EC2 Cost Calculator (monthly instance pricing)

This EC2 cost calculator estimates monthly compute spend from instance count, hourly price, and expected uptime. Use a blended $/hour if you mix on-demand and commitments.

Inputs

Instances
Price ($ / hour)
~$131.33 per month at 24x30.4.
Utilization (%)
Use 100 if hours/day already models uptime.
Hours/day
Use 24 for always-on workloads.
Days/month
Use 30.4 for an average month.
Monthly hours: 730
Scenario presets

Results

Estimated monthly compute cost
$787.97
Billable hours (per instance)
730 hr (100%)
Cost per instance
$131.33
Billable hours (fleet)
4,378 hr

How to get your inputs

  • Instances: use average running instances from billing (instance-hours / monthly hours).
  • Hourly rate: use a blended $/hour if you mix on-demand, Savings Plans, or RIs.
  • Schedule: hours/day and days/month should reflect real uptime windows.
  • Sources: Cost and Usage Report, instance-hours metrics, or inventory snapshots.

Result interpretation

  • If the estimate is far from your bill, check the blended rate and instance-hours first.
  • Separate baseline vs bursty workloads to avoid mixing average and peak assumptions.

Common mistakes

  • Using peak instance count as baseline.
  • Applying both utilization and reduced hours/day for the same schedule.
  • Forgetting storage, transfer, and load balancer line items.

Advanced inputs to capture

  • Model instance count by family and uptime schedule.
  • Use a blended $/hour if you mix purchase options.
  • Add EBS volumes and snapshots as separate line items.
  • Include network transfer out or cross-AZ traffic separately.

Scenario planning

Scenario Instances Uptime Blended $/hour
Baseline Average Expected schedule Current mix
Peak 90th percentile Higher uptime On-demand heavy
Committed Baseline Expected schedule Target commitment mix

Validate after changes

  • Compare instance-hours and effective $/hour to billing line items.
  • Check average instance count in metrics or inventory data.

Next steps

Guides All calculators Compute instance cost (generic) Reserved vs on-demand break-even EBS cost calculator Fargate vs EC2 cost (compare)
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Example scenario

  • 10 instances at your blended $/hour with 100% uptime -> estimate monthly compute cost.
  • Reduce hours/day for dev/test to avoid over-budgeting always-on assumptions.
  • Use a weighted $/hour if you mix on-demand, RIs, and Savings Plans.

Included

  • Compute cost estimate from instance count, $/hour pricing, and monthly hours.
  • Uptime modeling to reflect environments that are not 24/7.
  • Blended rate planning for mixed purchase models.

Not included

  • Storage (EBS), data transfer, and load balancer costs (model separately).
  • Spot interruptions, autoscaling bursts, and credit-based instance variability unless you blend them.
  • Monitoring and logging charges (CloudWatch, metrics, and logs).

How we calculate

  • Monthly cost = instances x $/hour x (hours/day x days/month) x uptime.
  • For always-on, 24 x 30.4 (about 730 hours) is a common planning baseline.
  • If you use commitments (Savings Plans/Reserved), use a blended effective $/hour.
  • Model storage and transfer as separate line items.

FAQ

What is a good hours/day and days/month value?
Use hours/day and days/month. For always-on, 24 x 30.4 is a common planning baseline; adjust if your billing convention differs.
How do I pick a blended $/hour?
Use the weighted average you expect to pay across on-demand, commitments, and spot. Validate later with your actual bill.
How do I convert instance-hours to instance count?
Average instances = monthly instance-hours / monthly hours. Use the same hour baseline you assume in the calculator.
Should I model separate environments?
Yes. Prod, staging, and dev often have different uptime and pricing assumptions, so model them as separate rows.

Related tools

Compute instance cost (generic) Reserved vs on-demand break-even EBS cost calculator Fargate vs EC2 cost (compare) Guide: EC2 cost estimation

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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: 2026-02-23