Direct answer: at Azure Virtual Network pricing and the Retail API on 10 November 2026 (eastus/Global, USD, excluding tax and discounts), intra-region VNet peering is $0.01/GB ingress + $0.01/GB egress, charged at both ends, so one A→B transfer totals $0.02/GB. Global peering is zonal: Zone 1 $0.035, Zone 2 $0.09, Zone 3 $0.16 per direction; end-to-end: Z1→Z1 $0.07, Z1→Z2 $0.125, Z1→Z3 $0.195, Z2→Z2 $0.18, Z2→Z3 $0.25, Z3→Z3 $0.32/GB. With 1 TB = 1,024 GB: 10 TB intra-region $204.80; Z1-Z1 $716.80; Z1-Z2 $1,280; Z1-Z3 $1,996.80. Hub-spoke example: one hub + 10 spokes, each sending 1 TB/month to the hub, costs $204.80 one-way intra-region, $409.60 bidirectional; if the hub is Zone 1 and spokes Zone 2, one-way is $1,280 and bidirectional $2,560. Virtual WAN Standard adds a $182.50/month hub plus $0.02/GB data processing (VNet connections may still incur peering); Private Endpoint is $0.01/hour + $0.01/GB for a different purpose.
This guide is for network architects, cloud platform/SRE, finance and procurement designing hub-spoke, cross-region DR, shared services or private PaaS access. It separates official prices, editorial calculations and exclusions, covering intra-region/global rates, the end-to-end matrix, 1/10/100 TB TCO, hub-spoke bidirectional traffic, Virtual WAN/Private Endpoint comparisons, hidden costs and a 90-day checklist. Prices come from the VNet pricing page, Azure Retail Prices API, Microsoft Learn and the Virtual WAN pricing page (10 November 2026). This is not procurement advice.
(1) Both ends bill: A→B increments A's egress and B's ingress, so intra-region is $0.02/GB total—not $0.01. (2) Global pricing is zonal: Z1-Z1 $0.07, Z1-Z2 $0.125, Z1-Z3 $0.195, Z3-Z3 $0.32/GB; a wrong zone can multiply the bill 4–5×. (3) Hub-spoke return traffic also bills: bidirectional traffic doubles; Virtual WAN/Private Endpoint are different meters, so don't compare unit prices alone.
Meter types: intra-region and global rates
The VNet itself is free; peering bills ingress/egress data and both ends are charged. Intra-region: ingress $0.01, egress $0.01/GB; global peering uses source/destination zone rates: Zone 1 $0.035, Zone 2 $0.09, Zone 3 $0.16/GB per direction; US Gov $0.044 (intra-region $0.0125). Traffic within the same VNet is free, and peering adds no compute charge. Zone 1 includes North America/Europe, Zone 2 Asia Pacific (including Japan), Zone 3 South America and others; follow the official region mapping.
| Type | Ingress | Egress | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intra-region | $0.01/GB | $0.01/GB | Both ends = $0.02/GB |
| Global Zone 1 | $0.035/GB | $0.035/GB | Both ends = $0.07/GB |
| Global Zone 2 | $0.09/GB | $0.09/GB | Both ends = $0.18/GB |
| Global Zone 3 | $0.16/GB | $0.16/GB | Both ends = $0.32/GB |
| US Gov | $0.0125/$0.044 | $0.0125/$0.044 | Intra/global |
Sources: Virtual Network pricing page and Retail API (eastus/Global, 10 November 2026). Both ends bill; same-VNet traffic is free; zone mapping follows the official docs.
End-to-end matrix: what one transfer really costs
Add the source zone's egress and the destination zone's ingress: intra-region $0.02; Z1→Z1 $0.07; Z1→Z2 $0.125; Z1→Z3 $0.195; Z2→Z2 $0.18; Z2→Z3 $0.25; Z3→Z3 $0.32/GB. Reversing direction costs the same (egress/ingress swap). That means serving Zone 3 data from Zone 2 costs 3.6× a Zone 1-to-Zone 1 transfer per GB—chatty cross-zone calls make the bill hard to control.
| Source → destination | Egress | Ingress | Total/GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intra-region | $0.01 | $0.01 | $0.02 |
| Zone 1 → Zone 1 | $0.035 | $0.035 | $0.07 |
| Zone 1 → Zone 2 | $0.035 | $0.09 | $0.125 |
| Zone 1 → Zone 3 | $0.035 | $0.16 | $0.195 |
| Zone 2 → Zone 2 | $0.09 | $0.09 | $0.18 |
| Zone 2 → Zone 3 | $0.09 | $0.16 | $0.25 |
| Zone 3 → Zone 3 | $0.16 | $0.16 | $0.32 |
Editorial calculation: source egress + destination ingress; both ends bill; excludes Virtual WAN, Private Endpoint, VPN/ER, egress, tax and discounts.
