Amazon RDS for MySQL vs Google Cloud SQL for MySQL: pricing
Managed MySQL · snapshot captured June 2026
On entry cost, Amazon RDS for MySQL has the lower entry cost (~$52/mo vs ~$101/mo). Amazon RDS for MySQL uses instance-hour + separate storage and Google Cloud SQL for MySQL uses usage-based (vcpu + ram billed separately) + storage. Their representative entry tiers are ~$52/mo (db.t3.medium (2 vCPU / 4 GiB)) and ~$101/mo (2 vCPU / 8 GB (Enterprise edition, compute only)). For scale, at the top tier we list, Amazon RDS for MySQL ($125/mo) is below Google Cloud SQL for MySQL ($282/mo). Prices are a June-2026 snapshot; verify on the linked vendor pricing page before relying on them.
Data as of June 2026.
Amazon RDS for MySQL vs Google Cloud SQL for MySQL side by side
| Factor | Amazon RDS for MySQL | Google Cloud SQL for MySQL |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | MySQL | MySQL |
| Vendor | Amazon Web Services | Google Cloud |
| Pricing model | Instance-hour + separate storage | Usage-based (vCPU + RAM billed separately) + storage |
| Representative tier | db.t3.medium (2 vCPU / 4 GiB) | 2 vCPU / 8 GB (Enterprise edition, compute only) |
| Est. entry / month | ~$52/mo | ~$101/mo |
| Free tier? | Yes | No |
| Free tier detail | 12-month AWS Free Tier: 750 hours/month of db.t3.micro Single-AZ + 20 GB storage for new accounts. | No always-free Cloud SQL tier; covered only by the general $300 new-customer credit. |
| Storage / extras | General Purpose gp3 SSD storage billed separately at about $0.115/GB-month; backups and data transfer extra. | SSD storage about $0.17-0.222/GB-month; HA roughly doubles the vCPU rate. |
| Region note | US East (N. Virginia), us-east-1, on-demand Single-AZ. | us-central1 (Iowa), Enterprise edition, on-demand. |
Sources: Amazon Web Services pricing · Google Cloud pricing.
Cheaper for small vs cheaper for scale
Small / starting out: Amazon RDS for MySQL wins — it has a free tier. On a flat entry tier, Amazon RDS for MySQL has the lower entry cost (~$52/mo vs ~$101/mo).
At scale: at the top tier we list, Amazon RDS for MySQL ($125/mo) is below Google Cloud SQL for MySQL ($282/mo). Remember that Amazon RDS for MySQL is provisioned while Google Cloud SQL for MySQL is usage-based, which flips the answer depending on whether your traffic is steady or spiky.
Verdict
On entry cost alone, Amazon RDS for MySQL has the lower entry cost (~$52/mo vs ~$101/mo). But price is only part of the story: Amazon RDS for MySQL (deep aws integration (iam, vpc, cloudwatch, read replicas)) versus Google Cloud SQL for MySQL (flexible custom vcpu + ram sizing instead of fixed instance classes). Read each full breakdown — Amazon RDS for MySQL and Google Cloud SQL for MySQL — and model your real workload in the estimator.
Frequently asked questions
Is Amazon RDS for MySQL or Google Cloud SQL for MySQL cheaper?
On entry cost, Amazon RDS for MySQL has the lower entry cost (~$52/mo vs ~$101/mo). And at the top tier we list, Amazon RDS for MySQL ($125/mo) is below Google Cloud SQL for MySQL ($282/mo). The right answer depends on your workload size and traffic pattern — Amazon RDS for MySQL uses instance-hour + separate storage and Google Cloud SQL for MySQL uses usage-based (vcpu + ram billed separately) + storage. snapshot captured June 2026.
Amazon RDS for MySQL vs Google Cloud SQL for MySQL: which for a small project?
For a small project, lean to whichever has a usable free tier and the lower entry price. Amazon RDS for MySQL: 12-month AWS Free Tier: 750 hours/month of db.t3.micro Single-AZ + 20 GB storage for new accounts. Google Cloud SQL for MySQL has no real free tier.
Amazon RDS for MySQL vs Google Cloud SQL for MySQL: which scales better on cost?
At scale, at the top tier we list, Amazon RDS for MySQL ($125/mo) is below Google Cloud SQL for MySQL ($282/mo). Usage-based offerings (serverless) can be cheaper for spiky or low-duty workloads but more expensive for steady high throughput; provisioned/instance pricing is the opposite. Model your real traffic before deciding.
What is the pricing model for Amazon RDS for MySQL and Google Cloud SQL for MySQL?
Amazon RDS for MySQL: Instance-hour + separate storage. Google Cloud SQL for MySQL: Usage-based (vCPU + RAM billed separately) + storage. Prices are a June-2026 snapshot; verify on the linked vendor pricing page before relying on them.
More comparisons
Last updated: 2026-06-20