Vision Token Cost Calculator
Estimate the token cost of sending images to a vision-enabled LLM at low or high detail settings.
Inputs
512×512 tiles covering the image; high-detail mode tiles the image and charges per tile.
Total Cost
$0.0043
Total Tokens
850tokens
Tokens per Image
85tokens
Step by step
Tokens per image (low detail, fixed)
85
= 85 tokens
Total tokens
85 × 10
= 850 tokens
Total cost
850 × $0.00000500
= $0.0043
How it works
Vision-enabled LLMs like GPT-4V convert images into a fixed or resolution-dependent number of tokens before billing. Low-detail mode charges a flat token count (commonly 85 tokens) regardless of image size, while high-detail mode tiles the image into 512×512 segments and charges roughly 170 tokens per tile plus a small base. This calculator estimates total token usage and cost for a batch of images under either mode.
Formulas
Tokens per image (high detail)
tokens_per_image = 85 + tiles_per_image × 170
- 85
- Base token overhead
- 170
- Tokens per tile
- tiles_per_image
- Number of 512×512 tiles covering the image
Total cost
total_cost = images × tokens_per_image × (rate_per_1M_tokens / 1000000)
- images
- Number of images
- tokens_per_image
- Tokens consumed per image
- rate_per_1M_tokens
- Dollar cost per million tokens
Frequently Asked Questions
When should I use low detail mode?
Use low detail for thumbnails, icons, or cases where fine text/detail recognition isn't needed — it's dramatically cheaper per image.
How many tiles does a typical image need?
A 1024×1024 image typically needs about 4 tiles; larger or non-square images may need more. Check your provider's tiling documentation for exact counts.
Does this apply to all vision models?
The tile/token math shown mirrors OpenAI's GPT-4V-style approach; other providers (Claude, Gemini) use different image-to-token conversion schemes.