EC2 Instance Cost Calculator

Turn an EC2 on-demand hourly rate and a running schedule into hourly, daily, monthly and annual fleet cost.

Inputs

On-demand rate per instance-hourUSD/hour

Editable — m5.large Linux in us-east-1 is about $0.096/hour. Check the AWS pricing page for your region and OS.

Number of instancesinstances

Hours running per dayhours

Days running per monthdays

Monthly Fleet Cost

$276.48

Cost per Hour (whole fleet)

$0.3840

Cost per Day

$9.22

Cost per Year

$3,317.76

Billed Instance-Hours per Month

2,880

Share of a Full 730-Hour Month

98.6%

Step by step

Values used
On-demand rate per instance-hour = 0.0960 USD/hour; Number of instances = 4 instances; Hours running per day = 24 hours; Days running per month = 30 days
EC2 Instance Cost
monthly cost = rate × instances × hours per day × days per month; a always-on month is 730 hours.
Monthly Fleet Cost
= 276.48
Cost per Hour (whole fleet)
= 0.3840
Cost per Day
= 9.22
Cost per Year
= 3,317.76
Billed Instance-Hours per Month
= 2,880
Share of a Full 730-Hour Month
= 98.6

How it works

EC2 on-demand bills per second (with a 60-second minimum) for Linux, so cost is simply the rate multiplied by the instance-hours you actually accumulate. Multiplying hours per day by days per month gives the per-instance run time, and 730 hours is the always-on reference AWS itself uses when it quotes monthly prices. A schedule that stops non-production instances outside working hours removes roughly two thirds of their instance-hours, and this is the number that shows how large that lever is before you build the automation.

Formula

EC2 Instance Cost

monthly cost = rate × instances × hours per day × days per month; a always-on month is 730 hours.

730: Hours in AWS's average month (8760 ÷ 12)
rate: On-demand price for one instance-hour
instances: Instances running the same schedule

Guides that use this calculator

How to Size Cloud Instances Without OverpayingA practical method for right-sizing compute: measure before you buy, understand the pricing models, and know which metrics actually matter.8 min

Frequently Asked Questions

How is EC2 Instance Cost calculated?

monthly cost = rate × instances × hours per day × days per month; a always-on month is 730 hours. EC2 on-demand bills per second (with a 60-second minimum) for Linux, so cost is simply the rate multiplied by the instance-hours you actually accumulate. Multiplying hours per day by days per month gives the per-instance run time, and 730 hours is the always-on reference AWS itself uses when it quotes monthly prices.

Why does EC2 Instance Cost matter?

A schedule that stops non-production instances outside working hours removes roughly two thirds of their instance-hours, and this is the number that shows how large that lever is before you build the automation.

What values do I need to enter?

This calculator takes 4 inputs: On-demand rate per instance-hour, Number of instances, Hours running per day, Days running 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.

Are the prices in this calculator authoritative?

No. The rate is an editable input with a plausible us-east-1 Linux default. AWS changes list prices, and they differ by region, operating system, tenancy and instance generation, so always confirm against the AWS Pricing Calculator or your own Cost Explorer data before committing a budget.

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