Log Search Scan Cost Calculator

Some log products charge for data scanned during queries. This calculator estimates monthly scan cost using your daily scanned GB and per-GB scan price, and lets you compare baseline vs peak query volume.

Inputs

GB scanned (per day)
Avg 74.07 Mbps scanning, 0.0093 GB/sec.
Scan price ($ / GB)
Queries (per day)
Avg GB per query
Est 300 GB/day.

Results

Monthly scan volume (est.)
24,320 GB
Estimated monthly scan cost
$121.60
Cost per GB scanned
$0.01 / GB

How to get your inputs

  • Volume: start from measured ingestion (GB/day) if you have it, then convert to monthly/retention where needed.
  • Retention: decide retention days and model steady-state GB-month.
  • Queries: model scan/query volume if your tool bills by GB scanned.
  • Estimator: use queries/day x avg GB per query when scan metrics are missing.

Result interpretation

  • Scan GB/day is the key driver; dashboards and alerts can multiply it.
  • If scan costs dominate, reduce query windows and pre-aggregate.

Common mistakes

  • Modeling ingestion but forgetting retention (GB-month) and scan/query costs.
  • Keeping noisy logs forever instead of setting explicit retention tiers.

Input checklist

  • List top dashboards and their refresh rates.
  • Estimate average query window size (hours or days).
  • Separate ad hoc investigations from automated queries.

Scenario planning

Scenario GB scanned/day Query scope Drivers
Baseline Expected Normal Dashboards
Peak High Wide Incident

Validate after changes

  • Check ingestion GB/day and retention GB-month after changes.
  • Check query scan GB and dashboard refresh frequency (common hidden driver).

Next steps

Guides All calculators Log ingestion cost Log retention storage CloudWatch Logs Insights scan cost Guide: log costs
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Example scenario

  • 800 GB/day scanned at $0.005/GB = ~24,320 GB scanned/month and ~$122/month.
  • Compare baseline vs peak query months to understand scan cost risk.

Included

  • Scan cost estimate from GB scanned per day and $/GB scan pricing.
  • Useful when query scans are a meaningful line item on your log bill.

Not included

  • Ingestion charges and retention storage (model separately).
  • Provider-specific query minimums, caching, and index behavior.

How we calculate

  • Monthly scanned GB ~ GB scanned per day x 30.4.
  • Scan cost = monthly scanned GB x scan price per GB.
  • Use a peak multiplier when incident dashboards or wide queries spike scans.
  • This tool is scan-only (not ingestion or retention).

FAQ

How do I estimate GB scanned per day?
Use provider query/scan metrics, or approximate from typical query patterns and dataset size.
How do I reduce scan costs?
Limit time ranges, filter early, partition logs, and avoid dashboards that repeatedly run broad queries.

Related tools

Log ingestion cost Log retention storage CloudWatch Logs Insights scan cost Guide: log costs Guide: Logs Insights pricing Guide: estimate scanned GB Guide: reduce scan costs

Related guides

AWS CloudWatch Metrics Pricing & Cost Guide
CloudWatch metrics cost model: custom metrics, API requests, dashboards, and retention.
Cloud cost estimation checklist: build a model Google (and finance) will trust
A practical checklist to estimate cloud cost without missing major line items: requests, compute, storage, logs/metrics, and network transfer. Includes a worksheet template, validation steps, and the most common double-counting traps.
CloudWatch dashboards pricing: what to include (dashboard-month + API)
A practical guide to CloudWatch dashboard costs: dashboard-month charges plus the hidden drivers (metrics API requests, alarms, and high-cardinality metrics).
CloudWatch Logs Insights cost optimization (reduce GB scanned)
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.
CloudWatch Logs pricing: ingestion, retention, and queries
A practical CloudWatch Logs pricing guide: model ingestion (GB/day), retention (GB-month), and query/scan costs (Insights/Athena). Includes pitfalls and a validation checklist.
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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