AWS EC2 Instance Pricing Calculator
Estimate your monthly AWS EC2 costs based on instance type, usage, and pricing model.
t2.micro
t2.small
t2.medium
t2.large
t2.xlarge
m5.large
m5.xlarge
c5.large
c5.xlarge
r5.large
r5.xlarge
hours
days
On-Demand
Reserved Instance (1-year term)
Reserved Instance (3-year term)
Savings Plan (1-year commitment)
Savings Plan (3-year commitment)
Estimated Monthly Cost
$0.00
Instance Details
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vCPU: N/A
Memory: N/A GB
Understanding AWS EC2 Instance Pricing
Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) is a fundamental service in Amazon Web Services (AWS) that provides resizable compute capacity in the cloud. When you launch an EC2 instance, you're essentially renting a virtual server. The cost of running an EC2 instance depends on several factors, primarily the instance type, the pricing model you choose, and how much you use it.
Key Factors Influencing EC2 Costs:
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Instance Type: EC2 offers a vast array of instance types optimized for different workloads. These range from general-purpose instances (like
t2,m5) to compute-optimized (c5), memory-optimized (r5), and storage-optimized instances. Each type has varying amounts of vCPUs, memory, storage, and networking capabilities, all of which affect its hourly cost. More powerful instances with more resources are generally more expensive. -
Pricing Model: AWS provides flexibility in how you pay for EC2:
- On-Demand Instances: You pay a fixed hourly rate with no long-term commitment. This offers the most flexibility but is typically the most expensive option per hour.
- Reserved Instances (RIs): By committing to using a specific instance type in a region for a 1-year or 3-year term, you can significantly reduce costs compared to On-Demand. RIs can offer savings of up to 72% over On-Demand.
- Savings Plans: Similar to RIs, Savings Plans offer reduced prices in exchange for a commitment to a consistent amount of usage, measured in $USD per hour, over a 1-year or 3-year term. They provide even more flexibility than RIs as they apply across instance families, regions, and even services like Lambda and Fargate.
- Spot Instances: For fault-tolerant workloads, you can bid on unused EC2 capacity, potentially saving up to 90% compared to On-Demand prices. However, these instances can be terminated with short notice. (Note: This calculator focuses on the more predictable pricing models).
- Usage: The total cost is directly proportional to how long your instance is running. The calculator estimates monthly costs based on average daily and monthly usage.
- Region: EC2 prices can vary slightly between AWS regions. This calculator uses representative pricing.
- Additional Costs: Remember that EC2 pricing might not include costs for Elastic Block Store (EBS) volumes, data transfer, Elastic IP addresses, or load balancers. These need to be factored in separately for a complete picture.
How the Calculation Works:
The calculator uses a straightforward formula to estimate the monthly cost:
Monthly Cost = (Average Hours Used Per Day * Average Days Used Per Month * Hourly Cost of Instance Type) * Pricing Model Multiplier
For example, running a t2.micro instance (with an approximate On-Demand cost of $0.0104/hour) for 8 hours a day, 30 days a month, using the On-Demand pricing model (multiplier of 1.0):
Monthly Cost = (8 hours/day * 30 days/month * $0.0104/hour) * 1.0 = $2.496
If the same instance were used with a 1-year Reserved Instance commitment (multiplier of 0.65):
Monthly Cost = (8 hours/day * 30 days/month * $0.0104/hour) * 0.65 = $1.6224
This calculation provides a good estimate for budgeting purposes. Always refer to the official AWS Pricing Calculator for the most accurate and detailed cost analysis, especially when considering complex configurations or a wide range of services.