In Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs), it is necessary to predict computational overheads of security mechanisms without final implementations to provide guidelines for system design. This paper presents an accurate and flexible model to predict overheads of these mechanisms. This model is based on overheads of basic operations frequently used in cryptography algorithms, which are essential elements of security mechanisms. Several popular cryptography algorithms and security mechanisms are evaluated using this model. According to simulation results, relative prediction errors are less than 7% for most cryptography algorithms and security mechanisms. In wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs), it is necessary to predict computational overheads of security mechanisms without final implementations to provide guidelines for system design. This paper presents an accurate and flexible model to predict the overheads of these mechanisms. This model is based on overheads of basic operations frequently used in cryptography algorithms, which are essential elements of security mechanisms. Several popular cryptography algorithms and security mechanisms are evaluated using this model. According to simulation results, the relative prediction errors are less than 7% for most cryptography algorithms and security mechanisms.