Reading the estimate
The compute rates used here are close to one another, while storage and outbound transfer rates vary more. A small difference between totals usually means compute dominates these inputs. For a larger difference, compare the outbound transfer and storage rows first.
As a rough planning check, an always-on application may spend 50–70% on compute, 10–20% on storage and 2–40% on outbound transfer, depending on its traffic. If this estimate differs substantially, review runtime hours and transfer volume before relying on it.
Inputs with the largest effect
- Runtime hours. The model uses 730 hours for continuous monthly operation. If development or staging systems run only during working hours, enter their actual schedule rather than the production schedule.
- RAM-to-vCPU ratio. The listed memory rate is lower per unit than the vCPU rate. When a workload needs more memory but not more CPU, compare a memory-optimized instance family instead of increasing a general-purpose instance only to obtain RAM.
- Outbound data transfer. The model uses about $0.12/GB for Google Cloud, $0.09/GB for AWS and $0.087/GB for Azure after the first 100 GB. At 10 TB per month, those rates differ by more than $300. A CDN may change both volume and transfer pricing, so price it separately.
- Commitment term. The modeled one-year discounts are 30–37%, and the three-year discounts are 50–55%. Apply a commitment only to baseline capacity that you expect to keep using.
Rates used by the calculator
The calculator uses representative list prices for general-purpose Linux compute in a US-East region. It expresses compute as per-vCPU-hour and per-GB-RAM-hour rates. Google Cloud publishes pricing in that form; the AWS and Azure figures approximate comparable instance families for planning.
| Component | AWS | Azure | Google Cloud |
|---|---|---|---|
| vCPU / hour | $0.0310 | $0.0316 | $0.0316 |
| GB RAM / hour | $0.00420 | $0.00410 | $0.00424 |
| Block storage / GB-month | $0.080 (gp3) | $0.080 (SSD) | $0.100 (balanced PD) |
| Object storage / GB-month | $0.023 (S3 Standard) | $0.0184 (Blob Hot) | $0.020 (Standard) |
| Egress / GB after 100 GB | $0.090 | $0.087 | $0.120 |
| Load balancer / month | ~$16.20 | ~$18.25 | ~$18.25 |
Representative US-East list rates. Cloud prices can change, so use these for planning rather than as vendor quotes.
Costs this calculator does not include
- Cross-availability-zone traffic: approximately $0.01/GB in each direction on AWS. Traffic between services in different zones can add a separate transfer charge.
- NAT gateways: approximately $0.045/hour plus $0.045/GB processed on AWS. One continuously running gateway is about $33/month before data processing.
- Provisioned IOPS and throughput: gp3 volumes include a baseline, while capacity above it is billed separately.
- Support plans: AWS Business support is the greater of $100/month or approximately 10% of spend at lower volumes. A $2,000 bill would add about $200 at that rate.
- Snapshots and backups: these are commonly billed by stored volume, and longer retention increases the total.
- Egress to other clouds or on-premises, which is charged at standard internet rates unless you have a dedicated interconnect.
A worked example
The default workload has three 4-vCPU, 16 GB instances running continuously, 500 GB of block storage, 1 TB of object storage, 750 GB of monthly outbound transfer, one managed 2-vCPU, 8 GB PostgreSQL instance and one load balancer. With the listed rates, its on-demand estimate is about $680–730 per month, depending on provider, and compute accounts for about 60%. The difference between the lowest and highest estimate is about 7%.
With a three-year commitment selected, the same modeled workload falls to about $400 per month, a 42% reduction. The discount applies to compute and the managed database, not storage, transfer or load balancing. Confirm that the baseline is stable and review the provider’s commitment terms before purchasing.
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Frequently asked questions
Is AWS more expensive than Azure and Google Cloud?
Not necessarily. The representative general-purpose compute rates in this model are within about 2% of one another. Transfer, managed services, commitment terms, region and negotiated pricing can create larger differences than the virtual-machine rate.
Does this calculator include free tier credits?
It includes only the modeled 100 GB monthly outbound-transfer allowance. Signup credits and time-limited free tiers are excluded because they do not represent the ongoing cost after the promotion ends.
How accurate is the commitment discount?
It is a blended approximation. AWS Savings Plans, Azure Reservations and Google Cloud committed use discounts differ in coverage, payment timing and flexibility. Upfront terms can have larger discounts than no-upfront terms. Use the vendor calculator for an exact offer.
Should I run this workload on a cheaper VPS provider instead?
A VPS provider may quote lower raw compute and include more transfer for a predictable application. Compare the managed services, compliance certifications, support and regions you need before treating the compute price as equivalent.
Does my data leave the browser?
No. The calculation runs in client-side JavaScript, and this tool does not send the entered values to a server.