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Finding the Cheapest Windows VM Options in Azure Pay-As-You-Go

Philippe Dang-Le 20 Reputation points
2025-03-28T05:08:43.15+00:00

Low Cost VM Selection

I have a pay-as-you-go Azure account. I'm looking to create a Windows VM primarily for testing purposes and want to find the cheapest option available. I have checked Azure’s pricing calculator but would like some advice on the most cost-effective configurations. Are there any specific VM sizes or regions that offer lower prices?

Thanks!

Azure Virtual Machines
Azure Virtual Machines
An Azure service that is used to provision Windows and Linux virtual machines.
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  1. Andreas Baumgarten 123.5K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2025-03-28T05:35:01.9+00:00

    Hi @Philippe Dang-Le ,

    to find the cheapest VM SKU you should take a look on the B-family . For more details please take a look here: 'B' family general purpose VM size series

    I am selecting the Basv2 or Bsv2 series a lot of times to run "cheap" VMs.

    The prices in Azure regions might vary but you should take the network latency in consideration in addition to the regional price differences.

    (If the reply was helpful please don't forget to upvote and/or accept as answer, thank you)

    Regards

    Andreas Baumgarten

    2 people found this answer helpful.

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  1. Anusree Nashetty 4,555 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2025-03-28T05:55:30.8433333+00:00

    Hi Philippe Dang-Le,

    If you're looking for the most cost-effective Windows VM options in Azure's pay-as-you-go model, these are the best configurations to consider:

    Azure's B-series VMs are best for Lightweight testing, very basic tasks, testing environments, small applications. For instance, the B1s VM offers 1 vCPU and 1GB RAM. B2s (Burstable) Instance offers 2 vCPUs, 4GB RAM.

    You can select cheaper regions, VM pricing varies across Azure regions due to factors like local infrastructure costs and demand. Currently the cheapest region in Azure is Central India / centralindia with average per hour price is $1.06 comparing to 2.5x more expensive Brazil Southeast / brazilsoutheast.
    You can see below the average price across regions
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    For non-critical testing workloads that can tolerate interruptions, Azure Spot VMs offer substantial discounts—up to 90% compared to pay-as-you-go prices. These VMs use unused Azure capacity and can be evicted when resources are needed elsewhere, so they are best suited for tasks that can handle such disruptions.
    For detailed information, please check: Use Azure Spot Virtual Machines

    For pure testing purposes, the B1ls or B1s instances in a low-cost region with auto-shutdown configured will provide the most economical solution while still running Windows. If you need slightly more performance, the B2s offers good value.

    If you have any further queries, please do let us know. If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and "Upvote it"

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    2 people found this answer helpful.

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