Cloud Database Cost Calculator

Key monthly cost drivers

Cloud database bills typically combine compute hours, provisioned storage, backups, performance add‑ons, and network transfer. In this calculator, compute is modeled from hourly instance rate multiplied by billable hours, node count, and availability factor. Regional price differences are represented by a multiplier, helping you compare deployments across common geographies. Track utilization trends weekly so you can downsize before paying for unused capacity each month.

Instance sizing and scaling

Right‑sizing reduces waste while protecting latency. Start with a size that meets peak CPU and memory needs, then validate with monitoring. Add read replicas for read‑heavy workloads or multi‑region reads; replicas are estimated at a slightly reduced rate to reflect lighter configurations. Multi‑zone standby increases footprint because it keeps a secondary node ready. If your workload is spiky, reduce billable hours to model scheduled shutdown windows.

Storage and backup planning

Storage charges are straightforward: allocated gigabytes times a GB‑month rate. Forecast growth using monthly ingestion and retention rules, not current size alone. Backup retention can grow quickly when you keep long histories, create frequent snapshots, or enable point‑in‑time recovery. The calculator treats backup usage up to the storage size as included, and charges only the excess. This mirrors many managed offerings where a base retention amount is bundled.

Performance, requests, and I/O

High I/O workloads may require provisioned IOPS or performance tiers. Here, included IOPS scale with storage using a baseline ratio. Any IOPS above that baseline are priced with an IOPS unit rate, allowing quick what‑if analysis. Consider separating OLTP and analytics traffic to avoid overprovisioning. For API‑driven services, request volume can add meaningful costs; a simple free‑tier threshold is applied before per‑million charges.

Networking, discounts, and governance

Data egress is often overlooked, especially for analytics exports, cross‑region reads, and public API responses. Estimating outbound gigabytes helps prevent surprises. Reserved discounts approximate long‑term commitments, while support and tax percentages reflect enterprise reality. Exporting CSV or PDF creates an auditable record for budgeting, approvals, and continuous cost reviews. Use consistent tags and account boundaries so the final numbers map cleanly to invoices.

FAQs

Which inputs most affect the total?

Compute hours, node count, and availability have the biggest impact. Storage and egress become dominant as data grows or traffic becomes export‑heavy.

How should I choose billable hours?

Use 730 for always‑on services. If you schedule off hours for dev or batch environments, enter the expected running hours to estimate savings.

Why are read replicas priced differently?

Replicas may run smaller or lower‑tier settings. The calculator applies a modest reduction to reflect common configurations, but you can override the hourly rate for exact pricing.

How is backup cost estimated?

Backup usage up to the storage size is treated as included. Any retained backup beyond that is billed at the backup rate, which you can customize.

What does included IOPS mean here?

Included IOPS scales with storage using a baseline ratio. If your required IOPS exceeds that baseline, the excess is priced using the IOPS unit rate.

Can I match a specific provider’s price list?

Yes. Enter your provider’s unit prices in the override fields for hourly, storage, backup, egress, and IOPS. The exported CSV and PDF will reflect those overrides.