How much does AWS VPN cost?

AWS Site-to-Site VPN costs $0.05/hr per connection ($36.50/month). Each connection includes two IPSec tunnels for redundancy. Data transfer is charged at standard rates ($0.09/GB for the first 10 TB out). AWS Client VPN (remote access) charges $0.05/hr per association + $0.05/hr per connection.

VPN or Direct Connect: which should I choose?

VPN is cheaper ($36–100/mo) and faster to set up (minutes). Direct Connect is more expensive ($220–1,650+/mo) but provides dedicated bandwidth, consistent latency, and lower data transfer rates. Choose VPN for under 500 GB/month transfer or as a backup for Direct Connect.

What throughput can a VPN provide?

AWS VPN supports up to 1.25 Gbps per tunnel with equal-cost multi-path routing across two tunnels. Azure VPN gateways range from 100 Mbps (Basic) to 10 Gbps (VpnGw5). GCP supports up to 3 Gbps per tunnel. Real throughput depends on encryption overhead and internet path quality.

Is VPN data transfer encrypted?

Yes. All cloud VPN connections use IPSec encryption (AES-256 or AES-128) for data in transit. This provides the same encryption level as Direct Connect with MACsec. The encryption is automatic and transparent to your applications.

Can I connect multiple sites?

Yes. AWS Transit Gateway supports hundreds of VPN connections in a hub-and-spoke topology. Azure Virtual WAN similarly connects multiple branches. This is more scalable than point-to-point VPN connections between each site pair.

What happens during a VPN tunnel failure?

Each AWS VPN connection includes two tunnels across different availability zones. If one tunnel fails, traffic automatically routes through the other. For higher availability, configure VPN connections from two customer gateways with BGP for automatic failover.

VPN Gateway Cost Calculator

Estimate cloud VPN gateway costs for AWS, Azure, or GCP. Calculate hourly gateway fees, connection charges, and data transfer for site-to-site tunnels.

Provider Presets

VPN Gateways

Gateway Hourly Rate

$/hr

VPN Connections

Connection Hourly Rate

$/hr

Monthly Data Transfer

Transfer Rate

$/GB

Redundancy Model

Annual Traffic Growth

Monthly Total

$264.00

All VPN gateway costs combined

Annual Total

$3,168.00

Projected 12-month spend

Gateway Cost

$73.00

0.28% of total — includes redundancy

Connection Cost

$146.00

0.55% of total monthly spend

Data Transfer Cost

$45.00

0.17% of total — 500.00 GB

Cost per GB

$0.53

Effective blended rate per GB transferred

Cost per Connection

$66.00

Monthly spend allocated per tunnel

Year 3 Estimate

$319.44

At 10% annual growth — up from $264.00

Cost Breakdown

GW 0.28%

Conn 0.55%

Xfer 0.17%

12-Month Traffic & Cost Forecast

Month	Data (TB)	Monthly Cost	Cumulative
1	0.50	$264.38	$264.38
2	0.51	$264.75	$529.13
3	0.51	$265.13	$794.26
4	0.52	$265.52	$1,059.78
5	0.52	$265.91	$1,325.69
6	0.53	$266.30	$1,591.99
7	0.53	$266.69	$1,858.68
8	0.53	$267.09	$2,125.77
9	0.54	$267.49	$2,393.26
10	0.54	$267.89	$2,661.15
11	0.55	$268.30	$2,929.45
12	0.55	$268.71	$3,198.16

Planning notes, formulas, and examples

About the VPN Gateway Cost Calculator

Cloud VPN gateways provide encrypted site-to-site connectivity between your on-premise network and cloud VPCs. They are the most common and cost-effective way to establish hybrid connectivity, though pricing varies by provider and configuration.

AWS charges $0.05/hr ($36.50/mo) per VPN connection plus standard data transfer rates. Azure VPN Gateway pricing depends on the SKU: Basic ($0.04/hr), VpnGw1 ($0.19/hr), VpnGw2 ($0.49/hr), up to VpnGw5 ($4.97/hr). GCP Cloud VPN costs $0.075/hr ($54.75/mo) per tunnel.

This calculator estimates the total monthly cost of VPN gateways including hourly gateway fees, per-connection charges, and data transfer. Use it to compare VPN costs across providers and determine when upgrading to Direct Connect or ExpressRoute makes financial sense.

When This Page Helps

VPN gateways are often the first step in hybrid cloud and the ongoing cost affects every connected workload. Understanding the pricing model (gateway + connections + transfer) helps you optimize tunnel configurations and predict costs as inter-site traffic grows.

How to Use the Inputs

Enter the number of VPN gateways (typically one per VPC/region).
Set the hourly gateway cost for your provider and SKU.
Enter the number of VPN connections/tunnels.
Set the hourly per-connection charge (AWS only).
Enter the monthly data transfer through the tunnel in GB.
Set the per-GB data transfer rate.
Review the total monthly VPN cost.

Formula used

Gateway Cost = gateways × gateway_hourly × 730
Connection Cost = connections × connection_hourly × 730
Transfer Cost = data_GB × transfer_rate
Total Monthly = Gateway + Connection + Transfer

Example Calculation

Result: $118.00/month

One VPN gateway at $0.05/hr: $36.50/month. Two connections at $0.05/hr each: $73.00/month. Wait—AWS charges per-connection, not per-gateway separately. Two tunnels at $0.05/hr: 2 × $36.50 = $73. 500 GB transfer at $0.09/GB: $45. Total: $118.00/month.

Tips & Best Practices

AWS VPN includes two tunnels per connection for redundancy; you pay for the connection, not per tunnel.
Use VPN for bandwidth under 1 Gbps; switch to Direct Connect for consistent high-bandwidth needs.
Azure Basic VPN Gateway is cheapest ($27/mo) but limited to 10 tunnels and 100 Mbps.
Enable VPN acceleration (AWS) for improved throughput using AWS Global Accelerator paths.
Monitor tunnel status and failover in CloudWatch/Azure Monitor to catch connectivity issues early.
Consider Transit Gateway for hub-and-spoke VPN topologies connecting multiple VPCs/on-prem sites.

Cloud VPN Pricing Comparison

AWS Site-to-Site: $0.05/hr per connection + data transfer. Azure VPN Gateway: $0.04–$4.97/hr depending on SKU (Basic to VpnGw5). GCP Cloud VPN: $0.075/hr per tunnel + data transfer. For basic connectivity, AWS is cheapest. For high-bandwidth needs, Azure VpnGw2 offers 1.25 Gbps at $0.49/hr. GCP is mid-range.

VPN vs Direct Connect Break-Even

At $0.09/GB AWS data transfer over VPN versus $0.02/GB over Direct Connect, the break-even point depends on monthly transfer volume. With a 1 Gbps Direct Connect at $420/mo (port + partner), the transfer savings offset the cost at roughly 6 TB/month. Below 5 TB/month, VPN is usually cheaper.

Transit Gateway for Multi-Site VPN

AWS Transit Gateway charges $0.05/hr ($36.50/mo) plus $0.02/GB processed. For 10 branch offices, Transit Gateway consolidates connectivity at one hub versus maintaining 45 individual VPN connections (n×(n-1)/2). The cost savings and operational simplicity are substantial at scale.

Sources & Methodology

Last updated: February 8, 2026

Frequently Asked Questions

AWS Site-to-Site VPN costs $0.05/hr per connection ($36.50/month). Each connection includes two IPSec tunnels for redundancy. Data transfer is charged at standard rates ($0.09/GB for the first 10 TB out). AWS Client VPN (remote access) charges $0.05/hr per association + $0.05/hr per connection.