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Small Cloud VM Cost Calculator

Compare small Linux VMs on AWS T3, Azure B-series, Google E2, and DigitalOcean Droplets, including transfer.

A small Linux VM is never just the instance hour. This comparator ranks AWS T3, Azure B-series, Google E2, and DigitalOcean Droplets that meet a vCPU and RAM floor, then adds public internet egress. DigitalOcean’s included transfer on Basic Droplets is applied; hyperscaler internet-out uses the same public tables as the egress tool.

Use it for a side project, a jump host, or a first production box — not for a 200-node fleet with committed spend.

Workload inputs

Presets

Include free tier / Always Free

Ranked results

AWS
t3.micro · 2 vCPU / 1 GB · US East (N. Virginia)
Monthly
$0.00
/ mo
Annual
$0.00
/ yr

burstable / shared-core

Azure
B1s · 1 vCPU / 1 GB · East US
Monthly
$0.00
/ mo
Annual
$0.00
/ yr

burstable / shared-core

DigitalOcean
s-1vcpu-1gb · 1 vCPU / 1 GB · New York (nyc3)
Monthly
$6.00
/ mo
Annual
$72.00
/ yr

dedicated vCPU

Google Cloud
e2-micro · 2 vCPU / 1 GB · Iowa (us-central1)
Monthly
$11.88
/ mo
Annual
$142.56
/ yr

burstable / shared-core

How this is calculated

  1. Pick the cheapest size that meets min vCPU and RAM in the matching region group.
  2. Compute = billed hours × hourly rate. DigitalOcean never exceeds the published monthly price.
  3. Free tier: AWS/Azure 750 h of the smallest size (12-month accounts). GCP e2-micro Always Free only in eligible US regions.
  4. Egress = max(0, GB − included transfer − free internet grant) × USD/GB.

Assumptions

Basic Droplets include SSD and outbound transfer. Hourly billing never exceeds the monthly rate. Extra transfer is $0.01/GiB. Selected s-1vcpu-1gb (1 vCPU, 1 GB).

Linux on-demand list prices for small burstable/shared VMs. AWS, Azure, and GCP compute SKUs do not include a boot disk. DigitalOcean Droplet monthly prices include SSD and outbound transfer and are capped at the monthly rate. No Reserved Instances, Savings Plans, or CUDs.

Sources

https://www.digitalocean.com/pricing/droplets

Prices last checked: 2026-08-23

Estimates use public Linux on-demand list prices. Boot disks, snapshots, public IPv4, CPU-credit overages, and Reserved/CUD discounts are not included. DigitalOcean monthly rates include SSD and transfer.

Estimates are based on publicly available Linux on-demand list prices and are for informational purposes only. Boot disks, snapshots, reserved capacity, and committed-use discounts are not included.

Read the methodology →

What this estimate includes

On-demand (or Droplet monthly cap) compute for the smallest listed size that satisfies your vCPU and RAM minimum in the region group you pick, hours per month (730 if you leave a full month), and internet egress after included or free-tier grants. Burstable credits (T3, B-series, E2 shared) are not modeled as a throttle — we assume the instance stays within the baseline the public page describes.

What it does not include

  • Block storage beyond the listed system disk, snapshots, and backups
  • Public IPv4 that some clouds now bill separately
  • NAT, load balancer, and inter-AZ traffic
  • Windows licenses, GPU, and dedicated hosts
  • Reserved Instances, Savings Plans, and CUDs

How to read the ranking

If you leave egress at a few tens of GB, compute dominates and a Droplet’s included transfer barely moves the needle. Raise egress into hundreds of GB and hyperscaler internet-out often overtakes the cheaper hourly rate. That is the comparison this page exists to make visible.

Sizes are not identical machines: a 2 vCPU / 2 GB Droplet is not the same CPU credit model as t3.small. We match on the floor you set and show the SKU name in the result. Confirm current list prices on the provider page before you click buy.

FAQ

Which size is chosen for each cloud? +

The cheapest published size in that region group that has at least your minimum vCPU and RAM. t3.micro is treated as 2 vCPU / 1 GB (burstable). e2-micro is shared-core with 1 GB. DigitalOcean s-1vcpu-1gb is 1 vCPU / 1 GB dedicated. The selected SKU is always shown under the result.

Why is a Droplet sometimes cheaper even when hourly AWS looks close? +

DigitalOcean monthly rates include SSD and a transfer grant (1–4 TB on these Basic sizes) and never exceed the published monthly price. AWS/Azure/GCP compute list prices do not include a boot disk, and internet egress is extra after a small free grant. On a 2 TB download, transfer usually dominates T3/B-series/E2.

Is the AWS/Azure 750-hour grant Always Free? +

No. It is the 12-month Free Tier (t3.micro / B1s). After month 12, turn the toggle off. GCP e2-micro Always Free applies to one instance in eligible US regions only; Europe and Tokyo e2-micro in this catalog are paid.

Are Reserved Instances, Savings Plans, and CUDs included? +

No. This is on-demand Linux list price. CPU-credit overages on T3 Unlimited and B-series, public IPv4, snapshots, and managed disks are also omitted. If those matter, treat the estimate as compute + transfer only.

What does “region group” mean? +

North America, Europe, or Asia Pacific. Each provider is mapped to a peer region (us-east-1 / East US / Iowa / nyc3, and the EU and Tokyo/Singapore counterparts) so you are not matching Virginia AWS against Tokyo GCP by accident.

Related guides and comparisons

  • AWS T3 vs DigitalOcean Droplet - Small Linux VM plus internet transfer: t3.micro/medium list prices versus Basic Droplets that include SSD and bandwidth.

Report a price error or odd result →