Direct answer: at 730 hours/month and published unit prices, compute and storage only, managed PostgreSQL in 2026 costs about: intermittent (140 CU-hours, 1GB) Neon Launch 15.19, Supabase Micro 25, Cloud SQL 1 vCPU/4GB + 10GB 52.29; low always-on (190 CU-hours, 5GB) Neon 21.89, Supabase Small 30, Cloud SQL 52.29; medium (720 CU-hours, 10GB) Neon 79.82, Cloud SQL 2 vCPU/8GB 102.88, Supabase Large 125.25; high (3,000 CU-hours, 100GB) Cloud SQL 4 vCPU/16GB 219.36, Supabase XL 236.50, Neon Launch 353, Neon Scale 701. The takeaway: Neon wins intermittent/low load; Cloud SQL or Supabase wins constant medium/high load; Neon Scale is a compliance/SLA tier, not a low-cost tier.
This guide is for developers, architects and procurement teams choosing managed PostgreSQL. Data cut-off: 6 November 2026; prices come from the US pricing pages of Google Cloud SQL, Neon and Supabase, in USD, excluding tax; all TCOs are editorial calculations, not vendor quotes. The billing units differ: Cloud SQL bills vCPU/memory/storage hours, Neon bills CU-hours, and Supabase bills a plan plus a compute size; this article separates the units first, then compares four published or reproducible workloads.
Cloud SQL 1 vCPU/4GB always-on is about 52/month including 10GB SSD; Neon Launch is 0.106/CU-hour, Scale 0.222/CU-hour, storage 0.35/GB-month; Supabase Pro starts at 25/month with 8GB disk and a 10 dollar compute credit. Start with Neon for intermittent/low load, model Cloud SQL/Supabase for constant medium/high load, and convert CU-hours, vCPU-hours and compute sizes to the same workload before comparing.
Three billing models: vCPU hours, CU hours, plan plus compute
Cloud SQL: Enterprise edition, US us-central1, zonal, vCPU 0.0413/hour, memory 0.007/GiB-hour, SSD 0.000232877/GiB-hour (about 0.17/GB-month), backups 0.000109589/GiB-hour (about 0.08/GB-month); HA doubles vCPU/memory rates and uses HA storage at 0.000465753/GiB-hour (about 0.34/GB-month); read replicas and failover replicas are charged as separate instances. Neon: Launch 0.106/CU-hour, Scale 0.222/CU-hour, storage 0.35/GB-month; 1 CU is about 4GB of RAM, idle compute can scale to zero, Launch supports up to 16 CU (64GB), Scale up to 56 CU (224GB); Launch includes 10 branches, Scale 25, then 1.50/branch-month. Supabase: Pro 25/month includes 8GB disk, 100k MAU, 250GB egress and a 10 dollar compute credit; compute sizes are Micro 10, Small 15, Medium 60, Large 110 (2 vCPU/8GB), XL 210 (4 vCPU/16GB); disk beyond 8GB is 0.125/GB, MAU beyond 100k is 0.00325/MAU, egress beyond 250GB is 0.09/GB.
| Item | Cloud SQL (Enterprise, us-central1, zonal) | Neon | Supabase (Pro) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compute unit | vCPU-hour + GiB-hour | CU-hour (1 CU ≈ 4GB) | Plan + compute size |
| Compute price | 0.0413/vCPU-h; 0.007/GiB-h | Launch 0.106; Scale 0.222/CU-h | Micro 10; Small 15; Medium 60; Large 110; XL 210 |
| Storage | 0.17/GB-month (SSD) | 0.35/GB-month | 8GB included, then 0.125/GB |
| HA/multi-AZ | Compute/memory 2×; HA storage about 0.34/GB-month | Storage multi-AZ by default; Scale includes SLA/HIPAA/private network | General Purpose 99.9%; High Performance 99.999% |
| Backups | About 0.08/GB-month (used) | Snapshots 0.09/GB-month; history 0.20/GB-month | Pro includes 7-day daily backups |
| Entry/free | 300 dollar new-customer trial credit | Free 100 CU-h/project, 1GB | Free 500MB; Pro from 25/month |
Sources: Google Cloud SQL Pricing, Neon Pricing and Supabase Pricing (US). Accessed 6 November 2026; USD, excluding tax; Cloud SQL uses Enterprise edition, us-central1, zonal public rates at 730 hours/month; Neon CU-hours and Supabase compute sizes are different units, shown side by side but not directly comparable by unit price.
