Enter object count, size, and lifecycle transition rules to compute monthly storage cost at each lifecycle stage, including transition fees, minimum storage penalties, and retrieval costs.
No data is transmitted — everything runs locally
Tool
Example — Representative default scenario — object count 2500000 · avg size KB 320 · ia days 30.
Total data
0.745 TB
2,500,000 objects × 320KB
Standard cost (S3)
$17.14
days 0–30 at $0.023/GB
IA cost
$18.63
days 30–90 at $0.0125/GB
Glacier cost
$27.32
days 90–365 at $0.004/GB
About this tool
S3 Lifecycle Cost Calculator
The S3 Lifecycle Cost Calculator models monthly storage cost across lifecycle stages including transition fees, minimum storage duration penalties, and Glacier retrieval costs.
• Model cost savings from adding a Glacier lifecycle rule to a log archive bucket
• Identify when Standard-IA is counterproductive for small objects
• Calculate monthly cost at months 3, 6, 12, and 24 with configured lifecycle
• Compare lifecycle configurations to find the lowest-cost option for a given access pattern
Affiliate disclosure
Developer-friendly cloud infrastructure. DigitalOcean provides cloud compute, networking, and managed databases with predictable pricing.
External site · Independent provider · We may receive a commission · Not a recommendation
FAQ
What does this tool tell you?
The S3 Lifecycle Cost Calculator models monthly storage cost across lifecycle stages including transition fees, minimum storage duration penalties, and Glacier retrieval costs.
What affects the result most?
S3 lifecycle transition cost: per-object transition fee $0.01/1000 objects for IA/Glacier transitions. Minimum storage duration: Standard-IA 30 days, Glacier Instant 90 days, Glacier Flexible 90 days, Deep Archive 180 days. Small object penalty: lifecycle is counterproductive for objects <128KB moved to IA — per-object overhead exceeds storage savings.
How should I use the result?
The calculation is deterministic — the same inputs always produce the same output — so the most useful workflow is to vary one input at a time and see which factor moves the result most. That tells you where to focus your attention before committing to a decision.
Lifecycle policies save money only if they match reality. The Cloud & Infra Pack audits your full storage profile — tier mismatches, missing lifecycles, orphaned objects — ranked by annual overspend.