AWS Cost Explorer Pricing: Complete Guide & Calculator
Calculate your exact AWS Cost Explorer costs instantly. Understand free vs paid features, API pricing at $0.01/request, and hourly granularity charges.
AWS Cost Explorer Pricing Calculator
Web UI: Free
API: $0.01/request • Hourly Granularity: $0.01/1,000 records
Number of API requests per day
0
1000
Enable hourly granularity?
Estimated pagination factor
Each page of results costs $0.01 - complex queries may return multiple pages
ESTIMATED MONTHLY COST
$30.00
Small Startup
Web UI only
$0/month
Perfect for manual cost reviews and reporting
Mid-size Company
30 API calls/day
$9/month
Automated daily reports and basic monitoring
Large Enterprise
100 API calls/day + 500 EC2 with hourly
$35.04/month
Full automation with detailed hourly tracking
AWS Cost Explorer's pricing model is simple but often misunderstood.
Our calculator above shows your exact monthly costs. Below, we explain every component. The core offering includes a free web UI with comprehensive cost analysis features, paid API access for automation, and optional hourly granularity for detailed tracking.
Most users can leverage Cost Explorer completely free through the web interface. You only pay when you need programmatic access via the API ($0.01 per request) or require hourly-level cost data for optimization projects.
AWS Cost Explorer Pricing Overview
What is AWS Cost Explorer?
AWS Cost Explorer is a cost visualization and analysis tool that helps you view and analyze your AWS costs and usage over time. It provides an intuitive interface to explore your spending patterns, identify cost drivers, and optimize your AWS resources.
The service is essential for any cost management strategy, offering insights into historical spending, forecasting future costs, and providing recommendations for cost optimization. Whether you're managing a single AWS account or an entire organization, Cost Explorer delivers the visibility needed for effective cloud financial management.
Free vs Paid Features Breakdown
Free Features
- • Web UI access
- • 13 months of historical data
- • Daily granularity
- • Basic filtering and grouping
- • Cost and usage reports
- • Forecasting capabilities
- • Savings Plans recommendations
- • Reserved Instance utilization
Paid Features
- • API access ($0.01 per request)
- • Hourly granularity
- • Programmatic access
- • Advanced automation capabilities
- • Integration with third-party tools
- • Bulk data export via API
- • Custom application integration
- • CI/CD pipeline cost tracking
Understanding the Pricing Model
AWS Cost Explorer follows a usage-based pricing model that charges only for premium features. The web interface remains completely free, making it accessible for organizations of all sizes to monitor and analyze their AWS spending without additional costs.
API pricing at $0.01 per request enables programmatic access for automation and integration. This pay-per-use model ensures you only pay for the exact number of API calls you make, with no minimum commitments or upfront fees. The hourly granularity feature adds another dimension of cost visibility, charging based on the number of usage records generated.
Detailed Pricing Components
API Request Pricing ($0.01 per request)
Each API request to Cost Explorer costs exactly $0.01, regardless of the complexity or amount of data returned. This includes all GetCostAndUsage, GetDimensionValues, GetReservationUtilization, and other Cost Explorer API operations.
Pagination Warning: Large result sets are paginated, with each page counting as a separate request. A query returning 100 pages costs $1.00.
Best Practices to Minimize API Calls:
- Batch multiple queries into single requests when possible
- Cache frequently accessed data locally
- Use appropriate time granularities to reduce data points
- Implement smart pagination strategies
- Filter data at the API level rather than client-side
Code Example for Efficient Querying:
// Combine multiple metrics in a single request
const params = {
TimePeriod: { Start: '2025-01-01', End: '2025-01-31' },
Granularity: 'MONTHLY',
Metrics: ['UnblendedCost', 'UsageQuantity'],
GroupBy: [{ Type: 'DIMENSION', Key: 'SERVICE' }]
};Hourly Granularity Pricing
Daily cost:
$0.00000033
per usage record
Monthly cost:
$0.01
per 1,000 usage records
The Math:
Each resource = 336 records (24 hours × 14 days retention)
Example:
100 EC2 instances = 33,600 records = $0.34/month
Hourly granularity provides valuable insights for cost optimization projects and anomaly detection. It makes sense when you need to identify specific time-based patterns, track costs during deployments, or optimize resource scheduling.
The feature works across three reports: Cost Explorer, Savings Plans Utilization, and Coverage reports. Once enabled, it applies to all compatible resources automatically.
Hidden Costs to Consider
Pagination Trap
Each page = $0.01. A 100-page query costs $1.00. Design your queries to minimize pagination.
Cannot Be Disabled
Once enabled, Cost Explorer stays on permanently. Plan carefully before activation.
Data Delays
24-hour lag for current month data. Factor this into your automation schedules.
Third-party Integration
Tools using your API generate charges. Monitor and budget for external tool usage.
Important: Unlike other AWS services, Cost Explorer requires no EC2 instances, databases, or storage infrastructure, eliminating hidden infrastructure costs.
AWS Cost Explorer vs AWS Pricing Calculator
Key Differences
Purpose
Cost Explorer
Pricing Calculator
Data Source
Cost Explorer
Pricing Calculator
Cost
Cost Explorer
Pricing Calculator
Best For
Cost Explorer
Pricing Calculator
Time Perspective
Cost Explorer
Pricing Calculator
Accuracy
Cost Explorer
Pricing Calculator
When to Use Each Tool
Use Cost Explorer When:
- Analyzing actual AWS spending
- Identifying cost anomalies
- Tracking budget vs actual
- Optimizing existing resources
- Creating chargeback reports
- Monitoring RI/Savings Plans coverage
Use Pricing Calculator When:
- Planning new deployments
- Estimating project costs
- Comparing architecture options
- Creating budget proposals
- Evaluating service alternatives
- Demonstrating potential savings
Integration Strategies
Combining both tools creates a comprehensive cost management workflow. Use the Pricing Calculator to estimate costs before deployment, then track actual spending with Cost Explorer to validate your estimates and identify optimization opportunities.