Four workloads: from $15 intermittent to Cloud SQL winning at high load
Neon publishes four reproducible workloads: intermittent 140 CU-hours + 1GB, low 190 CU-hours + 5GB, medium 720 CU-hours + 10GB, high 3,000 CU-hours + 100GB. At published rates: intermittent Neon Launch 15.19, Supabase Micro 25, Cloud SQL (1 vCPU/4GB, 10GB disk) 52.29; low 21.89 / 30 / 52.29; medium 79.82 / 125.25 / 102.88; high 353.00 / 236.50 / 219.36. Neon Scale is 31.43 / 43.93 / 163.34 / 701.00 on the same workloads. The question is not who has the lowest unit price, but how many CU-hours your database actually runs per month, whether it is always-on, and how much storage it uses.
| Workload (Neon definition) | Neon Launch | Neon Scale | Cloud SQL | Supabase Pro |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intermittent: 140 CU-h + 1GB | 15.19 | 31.43 | 52.29* | 25.00 (Micro) |
| Low: 190 CU-h + 5GB | 21.89 | 43.93 | 52.29* | 30.00 (Small) |
| Medium: 720 CU-h + 10GB | 79.82 | 163.34 | 102.88 (2 vCPU/8GB) | 125.25 (Large) |
| High: 3,000 CU-h + 100GB | 353.00 | 701.00 | 219.36 (4 vCPU/16GB) | 236.50 (XL) |
Editorial calculation, not a quote. Neon = 140/190/720/3,000 CU-h × 0.106 or 0.222 + storage × 0.35; Cloud SQL = 730 hours × (vCPU × 0.0413 + GiB × 0.007) + storage × about 0.17; Supabase = 25 + max(0, compute − 10) + max(0, disk − 8) × 0.125. * Cloud SQL cannot scale to zero, so intermittent/low load uses an always-on 1 vCPU/4GB + 10GB. Supabase Micro/Small/Large/XL and Neon CU are not equivalent sizes; the mapping is an editorial assumption. Excludes tax, backups, HA, network, support, migration and read replicas.
Break-even: about 477 / 955 / 1,909 CU-hours, then Cloud SQL is cheaper
Compute only, excluding storage, the break-even between Cloud SQL and Neon Launch is about 477 CU-hours/month for 1 vCPU/4GB (0.65 CU always-on), 955 CU-hours for 2 vCPU/8GB (1.31 CU), and 1,909 CU-hours for 4 vCPU/16GB (2.62 CU). Below the break-even, Neon’s usage-based billing is cheaper; above it, Cloud SQL’s fixed instance is cheaper. With the published workloads: medium 720 CU-hours is below 955, so Neon compute at about 76 is still below Cloud SQL at 101; high 3,000 CU-hours is far above 1,909, so Neon compute at 318 is above Cloud SQL at 202. The flip comes from fixed always-on cost versus actual CU-hours, not from one vendor being universally cheaper.
| Cloud SQL size | Compute/month (730h) | Break-even vs Neon Launch | Equivalent always-on CU |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 vCPU / 4GB | 50.59 | 477 CU-hours | 0.65 CU |
| 2 vCPU / 8GB | 101.18 | 955 CU-hours | 1.31 CU |
| 4 vCPU / 16GB | 202.36 | 1,909 CU-hours | 2.62 CU |
Editorial calculation, not a quote. Formula: Cloud SQL monthly compute = 730 × (vCPU × 0.0413 + GiB × 0.007); break-even = Cloud SQL monthly compute ÷ 0.106; equivalent always-on CU = break-even ÷ 730. Excludes storage, backups, HA, network and support; actual Neon CU-hours depend on traffic and scale-to-zero settings, not the configured maximum.
HA, backups, storage and egress can change the ranking
Cloud SQL HA is the clearest: vCPU/memory rates double, HA storage is about 0.34/GB-month, backups are about 0.08/GB-month for used space, and read/failover replicas are billed as separate instances. Neon storage is multi-AZ by default; history is 0.20/GB-month, snapshots 0.09/GB-month, and branches beyond 10 on Launch or 25 on Scale are 1.50/branch-month; Scale also includes SLA, HIPAA and private networking. Supabase Pro includes 8GB disk, 250GB egress and 7-day daily backups; disk is 0.125/GB, egress 0.09/GB, MAU 0.00325/person, Log Drains 60 each/project, and Team at 599/month is needed for SSO/SOC2 and related features. If compliance requires HA/BAA/private networking, add those back before comparing base prices.
