AWS vs Azure: Detailed Cloud Infrastructure Pricing & TCO Comparison (2026)
A comprehensive, line-by-line comparison of Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure across Compute (EC2 vs Azure Virtual Machines), Object Storage (S3 vs Azure Blob), Managed Databases (RDS/Aurora vs Azure SQL Database), Networking egress fees, and managed Kubernetes (EKS vs AKS).
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Amazon Web Services
AWS BenchmarkMicrosoft Azure
Azure BenchmarkAWS vs Azure Feature & Capability Matrix
Pricing rows are computed live from the current catalogs, not hand-typed — they'll never silently go stale.
| Feature / Capability | Amazon Web Services | Microsoft Azure | Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|
Internet egress (10 TB/mo) Networking | $0.0900/GB effective | $0.0870/GB effective | Azure |
Free egress allowance Networking | None | None | Tie |
Hot object storage ($/GB-mo) Storage | $0.0230/GB-mo | $0.0208/GB-mo | Azure |
Archive storage ($/GB-mo) Storage | $0.0010/GB-mo | $0.0010/GB-mo | Tie |
Object storage tiers offered Storage | 4 tiers | 4 tiers | Tie |
Managed Kubernetes control plane (1st cluster) Kubernetes | $73.00/mo | Free (1st cluster) | Azure |
Cheapest 4 vCPU / 16 GB Linux instance Compute | $98.11/mo (t4g.xlarge) | $125.56/mo (Standard_D4as_v5) | AWS |
Deepest 3-year reserved discount Compute | 58% off on-demand | 60% off on-demand | Azure |
Spot / preemptible instances Compute | ~70% off on-demand | ~80% off on-demand | Azure |
Managed SQL Server Database | Offered | Offered | Tie |
Windows Server on compute Compute | Offered | Offered | Tie |
Load balancer Networking | $16.43/mo | $18.25/mo | AWS |
Static IPv4 address Networking | $3.65/mo | $2.92/mo | Azure |
ARM Processor Option Compute | AWS Graviton3 / Graviton4 (Up to 20% price-perf) | Azure Cobalt 100 & Ampere Altra | AWS |
Spot / Preemptible Eviction Notice Compute | 2-minute warning via EventBridge | 30-second warning via Azure Scheduled Events | AWS |
Enterprise License Portability Licensing | BYOL with dedicated hosts or license manager | Azure Hybrid Benefit (Save up to 40-55% with Windows/SQL) | Azure |
Cost Comparison Matrix
Side-by-Side Cost Matrix Monthly & Annual TCO
Comparing line-item equivalents across AWS us-east-1 (N. Virginia), Azure East US, GCP us-east1 (South Carolina).
Amazon Web Services
us-east-1 (N. Virginia)💡 Graviton3/4 arm64 processors offer up to 20% lower price/performance.
| Provider | Compute | Storage | Database | Network | Monthly TCO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
AWS us-east-1 (N. Virginia) | $49/mo t4g.medium | $12/mo Amazon S3 (HOT) | $61/mo RDS/Aurora db.t4g.medium | $155/mo AWS Data Transfer & ELB | $277 $3,322/yr |
Azure East US | $126/mo Standard_D2as_v5 | $11/mo Azure Blob Storage (HOT) | $112/mo Azure Database Flexible Server D2ds_v5 | $152/mo Azure Data Transfer & Load Balancer | $399 $4,794/yr |
GCP us-east1 (South Carolina) | $98/mo e2-standard-2 | $10/mo Google Cloud Storage (HOT) | $93/mo Cloud SQL db-custom-2-7680 | $201/mo Google Cloud Data Transfer & Load Balancer | $402 $4,823/yr |
Cost Comparison Visualizer
Visual TCO breakdown across 3 selected providers.
Cloud Optimization Insights
Actionable techniques to decrease your infrastructure bill, per selected provider.
Migrate general-purpose workloads to AWS Graviton3/4 processors for up to 20% better price/performance compared to standard x86 instances.
If your organization owns on-premises Windows Server or SQL Server licenses with Software Assurance, apply them to Azure VMs for up to 40% savings.
Avoid paying for predefined instance shapes. Google Cloud allows custom vCPU & memory ratios tailored specifically to your exact application footprint.
Infrastructure Spec Configurator
Customize workload specs to update the matrix dynamically.
Workload Growth & Traffic Scale Simulator
Project non-linear cost curves at 2x, 5x, or 10x production capacity.
FinOps Commitment & Cash-Flow Advisor
AWS vs Azure — Frequently Asked Questions
Which is cheaper overall: AWS or Azure?
For general-purpose Linux compute, AWS and Azure are closely priced. AWS Graviton processors offer better price-performance for ARM-compatible workloads. Azure provides significant savings through Azure Hybrid Benefit if you bring existing Windows Server or SQL Server licenses. For managed Kubernetes, AKS provides free cluster management on the standard tier, while EKS charges $73/month per cluster.
How do AWS Savings Plans compare to Azure Reserved Instances?
AWS Compute Savings Plans offer greater flexibility — they apply across EC2 instance families, sizes, regions, and even Fargate/Lambda. Azure Reserved Instances are tied to specific VM sizes but offer comparable discount depths (up to 72% for 3-year). Azure also supports monthly payment options without upfront commitment penalty.
What is the egress bandwidth pricing difference between AWS and Azure?
AWS charges $0.09/GB for the first 10 TB of internet egress in us-east-1. Azure charges $0.087/GB for the same tier. Both providers significantly reduce costs when traffic is routed through their CDN services (CloudFront or Azure Front Door). For inter-region transfer, Azure tends to be slightly cheaper.
Which is better for Windows workloads: AWS or Azure?
Azure has a clear advantage for Windows workloads due to Azure Hybrid Benefit (AHUB), which allows you to use existing Windows Server and SQL Server licenses with Software Assurance, saving up to 40-55% compared to pay-as-you-go pricing. AWS requires purchasing Windows licenses as part of the hourly instance rate.