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Amazon EC2

How Much Does a 24/7 YouTube Stream Cost on Amazon EC2 With a Reserved Instance?

AWS’s Northern Virginia t2.medium example puts compute at about $22.63 per 730-hour month on a one-year RI or $15.33 on a three-year RI, before data transfer and other charges.

By VGSources Team 6 min read
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How much does a 24/7 YouTube stream cost on Amazon EC2 with a reserved instance? Using AWS’s published Linux/Unix t2.medium example for US East (Northern Virginia), compute alone works out to about $22.63 per 730-hour month with a one-year Reserved Instance or $15.33 with a three-year Reserved Instance. Those are illustrative effective costs, not a full bill or a guarantee that t2.medium can handle your stream. Data transfer, storage, networking, and other services can add to the total.

What the monthly estimate includes—and leaves out

A useful estimate separates compute from the other charges:

Estimated monthly total = EC2 Reserved Instance compute + internet data transfer out + EBS storage + public IPv4/networking + any additional AWS services + applicable taxes.

AWS’s example prices are for Linux/Unix t2.medium in US East (Northern Virginia): $0.0464 per effective hour On-Demand, $0.031 for a one-year Reserved Instance, and $0.021 for a three-year Reserved Instance. At an illustrative 730 hours, that is approximately $33.87, $22.63, and $15.33 in compute respectively. The monthly calculation uses the hourly example rate multiplied by 730; it is not a quote for every month or configuration. Check AWS’s [T2 pricing](https://aws.amazon.com/ec2/instance-types/t2/) and [Reserved Instance pricing](https://aws.amazon.com/ec2/pricing/reserved-instances/pricing/) before committing, since rates and terms can change.

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The 730-hour figure is a planning convention. A 24/7 stream runs for roughly 720–744 hours depending on the calendar month. The AWS hourly values are effective rates: AWS amortizes the term cost, including any upfront payment, across the term. The effective monthly figure therefore does not necessarily match the cash due at purchase or the timing of charges. Standard Reserved Instances advertise savings of up to 72% versus On-Demand, but that is a maximum, not a guaranteed discount for every instance or purchase.

How to estimate data transfer out

If EC2 sends one encoded contribution feed to YouTube, internet data transfer out is a separate cost from instance usage. Estimate the volume from the stream’s actual bitrate, then check the applicable current AWS rate tiers for the selected Region. AWS describes a 100 GB monthly internet data-transfer-out allowance aggregated across AWS services and Regions, with China and GovCloud exclusions. It is not a per-instance allowance; verify account eligibility and current terms on [AWS On-Demand pricing](https://aws.amazon.com/ec2/pricing/on-demand/).

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Convert bitrate into an approximate monthly volume

For a quick decimal-unit estimate, multiply bitrate in Mbps by 0.45 to get approximate GB per hour. At 6 Mbps, that is about 2.7 GB per hour, or about 1,971 GB over 730 hours, before protocol overhead. This is arithmetic from the bitrate, not an AWS price or traffic measurement. Apply the selected Region’s current transfer rates to the estimated outgoing volume; do not assume the allowance covers the whole stream.

Choose the bitrate before estimating egress

YouTube’s current encoder guidance recommends RTMPS, CBR, and a two-second keyframe interval that should not exceed four seconds. It supports H.264, H.265, or AV1 video at up to 60 fps. For 1080p at 30 fps, its recommendations are 5–14 Mbps for H.264 and 4–10 Mbps for AV1/H.265. These are YouTube recommendations, not a promise that a particular EC2 instance can encode at those settings. See [YouTube’s encoder settings](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2853702?hl=en).

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Distinguish an EC2-to-YouTube feed from serving viewers

This estimate assumes EC2 sends a single contribution stream to YouTube, which then handles delivery to viewers. It does not include AWS serving every viewer. A system that distributes playback to an audience from AWS has a different architecture and potentially much larger viewer-egress costs. AWS’s [Live Streaming on AWS deployment plan](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/solutions/latest/live-streaming-on-aws/plan-your-deployment.html) describes a managed MediaLive, MediaPackage, and CloudFront design; its audience-distribution examples should not be treated as the price of one EC2 contribution feed.

Check the instance and stream workflow before buying

Confirm what the EC2 host will do

Compute requirements depend on whether the host encodes live material or simply relays already encoded video, as well as the codec, resolution, and frame rate. The t2.medium price example does not establish encoding capacity. Validate CPU and network suitability for your actual workload before choosing an instance; do not infer performance from the discount or hourly price.

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Compare Reserved Instance terms on equal assumptions

Hold Region, operating system, instance family and size, and hours constant when comparing offers. Check term length, payment option, upfront cash requirement, effective hourly cost, and charges for egress, storage, and networking. To find a specific offer, AWS explains how to locate prices by term, purchase option, offering class, and usage type in its [service price list guidance](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/awsaccountbilling/latest/aboutv2/finding-prices-in-service-price-list-files.html).

AWS says Standard Reserved Instances are available with one-year or three-year terms; the displayed effective hourly rate amortizes the full term cost. A longer commitment can lower the effective rate while increasing the length of the commitment. Compare the payment schedule as well as the effective rate rather than treating them as interchangeable.

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Account for storage and network resources

Include the attached EBS volume and any public IPv4 address, monitoring, logging, or other AWS services used by the setup. Their costs depend on configuration and must be checked separately. Applicable taxes may also affect the final bill.

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Operational details for a continuous YouTube broadcast

  1. Set up the YouTube stream. In YouTube’s encoder workflow, obtain the stream URL and stream key and enter them in your encoder or relay. Keep the key private. See Create a YouTube live stream with an encoder.
  2. Use compatible output settings. Choose a supported protocol and codec, use CBR, and set a two-second keyframe interval (no more than four seconds). Select a bitrate appropriate to resolution, frame rate, and codec using YouTube’s guidance.
  3. Leave network headroom and monitor delivery. YouTube recommends 20% upload-bandwidth headroom. A cloud host’s network path is different from a home upload connection, but the instance and relevant service limits still need checking. Watch the live control room and your process for interruptions; plan how you will restart or recover the encoder if it stops. See YouTube’s streaming tips.
  4. Plan around archiving. YouTube says streams under 12 hours are automatically archived. A continuous 24/7 broadcast exceeds that duration, so do not assume the whole broadcast will be archived as one uninterrupted replay. Review YouTube’s current handling and plan any needed recording or restart workflow.

Or let it run in the cloud

If you would rather not operate an EC2 host, StreamNeo keeps a YouTube channel live from uploaded videos: upload a recording or build a playlist, add your YouTube stream key once, and go live. It loops the uploaded material from the cloud, so nothing has to stay on at home. The video streams as uploaded, up to 4K 60fps, at one price per slot; StreamNeo automatically recovers if YouTube drops the stream. The first day is free with no card. Monthly pricing is $9.99 per month. Start a StreamNeo free day.

Common cost-estimate mistakes

  • Treating the compute example as the total: add egress, EBS, networking, other services, and taxes where applicable.
  • Applying the example to another Region or instance: the published figures are specifically for Linux/Unix t2.medium in Northern Virginia. Recheck the selected configuration’s rates.
  • Assuming an RI discount proves capacity: billing commitment and workload performance are separate questions. Test the codec, resolution, frame rate, and whether EC2 encodes or relays.
  • Using viewer-delivery costs for a contribution feed: sending one feed to YouTube and serving viewers from AWS are different cost models.
  • Multiplying bitrate without checking units or hours: use the actual bitrate, a suitable month length, and allow for protocol overhead; then apply current regional transfer rates.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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