Azure ExpressRoute Calculator

Compare metered and unlimited ExpressRoute circuits, find the break-even traffic volume and add the gateway cost.

Inputs

Billing plan

Circuit bandwidthMbps

Metered circuit feeUSD/month

List price for a 1 Gbps Standard circuit.

Unlimited circuit feeUSD/month

Outbound dataGB/month

Metered outbound price per GBUSD

Premium add-onUSD/month

Needed for global reach, more routes or more VNet links.

ExpressRoute gateway rateUSD/hour

Billed hours per monthhours

Monthly Cost

$1,074.70

Circuit Charge

$436.00

Outbound Data Charge

$500.00

Gateway Charge

$138.70

Break-even Outbound Volume

50,560GB/month

Circuit Utilisation at Average

6.2%

Cheaper Plan at This Volume

Metered — below the break-even volume

Step by step

Values used
Billing plan = Metered — lower fixed fee, pay per outbound GB; Circuit bandwidth = 1,000 Mbps; Metered circuit fee = 436 USD/month; Unlimited circuit fee = 1,700 USD/month; Outbound data = 20,000 GB/month; Metered outbound price per GB = 0.0250 USD; Premium add-on = 0 USD/month; ExpressRoute gateway rate = 0.1900 USD/hour; Billed hours per month = 730 hours
Azure ExpressRoute
break-even outbound GB = (unlimited fee − metered fee) ÷ metered per-GB price; monthly = circuit fee + premium add-on + metered outbound GB × price + gateway rate × 730.
Monthly Cost
= 1,074.70
Circuit Charge
= 436.00
Outbound Data Charge
= 500.00
Gateway Charge
= 138.70
Break-even Outbound Volume
= 50,560 GB/month
Circuit Utilisation at Average
= 6.2

How it works

An ExpressRoute circuit is billed as a fixed fee for the reserved bandwidth plus, on the metered plan, a per-GB charge for outbound traffic only — inbound is always free. Dividing the fixed-fee difference by the per-GB rate gives the volume at which the unlimited plan wins, which is why heavy-egress workloads like offsite backup almost always belong on unlimited. Two circuits at different sites, the ExpressRoute gateway in each VNet and the Premium add-on are all separate meters, so the circuit fee alone understates the real cost; the connectivity provider's own charge sits on top of everything Azure bills, so confirm both with the Azure pricing calculator and your carrier.

Formula

Azure ExpressRoute

break-even outbound GB = (unlimited fee − metered fee) ÷ metered per-GB price; monthly = circuit fee + premium add-on + metered outbound GB × price + gateway rate × 730.

metered fee: Fixed monthly circuit charge on the metered plan
break-even: Outbound volume at which the unlimited plan becomes cheaper
gateway: ExpressRoute virtual network gateway, billed separately from the circuit

Frequently Asked Questions

How is Azure ExpressRoute calculated?

break-even outbound GB = (unlimited fee − metered fee) ÷ metered per-GB price; monthly = circuit fee + premium add-on + metered outbound GB × price + gateway rate × 730. An ExpressRoute circuit is billed as a fixed fee for the reserved bandwidth plus, on the metered plan, a per-GB charge for outbound traffic only — inbound is always free. Dividing the fixed-fee difference by the per-GB rate gives the volume at which the unlimited plan wins, which is why heavy-egress workloads like offsite backup almost always belong on unlimited.

Why does Azure ExpressRoute matter?

Two circuits at different sites, the ExpressRoute gateway in each VNet and the Premium add-on are all separate meters, so the circuit fee alone understates the real cost; the connectivity provider's own charge sits on top of everything Azure bills, so confirm both with the Azure pricing calculator and your carrier.

What values do I need to enter?

This calculator takes 9 inputs: Billing plan, Circuit bandwidth, Metered circuit fee, Unlimited circuit fee, Outbound data, Metered outbound price per GB, Premium add-on, ExpressRoute gateway rate, Billed hours per month. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.

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