GCP Egress Fees vs Hetzner Traffic Costs: The Complete Comparison
Editorial note: The information in this article was compiled to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication. Technical details, prices, versions, licensing terms, and external content may change. Please verify the information provided independently, particularly before making business-critical or security-related decisions. This article does not replace individual professional, legal, or tax advice.
GCP egress costs too high? We compare traffic allowances, overage charges and the current invoice before quantifying savings potential. Request free analysis now
Price basis: Hetzner values checked on 3 August 2026, net and excluding VAT. Hyperscaler plans, regions and exchange rates can change; validate every example against current calculators and the actual invoice before making a decision.
Google Cloud Platform (GCP) has the most complex egress pricing of the three major hyperscalers. Particularly important: GCP calculates in GiB, not GB. In this article, we analyze the GCP egress pricing structure and compare it with Hetzner.
Table of Contents
- What Counts as GCP Egress?
- GCP Egress Pricing Structure
- GiB vs GB: The Hidden Cost Trap
- Hetzner Traffic Comparison
- Calculation Examples
- How to Reduce GCP Egress?
- Conclusion
What Counts as GCP Egress?
GCP distinguishes several traffic categories. Here we focus on Internet Egress:
What counts:
- Compute Engine to Internet
- Cloud Storage to Internet
- Cloud SQL to external clients
- Cloud Run to Internet
- GKE to Internet
What does NOT count (here):
- Inter-Region Traffic (separate pricing)
- Intra-Zone Traffic (free)
- Traffic to Google Services
- Cloud CDN Delivery (separate pricing)
GCP Egress Pricing Structure
GCP offers only 1 GiB/month free – significantly less than AWS/Azure with 100 GB.
Internet Data Transfer (Premium Tier, to Europe)
| Volume per Month | Price per GiB |
|---|---|
| 0–1 GiB | Free |
| 1 GiB – 1 TiB | $0.12 |
| 1 TiB – 10 TiB | $0.11 |
| From 10 TiB | $0.085 |
Source: GCP VPC Network Pricing
Standard Tier (Cheaper Alternative)
GCP also offers a Standard Tier with cheaper prices but worse network performance:
| Volume per Month | Price per GiB |
|---|---|
| 0–1 GiB | Free |
| From 1 GiB | $0.085 |
Disadvantage: Traffic leaves Google's network earlier, which can lead to higher latency.
Important Note: Price Change February 2024
Google adjusted Premium Tier prices as of February 1, 2024. Old calculations may be outdated.
GiB vs GB: The Hidden Cost Trap
Attention: GCP calculates in GiB (Gibibyte), not GB (Gigabyte)!
| Unit | Bytes | Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| 1 GB | 1,000,000,000 | Base |
| 1 GiB | 1,073,741,824 | +7.37% |
What this means:
- 10 TB (decimal) = 9.31 TiB (binary)
- If you think you're transferring 10 TB, GCP charges you only ~9.31 TiB
- Sounds positive, but the prices per GiB are also higher
Effective price comparison:
- AWS: $0.09/GB = $0.09/GB
- GCP: $0.12/GiB = $0.112/GB (converted)
GCP is thus the most expensive of the three hyperscalers for egress.
Hetzner Traffic Comparison
Hetzner Cloud Server (EU)
| Volume | Price |
|---|---|
| At least 20 TB included (EU locations) | €0 |
| Each additional TB | €1.00/TB net |
The Hetzner Principle
"We calculate monthly traffic only using outgoing traffic. We do not count incoming and internal traffic." – Hetzner Docs
Calculation Examples
Scenario 1: Small Web App (500 GB/month)
| Provider | Calculation | Cost/Month |
|---|---|---|
| GCP (Premium) | 465 GiB × $0.12 | $56 |
| Hetzner | Included | €0 |
Hetzner egress line item in this example: €0
Scenario 2: E-Commerce (5 TB/month)
| Provider | Calculation | Cost/Month |
|---|---|---|
| GCP (Premium) | 4.66 TiB × $0.11 | $512 |
| Hetzner | Included | €0 |
Hetzner egress line item in this example: €0
Scenario 3: SaaS Platform (25 TB/month)
| Provider | Calculation | Cost/Month |
|---|---|---|
| GCP (Premium) | 22.7 TiB × ~$0.095 (blended) | $2,160 |
| Hetzner | 5 TB overage × €1.00 | ~€5 |
Savings: 99.7%
Scenario 4: Video Streaming (100 TB/month)
| Provider | Calculation | Cost/Month |
|---|---|---|
| GCP (Premium) | 90.9 TiB × ~$0.088 (blended) | $8,000 |
| Hetzner | 80 TB overage × €1.00 | ~€80 |
Savings: 98.8%
How to Reduce GCP Egress?
