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CCNA Cost vs. CCNP Cost: Planning Your Cisco Certification Budget

Author : mahesh k | Published On : 04 Nov 2026

Planning a Cisco CCNA certification budget requires recognizing that CCNP involves significantly higher upfront costs than CCNA, driven by mandatory two-exam requirements, advanced lab hardware or cloud simulation software, and higher Pearson VUE exam fees.

Cost & Specification Comparison

 

CCNA 200-301 Official Cert Guide, Volume 1₹797.00Amazon.in & more Opens in a new window

Ccnp and CCIE Enterprise Core ENCOR 350-401 Official Cert Guide, 2nd Edition₹1,279.00originally ₹1,500.00₹1,500.00Amazon.in & more Opens in a new window

Target Level

Target Level

Associate / Entry-Level

Target Level

Professional / Senior

Exams Required

Exams Required

1 Exam (200-301)

Exams Required

2 Exams (Core ENCOR + 1 Concentration)

Official Exam Fee

Official Exam Fee

$300 USD

Official Exam Fee

700USDTotal(400 Core + $300 Concentration)

 

1. Upfront Investment Breakdown

Cisco CCNA (200-301)

  • Exam Fee: $300 USD (1 exam).

  • Self-Study Materials: $20 – $40 USD. Standard preparation uses foundational resources such as the CCNA 200-301 Official Cert Guide, Volume 1, available on Amazon.in or BooksWagon.

  • Hands-on CCNA Lab Setup : $0 (Free Cisco Packet Tracer software).

  • Total Self-Study Budget: ~$320 – $360 USD (~₹28,000 – ₹32,000 INR).

Cisco CCNP Enterprise

  • Exam Fees: $700 USD Total (Core Exam 350-401 ENCOR at $400 USD + Concentration Exam at $300 USD).

  • Self-Study Materials: $60 – $120 USD. Key preparation guides like the CCNP and CCIE Enterprise Core ENCOR 350-401 Official Cert Guide, 2nd Edition are available on Amazon.in or Mybooksfactory.

  • Hands-on Labs: $200 USD/year for Cisco Modeling Labs (CML) Personal Edition or server hardware to run GNS3/EVE-NG for complex routing topologies.

  • Total Self-Study Budget: ~$960 – $1,100 USD (~₹80,000 – ₹95,000 INR).

2. Salary Pay Bands & Expected ROI

CCNA Tier Roles

  • Roles: NOC Engineer, Junior Network Administrator, IT Support Specialist L2.

  • Pay Band: ₹3.5 – ₹6.0 LPA (India) / $55,000 – $75,000 USD (US).

  • Payback Period: 1 to 3 months after securing a position.

CCNP Tier Roles

  • Roles: Senior Network Engineer, Network Architect, Infrastructure Consultant, Security Specialist.

  • Pay Band: ₹9.0 – ₹18.0+ LPA (India) / $95,000 – $135,000+ USD (US).

  • Payback Period: 1 to 2 months when stepping into a senior or specialist position, despite the higher upfront investment.

Budgeting & Strategic Advice

Start with CCNA if: You have under 2 years of practical networking experience. The lower barrier to entry (~$350 USD total) lets you build core skills and land an entry-level role while staying within a budget.

Target CCNP if: You already hold the CCNA or have 2+ years of hands-on CLI network administration experience. Budget ~$1,000 USD total for two exams and dedicated simulation software like CML to qualify for senior roles