1/10/100 TB: monthly magnitudes
With 1 TB = 1,024 GB: 1 TB intra-region $20.48, Z1-Z1 $71.68, Z1-Z2 $128.00, Z1-Z3 $199.68; 10 TB $204.80 / $716.80 / $1,280.00 / $1,996.80; 100 TB $2,048 / $7,168 / $12,800 / $19,968. Intra-region 100 TB is only $2,048, but Z1-Z3 100 TB approaches $20,000. Cross-region large-data sync, backup and log replication are the usual hidden drivers; cut cross-region volume first, then optimize unit price.
| Traffic/month | Intra-region | Z1-Z1 | Z1-Z2 | Z1-Z3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 TB | $20.48 | $71.68 | $128.00 | $199.68 |
| 10 TB | $204.80 | $716.80 | $1,280.00 | $1,996.80 |
| 100 TB | $2,048.00 | $7,168.00 | $12,800.00 | $19,968.00 |
Editorial calculation: 1 TB = 1,024 GB; one-way transfer, both ends billed; excludes Virtual WAN, Private Endpoint, VPN/ER, egress, tax and discounts.
Hub-spoke: return traffic bills too, doubling the cost
One hub + 10 spokes, each sending 1 TB/month to the hub: intra-region one-way is 10 TB × $0.02 = $204.80; if the hub also sends 1 TB back to each spoke, add another $204.80, totaling $409.60. If the hub is Zone 1 and spokes Zone 2: one-way 10 TB × $0.125 = $1,280, bidirectional $2,560. Shared services, centralized logs and cross-region backup easily turn "one-way" into "bidirectional"; draw the flow direction and multiply both ends.
| Topology | One-way/month | Bidirectional/month | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 spokes ×1 TB, intra-region | $204.80 | $409.60 | $0.02/GB |
| 10 spokes ×1 TB, Z1-Z2 | $1,280.00 | $2,560.00 | $0.125/GB |
| 10 spokes ×1 TB, Z1-Z3 | $1,996.80 | $3,993.60 | $0.195/GB |
| 1 spoke ×10 TB, intra-region | $204.80 | $409.60 | Independent of spoke count |
Editorial calculation: 1 TB/month per spoke; one-way = 10 TB × end-to-end rate; bidirectional = 2×; excludes Virtual WAN, Private Endpoint, VPN/ER, egress, tax and discounts.
Virtual WAN and Private Endpoint: don't compare unit prices alone
Virtual WAN Standard is a different meter: hub $182.50/month plus $0.02/GB data processing, and VNet connections may still incur peering. It fits many branches/VPN/ER aggregation, not cheap pure VNet-to-VNet connectivity. Private Endpoint is $0.01/hour + $0.01/GB for private PaaS access and cannot replace general VNet-to-VNet routing; 1 TB is about $17/month for one endpoint. Decision order: pure VNet connectivity → peering; branch/ER/VPN aggregation → VWAN; PaaS private access → Private Endpoint.
| Option | Billing | 10 TB/month example | Fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intra-region peering | $0.02/GB end-to-end | $204.80 | VNet to VNet |
| Global peering Z1-Z2 | $0.125/GB | $1,280.00 | Cross-region VNets |
| Virtual WAN Standard | $182.50/mo + $0.02/GB | $387.30 + peering | Branch/VPN/ER aggregation |
| Private Endpoint | $0.01/h + $0.01/GB | $109.70 (one endpoint) | PaaS private access |
Sources: VNet/Virtual WAN/Private Link pricing pages (10 November 2026). VWAN VNet connections may still incur peering; Private Endpoint example is one endpoint for 730h plus 10 TB; excludes tax and discounts.
Selection matrix and hidden costs
Choose by traffic direction: intra-region hub-spoke uses peering and keeps chatty services in the same region; cross-region transfers only necessary data with local caches/read replicas; zone choice directly changes the price—don't treat Zone 3 as Zone 1. Use Virtual WAN for large branch/VPN/ER aggregation; Private Endpoint for PaaS private access. Seven hidden costs: both-end billing, cross-zone premiums, backup/log replication, shared-service return traffic, VWAN hub + processing, Private Endpoint hourly fee, and VPN/ER/egress. 90 days: weeks 1–2 draw the VNet topology and flow direction; weeks 2–4 price 1/10/100 TB by zone; weeks 4–6 identify cross-region backup/log/shared services; weeks 6–8 add local cache/replicas/compression; weeks 8–10 verify VWAN/PE boundaries; weeks 10–12 reconcile peering ingress/egress against the bill.
