Azure Cost Management
Azure Cost Management helps you monitor, allocate, and optimize your cloud spend. It provides rich visualizations, budgeting tools, and recommendations to ensure you get the most value from Azure.
On this page
Overview
Cost Management consolidates billing data from multiple Azure subscriptions and provides actionable insights. Use it to set budgets, create alerts, and receive recommendations for cost reduction.
Key Features
- Unified cost analysis across subscriptions
- Custom budgets and spending alerts
- Cost allocation tags and resource grouping
- Optimization recommendations powered by AI
- Exportable reports and API access
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Cost Explorer | Interactive charts and filters for spend analysis. |
| Budgets | Set financial thresholds and receive notifications. |
| Recommendations | Automatic suggestions to reduce waste. |
Getting Started
- Sign in to the Azure portal.
- Navigate to Cost Management + Billing from the left menu.
- Select the subscription you want to monitor.
- Explore the Cost analysis and set up Budgets.
- Enable Cost allocation tags on resources for deeper insights.
Pricing
Cost Management is available at no additional charge for Azure resources. For cross‑cloud usage (AWS, GCP) and advanced features, review the pricing details below.
| Plan | Cost | Included Features |
|---|---|---|
| Azure‑only | Free | All core cost analysis and budgeting |
| Cross‑cloud | $0.01 per GB of data processed | Multi‑cloud cost aggregation, advanced export |
FAQ
- Can I export cost data?
- Yes, via CSV download or using the Cost Management API.
- How frequently is cost data refreshed?
- Data is updated every 8 hours for most services.
- Do I need additional permissions?
- Read access to the subscription’s billing data is required.