Azure Pricing Calculator - Learn Tech From Zero

Cost management

📘Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900)

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Azure Pricing Calculator – AZ-900

Purpose:
The Azure Pricing Calculator is a free online tool provided by Microsoft. It helps organizations and users estimate the cost of using Azure services before actually deploying them. This is important for budgeting and cost planning in IT projects.

Think of it as a virtual cost planning tool for Azure resources.

1. Key Features of the Azure Pricing Calculator

Estimate Costs Before Deployment
- You can simulate deploying services like virtual machines, storage accounts, databases, or networking.
- The calculator tells you approximately how much it will cost per month.
Select Services You Need
- You choose the exact Azure services you want to use.
- Example: You might add:
  - Virtual Machines (VMs) – to run applications or databases.
  - Azure SQL Database – to store structured data.
  - Azure Blob Storage – for storing files or backups.
  - Virtual Network – to connect different resources securely.
Configure Resources
- For each service, you can configure:
  - Region – where the service will be hosted (pricing can vary by region).
  - Size – e.g., a small VM vs. a large VM.
  - Operating System – Windows or Linux (Windows usually costs more due to licensing).
  - Performance Tier – like standard or premium storage.
See the Estimated Monthly Cost
- The calculator shows the total estimated cost based on your selected services and configurations.
- You can adjust parameters to see how changing resources affects cost.
- This helps organizations avoid overspending.
Export Estimates
- You can export your estimate as an Excel sheet or PDF.
- Useful for sharing with your finance or management teams.

2. How IT Teams Use the Azure Pricing Calculator

Planning Infrastructure for a New Application
- Suppose a company wants to deploy a web application:
  - It needs 2 virtual machines, 1 SQL database, and 100 GB storage.
  - Using the calculator, the IT team can estimate the total monthly cost before buying any resources.
Comparing Cost Between Services
- Example: Choosing between Azure SQL Database vs SQL Server on a VM:
  - The calculator helps compare costs and decide which option is cheaper and better for performance.
Budgeting for Scaling
- If a company expects more users next month, they can increase VM sizes or add more storage in the calculator to see the impact on cost.

3. How to Use the Azure Pricing Calculator – Step by Step

Go to the Azure Pricing Calculator Website
- URL: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/calculator/
Select Azure Services
- Browse categories such as Compute, Databases, Storage, Networking.
- Click “Add to estimate” for the services you want.
Configure Each Service
- For example, if you select a Virtual Machine:
  - Choose region (e.g., East US, West Europe).
  - Choose VM size (number of cores, RAM).
  - Choose OS (Windows/Linux).
  - Enter the number of instances (how many VMs you need).
View Your Estimate
- The right side of the screen shows the estimated monthly cost.
- You can add or remove services, or change configurations to see different cost scenarios.
Save or Export Your Estimate
- Click Export to save the estimate.
- This is useful for project planning and budgeting.

4. Important Points for AZ-900 Exam

Purpose: Helps estimate cost before deployment and avoid unexpected charges.
Services Covered: Any Azure service – compute, storage, database, networking, AI, analytics, etc.
Cost Factors: Region, size, performance tier, OS type, and usage (hours/month).
Outputs: Monthly cost, breakdown by service, exportable estimates.
Use Case Example: Planning cost for VMs, storage, or databases for a project.

Exam Tip: You may get a question asking:

“Which Azure tool helps estimate costs for services before deployment?”

The correct answer is Azure Pricing Calculator.
Other tools like Azure Cost Management are for monitoring and optimizing costs after deployment, not estimating before deployment.

5. Quick Comparison with Azure Cost Management

Feature	Azure Pricing Calculator	Azure Cost Management
Purpose	Estimate future costs	Monitor actual usage and costs
Timing	Before deployment	After deployment
Key Users	IT planners, architects	Finance, operations teams
Output	Monthly cost estimate	Usage reports, cost optimization

✅ Summary:
The Azure Pricing Calculator is a planning tool used to estimate the cost of Azure services before deployment. IT teams use it to budget, compare services, and plan resources. For the AZ-900 exam, remember its purpose, how it’s used, and the difference with Azure Cost Management.