| Add-on | Cloud SQL | Neon | Supabase Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| HA/multi-AZ | Compute/memory 2×; HA storage about 0.34/GB-month | Storage multi-AZ by default; Scale includes SLA/HIPAA/private network | General Purpose 99.9%; High Performance 99.999% |
| Backups/PITR | About 0.08/GB-month (used); PITR separate | Snapshots 0.09/GB-month; history 0.20/GB-month | 7-day daily backups included; longer retention separate |
| Storage overage | 0.17/GB-month | 0.35/GB-month | 0.125/GB after 8GB |
| Network/egress | GCP egress rates | Project egress rates | 250GB included, then 0.09/GB |
| Other | Read replicas as separate instances | Branches 1.50 each/month beyond included | MAU 0.00325/person; Log Drain 60 each |
Sources: the three official pricing pages (accessed 6 November 2026). Only publicly verifiable items are listed; “separate” means confirm by region/contract/usage, and is not guessed here. Excludes tax, support plans, migration, extensions and private-network connection fees.
Which option fits which scenario?
Intermittent/preview/CI: Neon Launch, billed by CU-hour and able to scale to zero, about 15/month at 140 CU-hours. Small always-on API with built-in Auth/storage/realtime: Supabase Pro Small about 30/month, but 2GB shared compute is not for heavy queries. Constant medium load with mature operations/monitoring/HA: Cloud SQL 2 vCPU/8GB about 103/month, or Neon Launch at 720 CU-hours about 80; choose by actual CU-hours. High constant load: Cloud SQL 4 vCPU/16GB about 219 and Supabase XL about 237, both below Neon Launch at 3,000 CU-hours (353); Neon Scale at 701 is for SLA/HIPAA/private networking, not cost. For pgvector/branching/previews: Neon’s copy-on-write branches are convenient; for enterprise compliance and Google ecosystem: Cloud SQL.
| Scenario | First choice | Why | Check first |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intermittent/preview/CI | Neon Launch | CU-hour billing, scale to zero, branches | Cold start, pooling, branch count |
| Small-team BaaS | Supabase Pro Small | From 25, includes Auth/storage/realtime | 2GB shared compute, MAU/egress |
| Constant medium load | Neon Launch / Cloud SQL 2 vCPU | 80 vs 103, choose by CU-hours | Actual CU-hours, HA, backups |
| High constant load | Cloud SQL 4 vCPU / Supabase XL | 219/237, lower fixed cost | Peak, IOPS, storage growth |
| Compliance/HIPAA/SLA | Neon Scale / Cloud SQL HA | Published SLA/HIPAA/private network or HA | BAA, region, audit |
| pgvector/branching | Neon | Branches + extensions | Index memory, recall/latency |
Sources: the three official pricing pages (accessed 6 November 2026). This is an editorial decision matrix, not vendor advice; actual latency, throughput, failover time, migration effort and support response were not tested.
What should procurement and acceptance specify?
At least ten things: average/peak CU-hours or vCPU, minimum/maximum size, storage and growth, HA/failover, backup retention/PITR, network egress, connections/pooling, region/data residency, extensions/version/migration, SLA/support. Run a 2–4 week POC on real traffic and record CPU/memory, connections, slow queries, storage, backup restore time and the bill; do not compare only “monthly price” or “price per CU”.
- Load: monthly average CU-hours, peak vCPU/memory, always-on or scale-to-zero.
- Storage: current/12-month growth, IOPS/throughput, snapshot/history retention.
- HA: single-AZ/multi-AZ, failover RTO/RPO, replica billing.
- Backups: daily backups, PITR window, cross-region copies, restore drills.
- Network: egress, private network/PrivateLink, cross-region latency, pooling.
- Connections: direct/pooled limits, serverless driver compatibility.
- Compliance: SOC2/ISO, HIPAA/BAA, data residency, audit logs.
- Extensions: pgvector/PostGIS/TimescaleDB support.
- Migration: logical/physical replication, downtime, rollback, version upgrades.
- POC: 2–4 weeks of real traffic; record CPU/memory, slow queries, storage, restore time and bill.
FAQ
What is cheapest for a small project?
For an intermittent 140 CU-hours + 1GB database: Neon Launch 15.19, Supabase Micro 25, Cloud SQL 52.29 (1 vCPU/4GB + 10GB always-on). For development/preview that can scale to zero, Neon is lowest; if you want built-in Auth/storage, Supabase at 25 is simpler.
Which one for an always-on 1 vCPU/4GB?
Cloud SQL is about 52/month including 10GB SSD; Neon at 1 CU always-on is about 81/month (77.38 compute + 3.5 storage for 10GB); Supabase Small is 30/month but uses 2GB shared compute. For dedicated 4GB and full Postgres control, Cloud SQL/Neon are closer; for a light API, Supabase is cheaper.
Why does Cloud SQL win at high load?