| Scenario | First choice | Check first |
|---|---|---|
| Intra-region hub-spoke | VNet peering | Bidirectional/return traffic |
| Cross-region DR | Peering + local replicas | Zone pair, replication volume |
| Many branches/VPN/ER | Virtual WAN | Hub + processing fees |
| PaaS private access | Private Endpoint | Hourly + GB |
| Cross-region logs/backup | Local retention/tiering | Direction and volume |
| Zone 3 to Zone 3 | Rethink architecture | $0.32/GB end-to-end |
Editorial summary, not a vendor recommendation; region mapping, availability and billing follow the official docs and bill.
FAQ
How is VNet peering billed?
By ingress/egress data, charged at both ends: intra-region $0.01+$0.01=$0.02/GB; global by zone: Z1 $0.035, Z2 $0.09, Z3 $0.16 per direction. Traffic within one VNet is free; peering adds no compute charge.
Why is intra-region $0.02/GB?
A→B increments A's egress and B's ingress, $0.01/GB each. Counting one end understates by half; bidirectional workloads double it again.
How is global peering calculated?
Source zone egress + destination zone ingress: Z1-Z1 $0.07, Z1-Z2 $0.125, Z1-Z3 $0.195, Z2-Z2 $0.18, Z2-Z3 $0.25, Z3-Z3 $0.32/GB. Reversing direction costs the same.
What does hub-spoke 10 TB cost?
Intra-region one-way 10 TB × $0.02=$204.80; bidirectional $409.60. Z1-Z2 one-way $1,280, bidirectional $2,560; Z1-Z3 one-way $1,996.80, bidirectional $3,993.60.
How is bidirectional traffic billed?
Each direction is billed as source egress + destination ingress; the hub's return to spokes is another transfer. Shared services, centralized logs and backup return paths easily double the volume.
VNet peering or Virtual WAN?
Pure VNet connectivity starts with peering ($0.02/GB intra-region); many branches/VPN/ER aggregation use VWAN ($182.50/month hub + $0.02/GB, VNet connections may still incur peering). Compare topology and operations, not just unit price.
VNet peering or Private Endpoint?
Private Endpoint is for private PaaS access ($0.01/h + $0.01/GB), not general VNet-to-VNet routing; use peering/VWAN for VNet connectivity.
How do I reduce cost?
Five steps: (1) keep chatty services in the same region; (2) transfer only necessary cross-region data with local caches/read replicas; (3) avoid Zone 3-to-Zone 3 traffic; (4) compress/batch logs and backups; (5) reconcile both ends and return traffic against the bill.
Research method and limitations
Official facts (VNet pricing page, Retail API, Learn, VWAN/Private Link pricing pages): intra-region $0.01/$0.01, global Z1 $0.035/Z2 $0.09/Z3 $0.16, both ends billed, same-VNet free, VWAN hub $182.50/month + $0.02/GB, Private Endpoint $0.01/h + $0.01/GB. Editorial calculations: 1 TB = 1,024 GB, end-to-end = source egress + destination ingress, hub-spoke at 10 spokes × 1 TB.
Seven limitations: (1) only public list prices, excluding tax/contract discounts; (2) traffic volumes are editorial assumptions; (3) zone mapping/regional availability follows official docs; (4) excludes VWAN hub/processing, Private Endpoint hourly, VPN/ER, egress and tax; (5) no real traffic/latency/failover test; (6) both-end billing follows the bill; (7) prices/regions change—recheck official pages and bills before purchase.
Sources and basis
- Microsoft Azure, Virtual Network Pricing: azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/details/virtual-network. Intra-region/global peering, both ends, same-VNet free. Accessed 10 November 2026.
- Azure Retail Prices API (Virtual Network Peering / Global Virtual Network Peering): prices.azure.com/api/retail/prices. $0.01/$0.01, $0.035/$0.09/$0.16, $0.044. Accessed 10 November 2026.
- Microsoft Learn, Virtual network peering: virtual-network-peering-overview. Peering concepts, regional/global, traffic direction. Accessed 10 November 2026.
- Microsoft Azure, Virtual WAN Pricing: azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/details/virtual-wan. Standard hub $182.50/month, $0.02/GB data processing. Accessed 10 November 2026.
- Microsoft Azure, Private Link Pricing: azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/details/private-link. Private Endpoint $0.01/h + $0.01/GB. Accessed 10 November 2026.
Data cut-off 10 November 2026; prices/availability follow Microsoft official pages and bills; this is not procurement, commercial or legal advice.