There is no reliable one-size-fits-all monthly total for running a prerecorded YouTube loop on AWS EC2 versus a spare PC. EC2 cost depends on the instance, Region, operating system, runtime, storage and network use; a PC’s electricity cost depends on its measured power draw, hours running and your electricity tariff. Use the formulas below with your own inputs rather than treating an unconfigured estimate as a quote.
What the monthly comparison includes
This is an operating-cost comparison, not a full cost-of-ownership study. For the spare PC, count incremental electricity if the computer is already owned; state separately if you include any other costs. For EC2, include running-instance compute plus the storage, networking and other configured charges that apply.
The workload’s runtime should be the same on both sides. A continuously running loop uses about 730 hours in an average 30.4-day month; use your actual planned hours if the stream will not run continuously. This is a time-conversion assumption, not a measured workload or price.
Calculate the spare PC’s electricity cost
Measure average wall power while the PC is playing the loop, ideally with a plug-in meter or other machine-specific measurement. Do not substitute the computer’s power-supply rating: that is not a measurement of its actual draw.
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- Record the average wall draw in watts as
W. - Set monthly runtime hours as
H. - Find your actual electricity price per kilowatt-hour on your utility bill or tariff as
R. - Calculate:
monthly kWh = (W ÷ 1,000) × H. - Calculate:
monthly electricity cost = monthly kWh × R.
For an optional U.S. reference point, the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported a 2025 average residential rate of 17.30¢/kWh, based on preliminary February 2026 Electric Power Monthly data. The 2025 all-customer state averages ranged from 8.20¢/kWh in North Dakota to 35.72¢/kWh in Hawaii; that is not a residential-only range. These national and state figures are context, not a substitute for your household tariff. See the EIA’s electricity price data and explanation.
Estimate AWS EC2’s monthly cost
For On-Demand EC2, compute accrues while an instance is running. AWS bills several listed operating systems, including Linux, per second with a 60-second minimum; rates depend on the instance and operating system. Stopping an instance ends running-instance time charges, but attached resources can continue to incur charges.
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Use this framework:
EC2 monthly estimate = H × P + S + D + other applicable configured charges
H: hours the instance runs during the month.P: current hourly price for the selected instance, Region and operating system.S: monthly storage and other resource charges, such as the configured EBS volume.D: applicable data-transfer and network charges.
AWS identifies instance type, Region, operating system, utilization, storage, transfer and IP settings as estimate inputs. Configure your actual case in the AWS Pricing Calculator EC2 estimate guide and check current rates on AWS EC2 On-Demand Pricing. Without those choices there is no supportable exact EC2 monthly total.
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Account for transfer carefully
AWS states that 100 GB of internet data transfer out per month is free in aggregate across AWS services and Regions, except China and GovCloud; applicable traffic beyond that can be charged by volume and tier. Do not assume a particular YouTube loop’s outgoing traffic will be free: the total account usage, delivery setup and applicable billing treatment need to be established for your configuration.
Compare the two with matching assumptions
Put your inputs into the same monthly runtime and accounting boundary before comparing:
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| Cost item | AWS EC2 | Spare PC |
|---|---|---|
| Primary monthly cost | Running hours × current hourly instance price | Measured average watts ÷ 1,000 × running hours × local price per kWh |
| Additional monthly costs | Configured storage, transfer, IP and other applicable AWS charges | Any additional costs you deliberately include; electricity alone is the incremental operating-cost formula |
| Key input to verify | Region, instance, OS, runtime and AWS resource settings | Wall draw during playback, runtime and your tariff |
| Purchase cost | Not part of the monthly formula above | If the PC is already owned, its acquisition cost may be sunk; this comparison does not assign it a new purchase cost |
The break-even point cannot be stated without the actual inputs. Compare EC2 compute plus applicable resource charges with the PC’s measured incremental electricity expense. Neither the source pricing material nor a generic PC specification establishes a universal result for this workload.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Or let it run in the cloud
If your goal is a prerecorded YouTube channel that stays live without maintaining a home computer or configuring EC2, StreamNeo is the cloud alternative to consider first: it keeps the loop running from the cloud at one flat price per slot for any uploaded quality up to 4K 60fps.
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- Upload your recording or build a playlist.
- Add your YouTube stream key once.
- Go live; StreamNeo loops the uploaded video from the cloud.
Nothing has to stay on at home; the upload streams at its original quality up to 4K 60fps at one price, with automatic recovery if YouTube drops the stream. The first day is free with no card. Monthly: $9.99 per month.
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