Estimate ApsaraDB RDS costs for MySQL, PostgreSQL, and SQL Server with instance specs, HA, and read replicas.
Last verified: May 2026
SSD storage at $0.0006/GB/hour.
Output will appear here...Alibaba Cloud ApsaraDB RDS is the managed relational database offering — MySQL, PostgreSQL, and SQL Server — with configurable compute, storage, HA, and read replicas. The RDS Cost Estimator models monthly cost across these dimensions, including the secondary node for HA and any read replicas. Output is itemized so engineering and finance can both see where the bill goes.
Approximately — HA requires a standby replica with the same compute and storage as the primary, so plan for roughly 2x the base instance cost. The trade-off is automatic failover within minutes vs. restore-from-backup recovery measured in hours, and most production workloads need the HA.
Both engines support read replicas through Alibaba RDS. MySQL replication is statement/row-based and proven at scale; PostgreSQL uses streaming replication with similar semantics. Both have similar performance characteristics for read offload, and both can be cross-region for DR purposes (at the cost of replication lag and egress traffic).
Your team is migrating an on-premise MySQL to RDS. You estimate the cost at production size — 16 vCPU / 64 GB RAM, 2 TB storage, HA enabled, 7-day backups, two read replicas. The total comes to a meaningful monthly figure, but it's still less than the on-prem cost when you factor in DBA time, hardware refresh, and DR runbook maintenance. Migration scheduled.
The estimator takes engine, version, instance class, storage tier, storage size, HA flag, read replica count, and backup retention as inputs. It applies the per-hour rates for compute and storage, the HA multiplier where applicable, and the backup-storage rate to produce monthly totals. Read replicas are billed separately at the same compute rate as primary.
Pick a storage type appropriate to your workload. ESSD (cloud SSD) is the modern default and handles most workloads well; ESSD-PL3 is appropriate for high-IOPS demands and costs more. Don't pay for PL3 if your workload doesn't need it.
Reserve compute capacity for steady production — savings can be 30-50% vs. pay-as-you-go for a 1-year or 3-year commitment.
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