Why CDN costs matter
Evidence status: VERIFIED OFFICIAL PRICING STRUCTURE · Your bill depends on workload and location · Reviewed May 22, 2026
A content delivery network changes the path by which cacheable content reaches users. It does not turn delivery into a single flat “cheaper egress” number. Google Cloud CDN pricing distinguishes cache data transfer out, cache fill, HTTP/HTTPS cache lookup requests, and additional charges that can apply on misses or for non-cacheable content.
How Cloud CDN pricing is structured
| Situation | Charge categories described by Google |
|---|---|
| Cache hit | Cache lookup plus cache data transfer out. |
| Cache miss | Cache lookup, cache data transfer out, cache fill, plus applicable load-balancing or Cloud Storage operation charges. |
| Non-cacheable content | Cache lookup and applicable processing, with standard Compute Engine or Cloud Storage transfer rates for response bytes. |
Reference values shown in the official documentation
Google's Cloud CDN overview currently states ranges of $0.02–$0.20 per GiB for cache data transfer out, $0.01–$0.04 per GiB for cache fill, and $0.0075 per 10,000 HTTP/HTTPS cache lookup requests. These are ranges and request charges, not a universal total price.
What to model before deploying
- How much content is cacheable and frequently reused?
- Where are users located?
- How much cache fill and how many lookup requests are expected?
- What is served directly from origin when content is not cached?
Model selected CDN inputs Read egress guide