Cloud costs can make or break budgets. Here's how AWS and GCP compare.
Compute
On-demand: ~$0.192/hr (AWS m5.xlarge) vs ~$0.194/hr (GCP n2-standard-4). GCP advantage: Automatic 30% sustained use discount (no commitment). AWS requires Reserved Instances for savings.
Use our [AWS Cost Calculator](/calculators/aws-cost-calculator) and [GCP Calculator](/calculators/gcp-pricing-calculator). Compare with [AWS vs GCP](/compare/aws-vs-gcp).
Storage
S3 Standard: $0.023/GB. GCP Standard: $0.020/GB (13% cheaper). Archive: AWS Glacier wins.
Networking (Hidden Cost)
Egress: AWS $0.09/GB, GCP $0.085-0.12/GB. Minimize egress by keeping services co-located and using CDN.
Optimization Tips
1. Right-size (40% of instances are over-provisioned). 2. Use committed discounts for steady workloads. 3. Spot/preemptible for batch jobs (60-90% savings). 4. Set billing alerts. 5. Delete unused resources monthly. 6. Go serverless where possible.