Google Cloud Egress Pricing Explained
Google Cloud Platform has the highest starting egress rate of the three major providers at $0.12/GB, but offers a unique two-tier networking model that lets you trade latency for lower costs. Understanding Premium versus Standard Tier networking, Cloud CDN pricing, and Interconnect options is essential for managing GCP data transfer spending. This page covers every GCP egress pricing dimension with an interactive calculator and cost optimization strategies.
Premium Tier (Default)
Routes traffic through Google's private global backbone. Lower latency, higher reliability. Higher cost.
Standard Tier
Routes traffic over the public internet. ~30% cheaper. Suitable for non-latency-sensitive workloads.
Source: GCP VPC Network Pricing
All GCP Data Transfer Types
GCP offers a notable advantage over AWS: cross-zone transfer within the same region is free. This means multi-AZ architectures on GCP do not incur the hidden cross-AZ charges that plague AWS deployments.
| Transfer Type | Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Internet egress (Premium Tier) | $0.12/GB | Routes over Google's private backbone |
| Internet egress (Standard Tier) | $0.085/GB | Routes over public internet, lower latency guarantees |
| Cloud CDN egress | $0.02-$0.08/GB | Varies by region, cached at edge |
| Cloud Interconnect | $0.02/GB | Dedicated private connection to on-premises |
| Cross-region (within continent) | $0.01/GB | E.g., us-central1 to us-east1 |
| Cross-region (intercontinental) | $0.05-$0.08/GB | E.g., US to Asia |
| Cross-zone (same region) | Free | GCP does not charge for intra-region cross-zone |
| Same-zone internal | Free | Internal IP traffic within same zone |
How Does GCP Compare?
GCP starts highest at $0.12/GB but free cross-zone transfer and Standard Tier options can make it competitive. Cloudflare R2 charges nothing.
Compare All ProvidersHow to Reduce GCP Egress Costs
GCP has the steepest starting egress rate but also offers the most flexibility with its two-tier networking model. Here are the highest-impact optimizations.
Switch to Standard Tier networking
Standard Tier routes traffic over the public internet instead of Google's private backbone. For non-latency-sensitive workloads like batch processing, backups, and internal tools, Standard Tier saves approximately 30% on egress costs with minimal performance impact.
Cloud CDN for content delivery
Google Cloud CDN egress rates start at $0.02/GB for popular cache classes, dramatically less than direct egress. CDN caching also reduces origin bandwidth. For any publicly-served content, Cloud CDN should be your first optimization.
Cloud Interconnect for large transfers
Dedicated or Partner Interconnect provides private connectivity at $0.02/GB versus $0.08-$0.12/GB for internet egress. For predictable large-volume transfers to on-premises data centers or other clouds, Interconnect ROI is typically measured in weeks.
Cloudflare R2 for storage egress
GCP has the highest starting egress rate of the big three ($0.12/GB). For storage workloads where egress is the primary cost driver, Cloudflare R2 offers S3-compatible storage with zero egress fees. The migration is straightforward using gsutil or rclone.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does GCP charge for egress?
GCP Premium Tier charges $0.12/GB for the first 1 TB/month, $0.11/GB for 1-10 TB, and $0.08/GB above 10 TB. Standard Tier is cheaper at $0.085/GB but routes over the public internet. GCP has the highest starting egress rate of the three major cloud providers.
What is the difference between GCP Premium and Standard tier?
Premium Tier routes all traffic through Google's private global backbone network (the same infrastructure as Google Search and YouTube), providing lower latency and higher reliability. Standard Tier routes traffic over the public internet at lower cost. Premium is the default.
How can I reduce GCP egress costs?
Use Standard Tier networking for non-latency-sensitive workloads (saves ~30%). Serve content via Cloud CDN. Use Cloud Interconnect for large predictable transfers ($0.02/GB vs $0.08-$0.12/GB). Consider Cloudflare R2 for egress-heavy storage. Keep services in the same region.
Is GCP egress free within a region?
Data transfer between GCP services within the same region using internal IPs is free. Cross-region transfer is $0.01-$0.08/GB depending on regions. Internet egress carries the full $0.08-$0.12/GB charges.
Why is GCP more expensive than AWS for egress?
GCP's Premium Tier reflects the cost of routing through Google's private global network. This provides lower latency and better reliability than AWS's standard internet routing. GCP's Standard Tier ($0.085/GB for 1-10TB) is comparable to AWS and Azure rates. The choice depends on latency requirements.
Related Resources
Prices verified from GCP official documentation. Last updated March 2026.