AWS RDS Pricing

2 min readOct 7, 2023

AWS RDS (Relational Database Service) pricing can be complex due to the multiple factors. Always refer to the official AWS website for the most current pricing details.

Instance Hours: This is the primary cost based on the size and class of the RDS instance you run. Various instance types are tailored for memory, performance, or I/O optimization.
Storage: Pricing is based on the amount of storage provisioned. Additionally, you might be charged for IOPS (Input/Output Operations Per Second) if you choose provisioned IOPS storage.
Data Transfer: There are charges for the data transfer from your RDS instance to the internet or other AWS regions.
Backup Storage: You get backup storage up to the size of your database for free. Anything beyond that, and you’ll be charged for it.
License Fees: There might be additional license fees if you use a commercial database like Oracle or SQL Server.
Additional Features: Features like Read Replicas and Multi-AZ deployments will incur additional costs.
Data Transfer IN: Typically, all incoming data transfer is free.
Snapshots: If you store pictures of your DB instance, you will be charged for the storage used.
Reserved Instances: You can reduce costs by committing to one or three years of RDS usage. This can provide a significant discount compared to On-Demand pricing.

To avoid your RDS bill becoming unexpectedly high, consider the following:

Regularly check the AWS Pricing Calculator or RDS Pricing page.
Set billing alerts.
Monitor your usage with Amazon CloudWatch.
Optimize your instance types and sizes based on actual use.
Evaluate the cost-effectiveness of reserved instances if you have consistent usage patterns.

Finally, to ensure that your communications about AWS RDS pricing (or any topic) don’t go to spam when sending bulk emails, make sure to: