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Self-Hosted LLM vs Cloud API Cost Calculator
Compare the cost of self-hosting an open-source LLM on rented GPUs versus using cloud APIs like OpenAI and Anthropic.
GPU prices dropped 40-60% since 2024, making self-hosting more attractive โ but hidden costs can eat your savings.
Compare your cloud API bill against the true cost of renting a GPU and running an open-source model.
How the Comparison Works
Cloud API cost = input tokens ร price + output tokens ร price (60/40 split). Self-hosted cost = GPU rate ร 730 hours ร utilization overhead + admin hours ร $75/hr.
Self-hosting beats API at ~5-10M tokens/month for premium models.
Pro Tips
- โข Self-hosting breaks even at ~5-10M tokens/month for GPT-4o class models
- โข GPU utilization is the hidden killer โ if traffic is bursty (30-40%), API wins
- โข Budget 2.5-3x raw GPU cost for admin, monitoring, and overprovisioning
- โข Consider hybrid: self-host for base load, use API for peaks