Azure Monitor Cost Calculator

Price Log Analytics ingestion across pay-as-you-go and commitment tiers, with basic logs and extended retention.

Inputs

Data ingested per dayGB/day

Share routed to the basic logs plan%

Basic and auxiliary plans cost less to ingest but restrict querying.

Pay-as-you-go price per GBUSD

Basic logs price per GBUSD

Commitment tier

Interactive retentiondays

The first 31 days of retention are included.

Retention price per GBUSD/GB-month

Days per billing monthdays

Monthly Cost

$9,342.48

Ingestion Charge

$8,280.48

Retention Charge

$1,062.00

Effective Price per GB

1.815USD/GB

Saving vs Pay-as-you-go

$4,313.40

Recommended Tier

Commit to 100 GB/day

Step by step

Values used
Data ingested per day = 150 GB/day; Share routed to the basic logs plan = 30 %; Pay-as-you-go price per GB = 2.76 USD; Basic logs price per GB = 0.5750 USD; Commitment tier = 100 GB/day (about 15% off); Interactive retention = 90 days; Retention price per GB = 0.1200 USD/GB-month; Days per billing month = 30.42 days
Azure Monitor Cost
commitment tiers bill the whole tier every day at a discounted rate and charge overage at that same rate: cost = (tier GB × tier rate + overage GB × tier rate + basic GB × basic rate) × days + retention beyond 31 days.
Monthly Cost
= 9,342.48
Ingestion Charge
= 8,280.48
Retention Charge
= 1,062.00
Effective Price per GB
= 1.815 USD/GB
Saving vs Pay-as-you-go
= 4,313.40
Recommended Tier
= Commit to 100 GB/day

How it works

A commitment tier is a daily minimum, not a cap: you pay for the full tier every day even if you ingest less, and anything above it bills at the same discounted rate. Routing verbose, rarely-queried tables to the basic logs plan cuts their ingestion price substantially, and retention beyond the included 31 days is charged per GB-month on everything you keep. Log Analytics ingestion is frequently the second- or third-largest Azure line item, and the two levers that actually work are table-level plan selection and a commitment tier sized just below your steady-state volume — verify the current per-GB prices and tier discounts in the Azure pricing calculator for your region.

Formula

Azure Monitor Cost

tier rate: Discounted per-GB price unlocked by the commitment level
overage: Analytics ingestion above the committed daily volume, billed at the tier rate
31 days: Interactive retention included at no extra charge

Frequently Asked Questions

How is Azure Monitor Cost calculated?

commitment tiers bill the whole tier every day at a discounted rate and charge overage at that same rate: cost = (tier GB × tier rate + overage GB × tier rate + basic GB × basic rate) × days + retention beyond 31 days. A commitment tier is a daily minimum, not a cap: you pay for the full tier every day even if you ingest less, and anything above it bills at the same discounted rate. Routing verbose, rarely-queried tables to the basic logs plan cuts their ingestion price substantially, and retention beyond the included 31 days is charged per GB-month on everything you keep.

Why does Azure Monitor Cost matter?

Log Analytics ingestion is frequently the second- or third-largest Azure line item, and the two levers that actually work are table-level plan selection and a commitment tier sized just below your steady-state volume — verify the current per-GB prices and tier discounts in the Azure pricing calculator for your region.

What values do I need to enter?

This calculator takes 8 inputs: Data ingested per day, Share routed to the basic logs plan, Pay-as-you-go price per GB, Basic logs price per GB, Commitment tier, Interactive retention, Retention price per GB, Days per billing 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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