If migration isn't (yet) possible:
1. Use Standard Tier
If latency isn't critical, Standard Tier can be ~30% cheaper.
2. Deploy Cloud CDN
Cloud CDN has its own (cheaper) egress prices for caching.
3. Enable Compression
gzip/brotli for Cloud Run and API responses.
4. Cloud Storage Classes
Nearline/Coldline have different egress structures – check for archiving.
5. Regional Buckets
Traffic from the "wrong" bucket location costs extra.
6. Migrate to Hetzner
For traffic-intensive workloads, the most effective solution.
GCP vs AWS vs Azure Egress
GCP is the most expensive hyperscaler for egress:
| Volume | AWS | Azure | GCP (Premium) | GCP (Standard) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 TB | $920 | $891 | ~$1,020 | ~$790 |
| 50 TB | $4,165 | $4,015 | ~$4,400 | ~$3,950 |
| 100 TB | $7,750 | $7,415 | ~$8,000 | ~$7,600 |
All three remain 80-100x more expensive than Hetzner.
When is Migration Worth It?
Migration to Hetzner is particularly worthwhile for:
- >1 TB egress/month: Savings become significant from here
- No GCP-specific services: If primarily using Compute/Cloud SQL/Storage
- EU-focused users: Latency to DE data centers acceptable
- Predictable traffic: No extreme burst peaks
Conclusion
GCP has the most complex and expensive egress pricing of the three major hyperscalers. The combination of GiB calculation and higher base prices makes GCP the most expensive provider for traffic-intensive workloads.
Hetzner offers an alternative that can be substantially cheaper depending on the traffic profile with 20 TB included and €1.00/TB net overage – the actual savings depend on the current plan and traffic profile.
Next Steps
We analyze your GCP bill and show you specifically how much you can save through migration.
Request free GCP cost analysis now
Related Articles
- Public Internet Egress Costs: AWS vs Azure vs GCP vs Hetzner
- AWS Egress Fees vs Hetzner
- Azure Egress Fees vs Hetzner
FAQ
How much does 1 TB egress cost at GCP?
In Premium Tier, 1 TB at GCP costs approximately $112 ($0.12 × 931 GiB).
What's the difference between Premium and Standard Tier?
Premium Tier uses Google's global backbone network. Standard Tier leaves the Google network earlier and uses local ISPs – cheaper but with variable latency.
Why does GCP calculate in GiB?
GCP uses binary units (GiB/TiB), while AWS/Azure use decimal units (GB/TB). This makes direct price comparisons more complicated.
Is the GCP free tier for egress useful?
With only 1 GiB/month, the free tier is practically useless for real workloads. AWS/Azure offer 100 GB free.
Make your GCP egress bill comparable
We map Compute Engine, Cloud Storage, Cloud SQL, Cloud Run, or GKE traffic to the applicable tier and compare optimisation with a Hetzner target.
Written by
Timo Wevelsiep
Co-Founder & CEO
Co-Founder of WZ-IT. Specialized in cloud infrastructure, open-source platforms and managed services for SMEs and enterprise clients worldwide.
LinkedInLet's Talk About Your Idea
Whether a specific IT challenge or just an idea - we look forward to the exchange. In a brief conversation, we'll evaluate together if and how your project fits with WZ-IT.
Arrange a callback
Selected customers and projects
Timo Wevelsiep & Robin Zins
Managing Directors of WZ-IT