AWSAWS Global AcceleratorNetworking

`aws_globalaccelerator_accelerator` cost estimation

Anycast IPs that route users to the nearest healthy endpoint over the AWS backbone. Priced as a fixed hourly fee plus a per-GB data transfer premium.

An aws_globalaccelerator_accelerator gives you two static anycast IPs that route traffic into the AWS global network at the nearest edge, improving latency and failover for global applications. Its pricing has a distinctive shape: a flat hourly fee plus a data-transfer-premium that varies by region pair.

The fixed fee is $0.025/hour per accelerator (about $18/month), billed continuously once the accelerator exists, regardless of traffic. On top of that, the Data Transfer Premium (DT-Premium) charges per GB based on the dominant direction of traffic and the source/destination AWS regions, ranging from about $0.015/GB to $0.105/GB. This premium is on top of standard AWS data transfer, not instead of it.

c3x prices the fixed hourly fee directly. The DT-Premium is usage-based and region-pair-dependent, so it's modelled from the throughput you supply in c3x-usage.yml. The accelerator is one of those resources where the ~$18/month floor is easy to forget when you spin one up for testing and leave it running.

Terraform example

A minimal but realistic configuration that C3X can estimate.

resource "aws_globalaccelerator_accelerator" "edge" {
  name            = "global-edge"
  ip_address_type = "IPV4"
  enabled         = true

  attributes {
    flow_logs_enabled   = true
    flow_logs_s3_bucket = aws_s3_bucket.flow_logs.id
    flow_logs_s3_prefix = "ga/"
  }
}

Pricing dimensions

What you actually pay for when you provision aws_globalaccelerator_accelerator.

Dimension	Unit	What's being charged
Fixed hourly fee	per hour	Flat fee per accelerator, billed continuously while it exists. c3x assumes 730 hours/month. $0.025/hour (~$18.25/month)
Data transfer premium (DT-Premium)	per GB	Per-GB premium based on traffic direction and region pair, on top of standard data transfer. Usage-based; define in c3x-usage.yml. $0.015-$0.105/GB by region pair

Sample C3X output

Example output from c3x estimate with 1 TB/month premium traffic supplied:

aws_globalaccelerator_accelerator.edge
├─ Fixed fee                    730  hours    $18.25
└─ Data transfer premium      1,024  GB        $15.36

OVERALL TOTAL                                 $33.61
(standard data transfer billed separately)

Optimization tips

Common ways to reduce aws_globalaccelerator_accelerator cost without changing the workload.

Delete test accelerators when done

~$18/month per idle accelerator

The fixed fee bills continuously whether or not traffic flows. An accelerator left running after a test quietly costs ~$18/month. Tear down ones you're not using.

Confirm you need the AWS backbone vs CloudFront

Workload-dependent

For HTTP(S) content, CloudFront often delivers the latency benefit at lower cost. Global Accelerator shines for non-HTTP protocols (TCP/UDP) and fast regional failover. Match the tool to the workload.

Watch the region pair on DT-Premium

Premium delta between region pairs

The per-GB premium varies widely by source and destination region. Routing through nearer edges and keeping endpoints in lower-premium regions reduces the per-GB cost on high-throughput flows.

FAQ

How does c3x estimate Global Accelerator cost?

It prices the fixed $0.025/hour accelerator fee at 730 hours/month. The Data Transfer Premium is usage- and region-pair-based, so c3x prices it from the throughput you supply in c3x-usage.yml.

Why does an accelerator with no traffic still cost ~$18/month?

The fixed hourly fee applies continuously while the accelerator exists, independent of traffic. Only the Data Transfer Premium scales with usage.

Is the Data Transfer Premium instead of normal data transfer?

No, it's on top. You pay standard AWS data transfer plus the DT-Premium for traffic routed through the accelerator. c3x prices the premium; standard transfer is its own dimension.

Should I use Global Accelerator or CloudFront?

CloudFront is usually better and cheaper for HTTP(S) content caching. Global Accelerator is for TCP/UDP workloads, static anycast IPs, and fast multi-region failover. They solve different problems.