Amazon RDS for MySQL pricing
MySQL · Amazon Web Services · snapshot captured June 2026
Amazon RDS for MySQL is a managed MySQL offering from Amazon Web Services. It uses instance-hour + separate storage. Its representative entry tier is db.t3.medium (2 vCPU / 4 GiB) at ~$52/mo. General Purpose gp3 SSD storage billed separately at about $0.115/GB-month; backups and data transfer extra. Free tier: 12-month AWS Free Tier: 750 hours/month of db.t3.micro Single-AZ + 20 GB storage for new accounts. Prices are a June-2026 snapshot; verify on the linked vendor pricing page before relying on them.
Source: Amazon Web Services pricing. Data as of June 2026.
Amazon RDS for MySQL pricing tiers
| Tier | Specs | Hourly | Monthly | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| db.t3.micro | 2 vCPU (burstable) / 1 GiB | $0.02/hr | ~$13/mo | Entry burstable; covered by 12-month free tier. |
| db.t3.medium | 2 vCPU (burstable) / 4 GiB | $0.07/hr | ~$52/mo | Common small production instance. |
| db.m5.large | 2 vCPU / 8 GiB | $0.17/hr | ~$125/mo | Steady-state 2 vCPU general-purpose instance. |
Source: Amazon Web Services pricing. Prices are a June-2026 snapshot; verify on the linked vendor pricing page before relying on them.
At a glance
| Cost factor | Amazon RDS for MySQL |
|---|---|
| Engine | MySQL |
| Vendor | Amazon Web Services |
| Pricing model | Instance-hour + separate storage |
| Representative tier | db.t3.medium (2 vCPU / 4 GiB) (~$52/mo) |
| Storage / extras | General Purpose gp3 SSD storage billed separately at about $0.115/GB-month; backups and data transfer extra. |
| Free tier | 12-month AWS Free Tier: 750 hours/month of db.t3.micro Single-AZ + 20 GB storage for new accounts. |
| Region note | US East (N. Virginia), us-east-1, on-demand Single-AZ. |
Source: Amazon Web Services pricing page. Data as of June 2026.
Cost pros & cons
Where RDS MySQL saves money
- Deep AWS integration (IAM, VPC, CloudWatch, read replicas)
- Mature, predictable instance-hour pricing with reserved discounts up to ~69%
- Same price as RDS for PostgreSQL, so easy to compare engines
Watch-outs
- Storage, backups, Multi-AZ and egress all bill separately and add up
- Multi-AZ exactly doubles compute and storage
- MySQL 5.7 Extended Support now carries a per-vCPU surcharge
Accuracy note: db.t3.micro/medium hourly rates vary slightly across third-party trackers; confirm on the AWS pricing page or calculator.
Amazon RDS for MySQL vs similar offerings
How Amazon RDS for MySQL compares with other managed MySQL and adjacent offerings:
| Offering | Engine | Representative tier | Est. monthly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon RDS for MySQL (this offering) | MySQL | db.t3.medium (2 vCPU / 4 GiB) | ~$52/mo |
| Google Cloud SQL for MySQL | MySQL | 2 vCPU / 8 GB (Enterprise edition, compute only) | ~$101/mo |
| Azure Database for MySQL | MySQL | D2ds_v5 (2 vCore / 8 GiB, compute only) | ~$125/mo |
| PlanetScale | MySQL | PS-10 (smallest realistic production cluster) | ~$39/mo |
| Aiven for MySQL | MySQL | Startup-4 (2 CPU / 4 GB / 80 GB storage) | ~$75/mo |
| Amazon ElastiCache | Redis / Valkey | cache.t4g.micro (0.5 GiB) | ~$12/mo |
Frequently asked questions
How much does Amazon RDS for MySQL cost?
Amazon RDS for MySQL uses instance-hour + separate storage. Its representative entry is db.t3.medium (2 vCPU / 4 GiB) at ~$52/mo. General Purpose gp3 SSD storage billed separately at about $0.115/GB-month; backups and data transfer extra. snapshot captured June 2026 — verify on the vendor's pricing page.
Does Amazon RDS for MySQL have a free tier?
Yes. 12-month AWS Free Tier: 750 hours/month of db.t3.micro Single-AZ + 20 GB storage for new accounts.
What is the cheapest Amazon RDS for MySQL tier?
The smallest tier is db.t3.micro (2 vCPU (burstable) / 1 GiB): ~$13/mo. Entry burstable; covered by 12-month free tier. Prices are a June-2026 snapshot; verify on the linked vendor pricing page before relying on them.
What should I watch for in Amazon RDS for MySQL pricing?
Watch-outs: Storage, backups, Multi-AZ and egress all bill separately and add up; Multi-AZ exactly doubles compute and storage; MySQL 5.7 Extended Support now carries a per-vCPU surcharge. db.t3.micro/medium hourly rates vary slightly across third-party trackers; confirm on the AWS pricing page or calculator.
Keep exploring
Source & accuracy
Figures are a dated snapshot from Amazon Web Services's pricing page (snapshot captured June 2026). Managed-database pricing is volatile and varies by region, tier, storage and discounts — verify current prices on the vendor's page before purchasing. This is an informational comparison, not a quote. See our methodology and disclaimer.
Last updated: 2026-06-20