Google Cloud migration cost calculator
GCP compute is typically 10–30% cheaper than AWS or Azure once sustained-use discounts apply, but the migration itself is not cheaper. Here is the full picture including BigQuery and Vertex AI workloads.
SRC ──→ GCP
Source · From
Destination · To
Total project cost · low / typical / high
Post-migration monthly
$60K
vs current monthly
$80K
Break-even
86 mo
Indicative timeline · 9 months
Estimate based on published 2026 list pricing for AWS and industry-typical per-workload labour rates. Actual costs depend on committed-use discounts, partner credits (AWS MAP, Azure FastTrack), and your specific workload mix. Validate with your provider before commit.
What drives GCP migration cost
| Cost line | 2026 reference | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Migration tooling | Free | Google Cloud Migrate, free, supports streaming migration |
| Egress (during migration) | First 200 GB free, then $0.08 / GB | Most generous free tier of the three |
| Sustained-use discount | −30% on compute | Automatic, no commitment required |
| Premium support | 9% of monthly spend | Min ~$12K/month |
| Google Cloud Partner | $150–$300 / hr | Premier partner rates |
| BigQuery flat-rate | $2,000+ / month per 100 slots | Often cheaper than on-demand for steady analytics workloads |
Data & ML teams
BigQuery, Dataflow, Vertex AI are GCP's strongest differentiators. Teams running large analytics or training workloads usually save both money and engineering time vs reproducing the stack on AWS or Azure.
Kubernetes-first teams
GCP invented Kubernetes; GKE is the strongest managed K8s. Teams already running container-first architectures port to GCP with minimal re-platforming.
Cost-sensitive compute
Sustained-use discounts produce 20–30% savings vs AWS on-demand without upfront commitments. Good fit for teams that cannot accurately forecast 1–3 year usage.
GCP migration questions
Q. How much does a GCP migration cost?
GCP migrations range from $35K for small workloads to $7M+ for enterprise. GCP compute is typically 10-30% cheaper than AWS or Azure equivalents on a per-vCPU basis, especially with sustained-use discounts. The migration project itself is similar in cost to AWS or Azure, the savings come post-migration on the running cost.
Q. What is the GCP sustained-use discount?
Google Cloud applies an automatic 30% discount on Compute Engine instances that run for more than 25% of a billing month. There is no need to commit upfront like AWS Reserved Instances or Azure Reservations. For workloads that run continuously this can produce 20-30% savings vs equivalent AWS on-demand compute, applied transparently each month.
Q. Should we migrate to GCP for our data and ML workloads?
Often yes. BigQuery, Dataflow, and Vertex AI are GCP's strongest differentiators. Teams running large-scale analytics, real-time data pipelines, or ML training pipelines typically save both engineering time and infra cost on GCP vs reproducing the equivalent on AWS or Azure. For pure compute / container workloads the case is more about cost than capability.
Q. How much does it cost to migrate from AWS to GCP?
AWS-to-GCP migrations typically run $200K-$1M for mid-market estates. The bulk of the cost is egress out of AWS ($0.05-$0.09/GB) and re-architecture for GCP-specific services. A 50 TB move out of AWS is ~$4,500 in egress alone. Some migrations qualify for Google Cloud-funded programmes that offset egress, ask your account team before scoping.
Q. What is Google Cloud Migrate?
Google Cloud Migrate (formerly Velostrata, Migrate for Compute Engine) is GCP's free migration service for VMs from on-premise, AWS, or Azure to Compute Engine. It supports streaming migration with minimal downtime, similar to AWS Application Migration Service. There is no per-server fee. Cost on a GCP migration mostly comes from labour and post-migration optimisation, not the tool itself.