Chapter 1 of 1 · 2 min
How do I reduce my Amazon S3 bill?
SHORT ANSWER
Move the files nobody opens to a cheaper shelf: $23.55 a terabyte becomes $4.10, or $1.01. That one change is most of the saving in most buckets.
The four changes
- A lifecycle rule, a rule that moves files to a cheaper shelf after a number of days you choose. Or let Amazon decide per file with Intelligent-Tiering, automatic shelf moves, for $2.50 a month per million files, with no fee to fetch things back.
- A rule that clears hidden old versions after a set period.
- A rule that removes half-finished uploads.
- For files served to the public, CloudFront, the Amazon delivery network, in front of the bucket, which swaps the $0.09 truck for one that starts at $0.085 and gives the first terabyte free.
What a terabyte costs on each shelf
- $23.55a month
- the normal shelf, where most forgotten files sit
- $4.10a month
- the instant archive shelf: still opens at once, 90-day minimum
- $1.01a month
- the deep archive: hours to get a file back, six-month minimum
Look before you move
The cheaper shelves bill a minimum stay per file and treat files under 128 KB as bigger than they are. A bucket of thousands of small documents can cost more after the move. Check the size of a typical file first.
S3 Savings runs this whole lesson against your real bill, free, and applies only the changes you approve.
Prices are for US East, October 2026. How to reduce your Amazon S3 costs has every rate and the steps.
THAT IS THE COURSEWhat is your own bucket costing you?Pick how much you keep and how often people pull it out.What is my bucket costing me?
See what my buckets cost S3 Savings reads three months of your real S3 bill and shows which of these answers apply to your buckets. Free, read-only, no card.