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LLM cost calculator: API vs local and rented GPU

Choose any two of three editable routes: hosted API, local or self-hosted, or rented GPU. Enter the cost per attempt and monthly volume to estimate cost per task, total monthly cost, and the break-even point. Then use Spanvero's secondary Outcome Cost method to include retries, verification, final failures, and human recovery.

Compare any two execution routes

Find inputs: models for 24 GB VRAM · compare model costs · best models by use case.

Outcome Cost: why the cheapest attempt can lose

In the illustrative starting scenario, an economy call costs $0.004 and a stronger one-shot costs $0.014. After expected retries and a $0.25 recovery cost, the economy route reaches $0.049 per completed task while the stronger route reaches $0.034. This is a scenario, not a model benchmark; replace every input with your own evidence.

The receipt

Outcome Cost = first attempt + expected retries + evaluation + (final failure probability × recovery cost). Every attempt's reach probability and expected cost stays visible.

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