AWS (EKS) vs GCP (GKE): Kubernetes Cost Comparison (2026)
AWS (EKS) is 40% cheaper than GCP (GKE) for a 3-node Kubernetes cluster (€100 vs €166/mo)
At the cluster level, AWS (EKS) runs 40% cheaper, roughly €66/mo less than its competitor. On block storage, AWS (EKS) is the cheaper option at roughly 1/1.7 the price per GB. Choose AWS (EKS) for cost-efficient Kubernetes on a budget; choose GCP (GKE) for IOPS-intensive stateful applications.
IOPS figures from the providers' documentation: AWS (EKS), GCP (GKE).
Cheapest server with 2 vCPU / 4 GB
- AWS (EKS): t4g.medium (2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM) for €24.46/mo
- GCP (GKE): e2-standard-2 (2 vCPU, 8 GB RAM) for €47.13/mo
Monthly list prices excl. VAT. More sizes in the instance finder.
EU cloud providers cost significantly less than US hyperscalers for equivalent Kubernetes clusters.
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 AWS (EKS) | GCP (GKE) | |
|---|---|---|
| HQ / Country | United States | United States |
| Managed Kubernetes | Yes | Yes |
| Control Plane Cost | €73/mo | €73/mo |
| Cheapest Node | €12.23/mo 2 vCPU, 2 GB RAM | €34.37/mo 2 vCPU, 2 GB RAM |
| 3-Node Cluster* | ~€100.39/mo | ~€165.95/mo |
| 6-Node HA Cluster* | ~€137.08/mo | ~€269.06/mo |
| Egress | €0.079/GB | €0.103/GB |
| S3 Storage | €0.020/GB | €0.017/GB |
| Certifications | ISO27001, SOC2, HIPAA, PCI-DSS | ISO27001, SOC2, HIPAA, PCI-DSS |
| CLOUD Act Exposure | Yes (US-owned) | Yes (US-owned) |
* Estimated using cheapest available node. DIY providers include 3 additional control plane nodes. Use the calculator for exact pricing with your specs.
Data freshness: AWS (EKS) as of Sept 2026, GCP (GKE) as of May 2026.
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