Community Provider NohaVPS posted an offer in Dallas, and it’s really nice.  I’ll cut to the chase and tell you it’s $2.50/month for 2GB of RAM, or $5/month for 4GB.

That’s $1.25 per month per GB of RAM.  This kind of pricing was once unthinkable.

Part of it is the usual “back in 2004 a 64MB VPS cost $10/month” march of time, but there’s also inflation to consider.  Yes, every year, thanks to the miracles of miniaturization, mass production, and human ingenuity, there is downward pressure on the cost of motherboards, RAM, and storage is cheaper.

But there’s also upwards pressure thanks to inflation.  What cost $1 in 2019 costs $1.23 today.

So I am curious when we’ll reach $1 per GB per month.  It’s fair to ask if we’ll ever reach it, though if you take the negative track you’re assuming some hefty inflation.

In my mind it’s two lines intersecting.  One is rising inflation, the other falling hardware and network costs.  There is a floor to providing VPS service – you need staff, colo fees, etc.  That cost is constantly rising due to inflation.  So will “floor” cost eventually crest $1 per server per month?  If so, $1/GB is out.

I think we’re a long ways away from that.  Indeed, some people run promotions with a 1GB system in the $15/year ballpark.  But will we get to a point where $1/GB/month becomes common?  What do you think?

Meanwhile, enjoy NohaVPS’s offer!  Participate in their thread and you might even win a free VPS!

raindog308

Raindog308 is a longtime LowEndTalk community administrator, technical writer, and self-described techno polymath. With deep roots in the *nix world, he has a passion for systems both modern and vintage, ranging from Unix, Perl, Python, and Golang to shell scripting and mainframe-era operating systems like MVS. He’s equally comfortable with relational database systems, having spent years working with Oracle, PostgreSQL, and MySQL.

As an avid user of LowEndBox providers, Raindog runs an empire of LEBs, from tiny boxes for VPNs, to mid-sized instances for application hosting, and heavyweight servers for data storage and complex databases. He brings both technical rigor and real-world experience to every piece he writes.

Beyond the command line, Raindog is a lover of German Shepherds, high-quality knives, target shooting, theology, tabletop RPGs, and hiking in deep, quiet forests.

His goal with every article is to help users, from beginners to seasoned sysadmins, get more value, performance, and enjoyment out of their infrastructure.

You can find him daily in the forums at LowEndTalk under the handle @raindog308.