Cloud SQL is a fixed instance: 4 vCPU/16GB costs 202/month for compute regardless of usage. Neon bills CU-hours: 3,000 × 0.106 = 318, above 202; Scale at 0.222 is higher. At constant high load the fixed cost is diluted; at low/intermittent load, usage-based billing wins.
Is Neon Scale worth it?
Scale is 0.222/CU-hour, about 2.1× Launch, but includes SLA, HIPAA, private networking and larger sizes (56 CU/224GB). It is a compliance/enterprise tier, not a low-cost tier; for cost-sensitive small/medium workloads, Launch is usually the better fit.
Is Supabase 25 dollars all-inclusive?
No. Pro at 25/month includes 8GB disk, 100k MAU, 250GB egress and a 10 dollar compute credit (enough for Micro); Large/XL require compute top-ups, and disk beyond 8GB, egress beyond 250GB, MAU beyond 100k, Log Drains and Team features are extra.
How much does HA add?
Cloud SQL HA doubles vCPU/memory rates and uses HA storage at about 0.34/GB-month; 1 vCPU/4GB + 10GB rises from about 52 to about 105. Neon storage is multi-AZ by default and Scale includes SLA/HIPAA/private networking; Supabase HA/replicas must be confirmed on the product page/add-on, and are not guessed here.
How are storage and backups charged?
Cloud SQL SSD is about 0.17/GB-month and backups about 0.08/GB-month; Neon storage is 0.35/GB-month, snapshots 0.09, history 0.20; Supabase includes 8GB, then 0.125/GB, with 7-day daily backups on Pro. Longer retention and larger PITR windows cost more.
Why no AWS RDS/Azure?
This article includes only the three vendors with stable public unit prices that could be captured. RDS/Azure instance prices vary by region/SKU/contract and the captured pages did not expose a stable table, so no price was filled from memory. A later update can add them once a verifiable official instance price is available, rather than guessing first.
Research method and limitations
This article separates “official facts” from “editorial modelling”: Cloud SQL vCPU/memory/storage/HA/backup rates, Neon CU-hour/storage/branch/backup rates and Supabase plan/compute/disk/egress/MAU rates come from the three US pricing pages (accessed 6 November 2026); the four workload totals are arithmetic on published unit prices, not vendor quotes. Neon’s 140/190/720/3,000 CU-hour workloads are its official examples; mapping Cloud SQL sizes and Supabase compute sizes to those workloads is an editorial assumption.
Eight limitations: (1) only US public list prices are used, excluding tax, discounts, commitments, private pricing and regional differences; (2) Cloud SQL uses Enterprise edition, us-central1, zonal, with HA/replicas/backups excluded; (3) Supabase is modelled on the Pro plan plus compute credit, excluding Team/Enterprise, PITR, HA and extra projects; (4) Neon uses Launch/Scale public rates, while actual CU-hours depend on traffic, scale-to-zero and branches; (5) the workload mapping is not performance-equivalent; CPU model, IOPS, connections, cache and extensions can change results; (6) network egress, support plans, migration, monitoring, extensions and tax are excluded; (7) AWS RDS/Azure are not included because no verifiable static instance price was obtained; (8) prices can change by region, contract and exchange rate. Treat this as a unit-conversion template and replace assumptions with a 2–4 week real-traffic POC.
Sources and basis
- Google Cloud, Cloud SQL Pricing: cloud.google.com/sql/pricing. Enterprise edition, us-central1: vCPU 0.0413/hour, memory 0.007/GiB-hour, SSD 0.000232877/GiB-hour, backups 0.000109589/GiB-hour; HA vCPU 0.0826, HA memory 0.014, HA storage 0.000465753/GiB-hour; read/failover replicas billed as separate instances. Accessed 6 November 2026.
- Neon, Pricing: neon.com/pricing. Launch 0.106/CU-hour, Scale 0.222/CU-hour, storage 0.35/GB-month; 1 CU ≈ 4GB; Launch up to 16 CU, Scale 56 CU; branches beyond included 1.50 each/month; snapshots 0.09/GB-month, history 0.20/GB-month; official workloads 140/190/720/3,000 CU-hours. Accessed 6 November 2026.
- Supabase, Pricing: supabase.com/pricing. Pro 25/month includes 8GB disk, 100k MAU, 250GB egress and a 10 dollar compute credit; Micro 10, Small 15, Medium 60, Large 110, XL 210; disk 0.125/GB, egress 0.09/GB, MAU 0.00325/person; Team from 599/month. Accessed 6 November 2026.
Data cut-off 6 November 2026; prices are public list prices excluding tax; all models are editorial calculations. This is not procurement advice.