GCP Cloud DNS cost: per managed zone plus per query

Quick answer

Cloud DNS charges about $0.20 per managed zone per month (first 25 zones) plus about $0.40 per million queries (first billion), similar to Route 53. For most domains the total is a few dollars, dominated by zone count and query volume. Longer TTLs reduce billed queries, and deleting unused zones removes their fixed fee.

Cloud DNS is Google Cloud managed authoritative DNS, priced like most managed DNS: a small per-zone fee plus a per-query charge. For the vast majority of domains it is a negligible line, and the only ways it grows are many zones or very high query volume.

Zones and queries

Dimension	Rate (approximate)
Managed zone	~$0.20 / month (first 25 zones)
Queries	~$0.40 / million (first billion)

Each managed zone is a small fixed monthly fee, and queries are billed per million, both tiered down at higher volumes. A typical domain answering a few million queries a month costs a couple of dollars total.

Where cost hides

Two patterns push the bill up. Many zones, one per environment or per service across a large organization, accumulate the per-zone fee, so delete zones for domains you no longer serve. And very high query volume on a busy public domain drives the per-query line, which longer TTLs reduce by letting resolvers cache answers so fewer queries reach Cloud DNS.

Controlling Cloud DNS cost

Delete unused managed zones, raise TTLs on stable records so resolvers cache longer and fewer queries are billed, and consolidate zones where it makes sense. For most teams DNS cost is trivial, so this matters only at large zone counts or very high query volume, the same shape as Route 53.

FAQ

How is GCP Cloud DNS priced?

About $0.20 per managed zone per month for the first 25 zones, plus about $0.40 per million queries for the first billion, both tiered down at higher volumes. For most domains the total is a few dollars, dominated by zone count and query volume.

How do I reduce Cloud DNS cost?

Delete unused managed zones to remove their fixed monthly fee, raise TTLs on stable records so resolvers cache answers and fewer queries reach Cloud DNS, and consolidate zones where sensible. DNS cost is trivial for most teams; this matters at large zone counts or very high query volume.

Does Cloud DNS charge per query?

Yes, about $0.40 per million queries for the first billion, tiered down above that. For most domains the query charge is small because resolver caching (governed by your TTLs) keeps the number of queries reaching Cloud DNS low.

How do longer TTLs reduce Cloud DNS cost?

A longer TTL lets DNS resolvers cache a record for longer, so they answer from cache instead of re-querying Cloud DNS. Fewer queries reach the service, reducing the per-query charge. Raise TTLs on stable records where fast propagation is not required.

Is Cloud DNS cheaper than Route 53?

They are similar: both charge a small per-zone fee plus per-query cost, and for most domains both are a few dollars. The choice usually comes down to which cloud your infrastructure lives in and integration, rather than a meaningful price difference.

Does C3X estimate Cloud DNS cost?

C3X prices the google_dns_managed_zone resource from your Terraform, so the per-zone fee appears before deploy. Query volume is a usage assumption you provide, and it is usually a small part of the bill.

What to do next

Price your DNS before you deploy. C3X reads your Terraform and prices Cloud DNS and the rest of your stack against a live catalog. Start with the quickstart.