CDN Bandwidth Cost Calculator

CDN bandwidth charges can dominate costs for media-heavy and global traffic. Use this calculator to estimate monthly CDN bandwidth spend (cost per GB) using your own $/GB assumptions and compare baseline vs peak traffic.

When bandwidth dominates (and how to avoid under-budgeting)

  • Large objects (images/video) and global audiences push bandwidth up fast.
  • Compression and image optimization can change GB/month materially.
  • Peak events can add a "second month" of bandwidth in a few days.

Inputs

CDN bandwidth (GB / month)
Avg throughput: 12.18 Mbps.
Avg throughput (Mbps)
Est 24,624 GB/month.
Pricing mode
Use tiered mode when pricing changes by volume.
CDN price ($ / GB)
Enter your provider's effective $/GB for the region/path/tier.
Scenario presets

Results

Estimated monthly cost
$240.00
Egress
4,000 GB
Price
$0.06 / GB

Estimate GB/month from Mbps (quick conversion)

If you start from average throughput, convert Mbps to GB/month first, then paste the result into the calculator. Use Units Converter for a precise conversion and to avoid GB vs GiB mixups.

If you have a traffic curve (p50/p95), run two scenarios and save them so you can compare a typical month vs a peak month.

Tip: use the "Save scenario" button in the calculator to keep a baseline and a peak link you can revisit.

How to get your inputs

  • GB/month: start from billing exports/flow logs; if you only have throughput, convert Mbps to GB/month.
  • Boundaries: separate cross-AZ vs cross-region vs internet egress as separate line items.
  • Effective rates: use your blended $/GB for the traffic mix you expect.

Result interpretation

  • Bandwidth is the single driver; small % traffic growth scales cost linearly.
  • Compression and image optimization reduce GB/month more than request tuning.

Common mistakes

  • Mixing boundaries and applying the wrong $/GB rate.
  • Ignoring retries/timeouts that multiply traffic during incidents.

Advanced inputs to capture

  • Average response size and request volume drive GB/month.
  • Cache hit rate determines origin vs edge bandwidth.
  • Compression and image optimization reduce transfer.
  • Model peak events separately from steady traffic.

Scenario planning

Scenario GB/month Rate Drivers
Baseline Expected Blended Normal traffic
Peak High Same Launch/event

Validate after changes

  • Validate the top transfer paths and AZ/region locality after architecture changes.
  • Re-check during peak windows (that's when hidden multipliers show up).

Next steps

Guides All calculators Guide: CDN cost breakdown Guide: Estimate GB/month CloudFront vs Cloudflare cost CDN request cost CDN origin egress
Advertisement

Example scenario

  • If your CDN serves 4,000 GB/month at $0.06/GB, estimated bandwidth cost is $240/month.
  • If you serve 30 TB/month at $0.05/GB, estimated bandwidth cost is about $1,536/month.

Included

  • Bandwidth-only CDN cost estimate from GB/month and $/GB pricing.
  • Use for planning and comparing pricing tiers/regions.
  • Baseline vs peak comparison for traffic spikes.

Not included

  • CDN request fees (use CDN Request Cost Calculator).
  • Origin egress and cache fill traffic (model separately if applicable).

How we calculate

  • Monthly cost = CDN egress GB x price per GB.
  • Enter your provider's effective bandwidth $/GB (consider region/tier).
  • If pricing is tiered, use a blended $/GB (or run multiple scenarios).
  • Model a peak month if launches or incidents spike traffic.
  • This calculator is bandwidth-only; add request fees and origin egress separately if you pay them.

FAQ

Is CDN bandwidth the same as origin egress?
Not necessarily. CDN providers bill bandwidth at the edge; origin egress may be separate if the CDN pulls from your origin.
What about request charges?
Many CDNs charge per request (e.g., per 10k). This calculator is bandwidth-only.
How do I estimate GB per month?
Use traffic analytics (bytes transferred) if you have it. If you only have throughput, use the Units Converter to convert Mbps to GB/month.
Does cache hit rate change bandwidth billed by the CDN?
The CDN edge bandwidth to end users is still billed as bandwidth. Cache hit rate mainly changes your origin egress and origin request volume.
Should I include cache fill / prefetch traffic?
If your CDN pulls large objects from origin, you may pay origin egress for cache fill. Model that separately with the Data Egress calculator.
What about free bandwidth tiers?
If your plan includes free allowances, subtract them from GB/month before applying $/GB, or use an effective blended rate.

Related tools

Guide: CDN cost breakdown Guide: CDN cost per GB Guide: Estimate GB/month CloudFront vs Cloudflare cost CDN request cost CDN origin egress Origin egress cost Units converter

Related guides

API Gateway vs ALB vs CloudFront cost: what to compare (requests, transfer, add-ons)
A practical cost comparison of API Gateway, Application Load Balancer (ALB), and CloudFront. Compare request pricing, data transfer, caching impact, WAF, logs, and the hidden line items that change the answer.
Azure CDN pricing: estimate bandwidth, requests, and cache fill
A practical Azure CDN estimate: edge bandwidth, request volume, and origin egress (cache fill). Includes validation steps for hit rate, purge behavior, and big endpoints.
CDN Cost & Pricing Guide (bandwidth, requests, origin egress)
Step-by-step CDN cost breakdown: bandwidth $/GB, request fees, and origin egress. Includes estimation tips and pitfalls.
Cloud CDN pricing (GCP): bandwidth, requests, and origin egress (cache fill)
A practical Cloud CDN cost model: edge bandwidth, request volume, and origin egress (cache fill). Includes validation steps for hit rate by path, heavy-tail endpoints, and purge/deploy events that reduce hit rate.
CloudFront vs Cloudflare CDN cost: compare the right line items (bandwidth, requests, origin egress)
A practical comparison checklist for CloudFront vs Cloudflare pricing. Compare bandwidth ($/GB), request fees, region mix, origin egress (cache fill), and add-ons like WAF, logs, and edge compute. Includes a modeling template and validation steps.
Azure Front Door pricing: model requests, bandwidth, and origin traffic
A practical Azure Front Door cost model: edge bandwidth, request volume, logging, and origin traffic (cache fill). Includes a checklist to validate hit rate and avoid double-counting egress.
Advertisement

Disclaimer

Educational use only. Not legal, financial, or professional advice. Results are estimates based on the inputs and assumptions shown on this page. Verify pricing and limits with your providers and documentation.

Last updated: 2026-02-07