guideupdated may 24, 2026 · 5 min read
GCP vs Azure Compute Pricing Compared (2026)
TL;DR
GCP wins on raw on-demand pricing for general workloads. Azure wins for Windows-licensed workloads and integrated Microsoft tooling.
Equivalent SKUs · monthly cost
us-east-1 / us-central1 · linux · on-demand
| Workload | GCP | $/mo | Azure | $/mo | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General web/api | GCPn2-standard-4 | $142 | AZD4s_v5 | $140 | Azure −1% |
| Mid-tier app servers | GCPn2-standard-8 | $284 | AZD8s_v5 | $280 | Azure −1% |
| CPU-bound batch jobs | GCPc2-standard-4 | $152 | AZF4s_v2 | $123 | Azure −19% |
| In-memory caches | GCPn2-highmem-4 | $191 | AZE4s_v5 | $184 | Azure −4% |
| ML inference (GPU) | GCPa2-highgpu-1g | $2,145 | AZNC4as_T4_v3 | $384 | Azure −82% |
Best for X workload
Best for general on-demandGCP wins
e2-standard family beats Azure D-series and B-series at the lowest tiers.
e2-standard-4Open in tool
Best for Windows workloadsAzure wins
Hybrid Benefit makes Azure unbeatable for licensed Windows estates.
D4s_v5 · hybridOpen in tool
Best for committed savingsGCP wins
GCP CUDs give automatic discounts; you don't need to pick a specific instance family.
n2-standard-4 · 3yr CUDOpen in tool
Best for GPU trainingGCP wins
GCP A100 instances have better $/training-token than Azure T4 NC-series.
a2-highgpu-1gOpen in tool
Frequently asked
Is GCP or Azure cheaper for startups?
GCP's e2-standard family is the cheapest general-purpose tier across most regions, and CUDs apply automatically without per-SKU commitment.
How do Azure Hybrid Benefit and GCP Sustained Use Discounts compare?
Hybrid Benefit is license-based (you bring existing Windows Server licenses). Sustained Use Discounts (GCP) apply automatically based on runtime. They target different cost structures.
Which has cheaper egress?
GCP's inter-region egress is generally cheaper than Azure's. For internet egress, both are within a few cents per GB of each other.