Log Ingestion Cost Calculator

Most log platforms charge for ingestion. This calculator estimates monthly ingestion volume and cost using either measured GB/day or an event-rate model (events/s x bytes/event). Use a baseline and peak scenario to stress-test log spikes.

Inputs

Ingest volume (GB / day)
If you have measured ingestion, use it directly.
Avg 4.63 Mbps ingest.
Events per second
Avg bytes per event
Tip: sample real log events to avoid guessing.
Billing days (per month)
Ingest price ($ / GB)
Scenario presets

Results

Estimated monthly ingestion cost
$760.00
Monthly ingestion
1,520 GB
Ingestion rate
50 GB/day
Assumption
0.5 $/GB x 30.4 days

Next line items (do not forget these)

  • Retention storage: if you keep 30-365 days, storage can dominate. Use Log retention storage.
  • Scan/search: dashboards and alerts that scan broad windows can add a second bill. Use Log scan/search.

How to get your inputs

  • GB/day: use measured ingestion where possible (billing export or log platform metrics).
  • Events/s: if you only have event rate, sample bytes/event and convert to GB/day.
  • Scenarios: build a baseline and a peak month for incident or deploy bursts.

Result interpretation

  • Ingestion is the first bill; retention and scan can easily exceed it.
  • Verbose logs and high-cardinality fields drive GB/day faster than traffic growth.

Common mistakes

  • Using a single blended GB/day and hiding noisy sources.
  • Assuming bytes/event is constant during incidents (it usually grows).
  • Forgetting that retries and timeouts multiply event volume.

Scenario planning

Scenario GB/day Bytes/event Drivers
Baseline Expected Typical Normal traffic
Peak High Verbose Incident/launch

Validate after changes

  • Compare estimated GB/day to the first real bill and adjust assumptions.
  • Track bytes/event and event rate after logging changes.
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Example scenario

  • If you know GB/day, use it directly: monthly GB ~ GB/day x billing days.
  • If you only know event rate: GB/day ~ events/s x 86,400 x bytes/event / 1e9 (decimal GB).

Included

  • Monthly ingestion volume from GB/day and billing days.
  • Ingestion cost from $/GB pricing.
  • Optional event-rate conversion to estimate GB/day.

Not included

  • Retention storage (use Log Retention Storage calculator).
  • Scan/search charges (use Log Search Scan calculator).
  • Indexing and vendor-specific add-ons.

How we calculate

  • If you have measured ingestion: monthly GB = GB/day x billing days; ingestion cost = monthly GB x $/GB.
  • If you estimate from events: GB/day = events/s x 86,400 x bytes/event / 1e9.
  • Keep a baseline and a peak scenario (incident traffic and retries often spike logs).

FAQ

Is 1 GB = 1e9 bytes or 1024^3 bytes?
Many vendors bill using decimal GB. This calculator uses decimal GB for the event-rate conversion; if your vendor uses GiB, adjust your bytes/event assumption.
How do I estimate bytes per event?
Sample real events (e.g., 100-1000 lines), measure payload size in bytes, and use an average plus a peak multiplier for verbose logs.
What if I have multiple log sources?
Estimate each source (ingress/access, app logs, audit/security) separately, then add the GB/day totals.

Related tools

Log retention storage cost Tiered log storage (hot + archive) Log scan/search cost Log cost (all line items) Guide: estimate log ingestion (GB/day)

Related guides

CloudWatch Logs pricing: ingestion, retention, and queries
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AWS CloudWatch Metrics Pricing & Cost Guide
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Cloud cost estimation checklist: build a model Google (and finance) will trust
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A practical guide to CloudWatch dashboard costs: dashboard-month charges plus the hidden drivers (metrics API requests, alarms, and high-cardinality metrics).
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A practical playbook to reduce CloudWatch Logs Insights costs: measure GB scanned, fix query patterns, time-bound dashboards, and avoid repeated incident scans.
CloudWatch Logs Insights pricing: what to model (GB scanned)
A practical Logs Insights pricing checklist: the core unit is GB scanned. Model scanned GB from query habits, avoid dashboard re-scan traps, and validate with a measured baseline.
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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: 2026-01-29