---
title: "Local AI Cost Calculator: Hardware vs Cloud"
canonical: "https://consideredgear.com/tools/local-ai-cost-calculator/"
description: "Compare the total cost of two local AI computers or buying hardware versus a cloud AI subscription, with electricity, upkeep, resale and payback assumptions."
---

# Local AI Cost Calculator: Hardware vs Cloud

Compare two local computers or see whether buying your own AI hardware beats paying monthly. [Open the calculators](https://consideredgear.com/tools/local-ai-cost-calculator/). It compares your actual cloud bill against a complete local hardware quote, measured or estimated active/idle wall power, maintenance and estimated end-of-horizon resale. It shows year-by-year costs and a conditional payback month. It does not pretend a local open model and a hosted model have equal capability. No signup needed.

## Compare two local hardware options — full ownership, not just sticker price

[Open the full two-computer ownership comparison](https://consideredgear.com/tools/local-ai-cost-calculator/#hardware-tco). Choose a mini PC versus a compatible desktop upgrade, an Apple silicon computer versus a new GPU system, or two other complete setups. Each option can have separate:

- Additional complete hardware outlay, including required parts, tax and delivery.
- Annual maintenance or replacement allowance, plus recurring local software charges.
- Estimated resale at the **end** of the comparison period (not cash available at the start).
- Whole-system active and idle watts for a common AI workload and schedule.

**Two-computer ownership formula:** A or B total = complete purchase cost + (maintenance + annual electricity) × years + other local fees × months − end-only estimated resale. The result also identifies when a system that cost more to buy catches up by having lower operating costs, **without** counting future resale toward early payback.

**Electricity:** annual kWh for each setup = ((active watts × active hours/day) + (idle watts × remaining powered-on hours/day)) × 365 ÷ 1,000. Multiply by the delivered rate per kWh that appears on your bill. If the computer is off outside powered-on hours, this simplified model assumes no power use outside that schedule.

**Worked comparison only, not market prices or measured benchmarks:**

| Item | Computer A: illustrative mini PC | Computer B: illustrative existing-desktop upgrade |
| --- | ---: | ---: |
| New cash outlay | $750 | $450 |
| Whole-system active/idle watts | 75 W / 18 W | 250 W / 65 W |
| Daily powered-on/active hours (both) | 12 / 3 | 12 / 3 |
| Annual electricity at illustrative $0.20/kWh | $28.25 | $97.46 |
| Annual maintenance allowance | $40 | $100 |
| End-of-term resale assumption | $150 | $75 |
| Estimated 3-year ownership total, including terminal resale | $804.75 | $967.37 |

Under this synthetic scenario, A costs **$162.62 less over three years** despite a higher purchase price. Its additional purchase outlay catches up with B's higher ongoing costs in **month 28 before resale**. Different workload/power measurements or quotes can reverse that result. Neither setup has been benchmarked or price-verified for this calculation.

The full two-computer tool also includes a year-by-year table, a copyable breakdown, accessibility-focused error messages, a no-JavaScript methodology, and clear warnings whenever power was excluded. It does not send or store input values.

### Only have two purchase prices?

Our earlier **quick hardware comparison** still exists on the same page as a collapsible option. Enter total delivered prices, and optionally one average power reading per computer. Its simple formula is complete purchase cost + (average whole-system watts ÷ 1,000 × powered-on hours/day × 365 × electricity price per kWh × years). It does not handle separate active/idle power, maintenance or resale; use the full ownership tool above for those.

These are user-supplied estimates, **not verified offers** or promises of performance, speed, model fit, or savings. Unknown prices must never silently become zero. Currency selection does not perform foreign-exchange conversion. See the [EIA explanation of delivered electricity prices](https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.php?id=507&t=5) and enter your actual utility rate instead of treating a national average as your bill.

## Buy local hardware versus keep the cloud service

Local total over a chosen 1–10 year horizon = complete additional hardware cost + (annual electricity and maintenance × years) + other local monthly costs × months − resale received only at the end. Cloud total = the *actual recurring AI cost you would otherwise pay* × those months.

Annual electricity = ((active whole-system watts × active hours per day) + (idle whole-system watts × remaining powered-on hours)) ÷ 1,000 × 365 × delivered kWh price. The machine is assumed off outside powered-on hours. The subscription comparison excludes energy if you turn the optional power estimate off; it never claims electricity is free.

Payback is the first month when accumulated cloud bills meet or exceed hardware + ongoing local cost **without adding future resale early**. If that does not happen within the selected horizon, report no payback in the chosen period. A low-cost or zero-cost cloud alternative may be cheaper. Your own quotes, monthly fee and wall-power readings matter more than promotional prices or a GPU TDP.

**Try it using a worked example, not a current offer:** $1,600 complete hardware cost, $40/month cloud bill, 3 years; illustrative active 280 W for 4 hours/day, 55 W idle for 20 hours/day at $0.20/kWh, $100/year maintenance, and $200 resale at the end. Estimated yearly electricity is $162.06; the three-year local cost is $2,186.18 after resale versus $1,440 for cloud. The local purchase does **not** save money under these assumptions; your setup and needs may differ. [Official explanation of delivered electricity prices](https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.php?id=507&t=5).

The interactive planner also has a worked example for **existing hardware** (zero additional purchase), a copyable text breakdown, and a year-by-year comparison. No form values are stored, transmitted or placed in share URLs.

## Ready to compare the actual hardware?

Verify model memory, software/backend support, exact configuration and return terms before ordering.

- [Check SER8 buying options](https://consideredgear.com/reviews/beelink-ser8/#buying-options)
- [Check used RTX 3090 options](https://consideredgear.com/reviews/nvidia-rtx-3090-used/#buying-options)
- [Compare other local-AI hardware](https://consideredgear.com/guides/best-way-to-run-ai-at-home-2026/)
- [Estimate model memory first](https://consideredgear.com/guides/how-much-vram-local-llm/)
- [Complete SER8 versus used RTX 3090 cost checklist](https://consideredgear.com/guides/ser8-vs-used-rtx-3090-total-cost/)