What this calculator does
The Managed Database / RDS Cost Calculator estimates the recurring cost of running a managed relational database such as Amazon RDS, Azure Database, or Google Cloud SQL. It combines the three line items that dominate most managed-database bills: instance compute, storage, and provisioned IOPS. Prices vary by provider, region, and engine, so enter the rates from your own pricing page for an accurate figure.
How to use it
Enter the instance hourly rate for your chosen instance class, the amount of storage in gigabytes plus its per-GB monthly price, and (optionally) the number of provisioned IOPS with their per-IOPS monthly price. The calculator multiplies compute by 730 hours — the cloud-standard hours in an average month — adds the storage and IOPS charges, and shows both the monthly and annual totals.
The formula explained
The core equation is $$\text{Monthly} = \text{Instance (\$/hr)} \times 730 + \text{Storage (GB)} \times \text{Storage (\$/GB)} + \text{IOPS} \times \text{IOPS (\$/IOPS)}$$. The constant 730 comes from 8,760 hours per year divided by 12 months, the convention most cloud providers use for on-demand billing estimates. Storage and IOPS are already monthly rates, so they are added directly.
Worked example
Suppose an instance costs $0.20/hour, you store 200 GB at $0.115/GB-month, and provision 1,000 IOPS at $0.10 each. Compute = \(0.20 \times 730 = \$146\). Storage = \(200 \times 0.115 = \$23\). IOPS = \(1{,}000 \times 0.10 = \$100\). Monthly total = $269, or roughly $3,228 per year.
FAQ
Why 730 hours? It is the average month length (\(8{,}760 \div 12\)) used by major cloud providers for on-demand pricing estimates.
Does this include data transfer or backups? No. This is a simplified compute + storage + IOPS estimate. Add backup storage, cross-AZ transfer, and Multi-AZ multipliers separately if they apply.
Can I model Multi-AZ? Roughly double the instance hourly rate (and storage if it is replicated) to approximate a Multi-AZ deployment.