Recommended Workflow:
- Planning Phase: Use Pricing Calculator to estimate costs for different architectures
- Deployment: Implement chosen architecture based on cost estimates
- Monitoring: Track actual costs with Cost Explorer's free web UI
- Optimization: Use Cost Explorer API for automated cost analysis and alerts
- Iteration: Refine estimates in Pricing Calculator based on actual usage patterns
10 AWS Cost Explorer Cost Optimization Tips
Batch multiple queries into single API calls
Combine multiple data requests into fewer API calls to reduce per-request charges. Each call costs $0.01.
Implement local caching for frequently accessed data
Store frequently accessed data to avoid repeated calls. Cache daily data for 24 hours since Cost Explorer updates once per day.
Optimize queries to minimize pagination
Each page counts as a separate $0.01 request. Use filters and appropriate time ranges to reduce result pages.
Use the free web UI for manual analysis
Manual analysis costs nothing. Reserve API access only for automation and programmatic needs.
Enable hourly granularity selectively
Only activate during optimization projects when detailed insights justify the additional cost.
Set up AWS Budgets alerts for API usage
Monitor Cost Explorer API spending with budget alerts to prevent unexpected charges from runaway scripts.
Leverage Cost Categories for better organization
Organize costs with custom categories for better allocation without additional API calls or complex filtering.
Use strategic tagging for powerful filtering
Proper resource tagging enables precise filtering without complex queries or multiple API calls.
Schedule automated reports during off-peak hours
Avoid rate limits and ensure consistent data availability by running automated reports when usage is lower.
Consider free alternatives for basic needs
Use AWS Budgets (2 free), Cost Anomaly Detection (completely free), and Cost and Usage Reports for complementary insights.
Implementation Guide
Getting Started with Cost Explorer
Enabling Cost Explorer is a one-time setup that takes just a few clicks. Navigate to the AWS Billing console, select Cost Explorer from the left menu, and click "Enable Cost Explorer."
Note: Cost Explorer activation can take up to 24 hours. Once enabled, it cannot be disabled, but there are no charges unless you use paid features.
IAM Permissions Required:
- ce:GetCostAndUsage - For basic cost data access
- ce:GetDimensionValues - For filtering options
- ce:GetReservationUtilization - For RI analysis
- ce:GetSavingsPlansUtilization - For Savings Plans tracking
- ce:GetCostForecast - For cost predictions
Initial configuration should include setting up cost allocation tags, enabling AWS Organizations if managing multiple accounts, and configuring Cost Categories for better cost organization.
API Integration Quick Start
Setting up API access requires AWS credentials with appropriate permissions. Use AWS SDK in your preferred programming language for seamless integration.
Sample API Call (Python):
import boto3 from datetime import datetime, timedelta ce = boto3.client('ce') response = ce.get_cost_and_usage( TimePeriod={ 'Start': (datetime.now() - timedelta(days=30)).strftime('%Y-%m-%d'), 'End': datetime.now().strftime('%Y-%m-%d') }, Granularity='DAILY', Metrics=['UnblendedCost'], GroupBy=[ {'Type': 'DIMENSION', 'Key': 'SERVICE'} ] ) # Cost: $0.01 for this single API request
Common SDK options include AWS SDK for Python (Boto3), AWS SDK for JavaScript, AWS SDK for Java, and AWS CLI for command-line access. Each provides full access to Cost Explorer APIs with built-in retry logic and error handling.
Error Handling for Cost Control:
- Implement exponential backoff for rate limit errors
- Cache responses to avoid duplicate requests
- Set request budgets in your application
- Log all API calls for cost tracking
- Use CloudWatch metrics to monitor API usage
Regional Pricing Insights
Global Uniform Pricing
Key Insight: AWS Cost Explorer has identical pricing worldwide
- No regional price differences - us-east-1 pricing applies globally
- Choose regions based on: Latency to users, compliance requirements, not cost
- Single pricing source: All pricing data comes from us-east-1
- Simplified budgeting: No need to account for regional variations
This uniform pricing model simplifies cost planning for global deployments. Whether you're accessing Cost Explorer from Virginia, London, or Singapore, the API costs remain at $0.01 per request and hourly granularity at $0.01 per 1,000 records.
Conclusion and Next Steps
Summary: Key Pricing Points
- Web UI is completely free - use it for all manual analysis
- API costs $0.01 per request - budget for automation needs
- Hourly granularity adds minimal cost for valuable insights
- No infrastructure dependencies keep costs predictable
- Pagination can multiply costs - optimize your queries
Cost-Saving Checklist: 5 Immediate Actions
- ✓ Review current API usage in CloudWatch
- ✓ Implement caching for frequently accessed data
- ✓ Optimize queries to reduce pagination
- ✓ Disable hourly granularity if not actively used
- ✓ Set up AWS Budgets alerts for Cost Explorer API
Start with the free web interface to understand your AWS costs, then gradually add API access and hourly granularity as your cost optimization needs grow. Remember that effective cost management is an ongoing process that combines the right tools with consistent monitoring and optimization practices.
Real-Time AWS Cost Monitoring
CostGoat tracks your actual AWS spending in real-time, alerting you to cost anomalies before they impact your budget. Know exactly what you're paying for Cost Explorer and all other AWS services.
AWS Cost Explorer Pricing FAQ
Common questions about AWS Cost Explorer costs, API pricing, and hourly granularity