIS Guard Card and work under a Private Patrol Operator license (armed: plus an Exposed Firearm Permit). No PPO number, no hire.
- Demand a price shaped like the engagement — hourly for an event, a day rate for a detail. A provider who only sells retainers is selling you their revenue model.
- Ask what the threat assessment found — if nobody asked about the actual risk before sizing the team, the team was sized to your budget, not your situation.
- Insurance in writing — liability coverage, and firearms liability for armed work, with the dollar figure stated.
When you are ready to move from planning to booking, Pronto Guards offers executive protection and bodyguard services with transparent online pricing — you see the exact total before you pay.
For a full breakdown of licensed armed officers and what is included, see our service details.