Cloud VM Monthly Cost Calculator
Estimate the monthly and annual cost of a cloud virtual machine from its hourly rate, how many hours it runs and the number of instances.
How it works
Compute = hourly × (hours/day × 30.44) × instances · Storage = GB × $/GB-mo × instances · Monthly = compute + storage
A cloud VM bill is dominated by compute-hours: the hourly rate times how long the instance actually runs, multiplied across every instance. Storage is billed separately per gigabyte-month and persists whether or not the VM is powered on. The single biggest lever here is runtime — an instance that only needs to run during business hours costs roughly a third of one left on around the clock, which is why autoscaling and scheduled shutdowns save so much.
Worked example
Three instances at $0.096/hr running 24 h/day use 24 × 30.44 = 730.6 hours each, costing 0.096 × 730.6 × 3 = $210.41 of compute. Add 100 GB × $0.10 × 3 = $30 of storage for a total of about $240.41 a month.
Frequently asked questions
Why 30.44 hours-per-day multiplier and not 30?
A month averages 365.25 ÷ 12 = 30.44 days, so using 30.44 rather than a flat 30 gives a more accurate monthly figure — the difference is about 1.5% and adds up on large fleets. Many cloud bills are metered by the exact hour, so the average-month figure matches real invoices more closely.
Does this include network egress?
No — this covers compute and attached block storage only. Data transfer out of the cloud (egress), load balancers, snapshots and managed services are billed separately and can be significant, so treat this as the VM baseline rather than a full bill.
How can I cut the cost?
Run instances only when needed (scheduled start/stop or autoscaling), right-size to a smaller instance type, and commit to reserved or savings-plan pricing for steady workloads, which can cut the hourly rate by 30–60% versus on-demand.
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This calculator is for educational purposes. Double-check important results before acting on them.