{"id":702,"date":"2026-04-16T17:04:41","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T21:04:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ecahill.com\/staging\/3340\/?p=702"},"modified":"2026-04-16T18:40:19","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T22:40:19","slug":"azure-billing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ecahill.com\/staging\/3340\/azure-billing\/","title":{"rendered":"Azure Billing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An Introduction for Non-Technical Finance or Management<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I received an Azure bill for the period Feb. 6<sup>th<\/sup> 2026 \u2013 March 5<sup>th<\/sup> 2026 that was $2.38 usage charges, with no tax added. Although a small amount, I decided it would be a good introductory example for anyone that has to understand and pay for Azure. My account is Pay-As-You-Go and I use it for learning, experiments and proof of concepts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Azure charges for things that were running, allocated, or used.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"623\" data-attachment-id=\"712\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.ecahill.com\/staging\/3340\/azureusage\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ecahill.com\/staging\/3340\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/AzureUsage.png?fit=2052%2C1249&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"2052,1249\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Azure Usage\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ecahill.com\/staging\/3340\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/AzureUsage.png?fit=1024%2C623&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ecahill.com\/staging\/3340\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/AzureUsage.png?resize=1024%2C623&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Usage detail from Azure invoice\" class=\"wp-image-712\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ecahill.com\/staging\/3340\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/AzureUsage.png?resize=1024%2C623&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ecahill.com\/staging\/3340\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/AzureUsage.png?resize=300%2C183&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ecahill.com\/staging\/3340\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/AzureUsage.png?resize=768%2C467&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ecahill.com\/staging\/3340\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/AzureUsage.png?resize=1536%2C935&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ecahill.com\/staging\/3340\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/AzureUsage.png?resize=2048%2C1247&amp;ssl=1 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In this invoice, the bill is mainly coming from:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"\">Virtual machines: two different compute sizes were charged, one for $1.00 and one for $0.53. These are rented servers in Azure. They are the biggest part of the bill.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">A managed disk: $0.23. This is storage attached to a virtual machine, like its hard drive.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Load balancer: $0.23. This is network infrastructure that helps route traffic to services.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Blob storage write activity: $0.21. This is Azure storage being written to.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Smaller background items such as a static public IP ($0.05), load balancer data processed ($0.05), container\/list operations in storage ($0.04), bandwidth, and tiny Azure Language \/ Key Vault charges.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This was probably because one of my labs needed a small Azure environment that included:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"\">a virtual machine<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">a disk attached to it<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">a public IP address<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">a load balancer<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">some storage<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">very small AI language and Key Vault usage<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Azure does not just charge for activity, it also charges for certain items that are reserved, such as disks, static IPs, and networking components.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After reviewing, I need to decide if I still need any of the resources. So here are the first places to look if for me to reduce future bills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Delete only if you are sure, you no longer need the data or setup.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Virtual Machines<br><br>This is the first thing to check. As my virtual machines are only for testing, development, or experiments, stopping them is usually the biggest immediate saving. They account for $1.53 combined on this bill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Important and exam tip<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"\">Stop or deallocate the VM when not in use.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">If a VM is only \u201cshut down\u201d inside Windows or Linux, Azure can sometimes still keep parts of it allocated.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Even when the VM is off, some related resources may still keep charging.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Load Balancer<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As I am not actively exposing an app or distributing traffic, this is removable. It contributed about $0.28 total here when combining rules and processed data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Static Public IP<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I do not need to keep this fixed public address. It cost $0.05 here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Managed Disk<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is often left behind after a VM is stopped or removed. It cost $0.23. If the VM is no longer needed and I do not need its contents, this disk is a good cleanup target.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Blob Storage<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">My actual stored data charge is tiny, but there were charges for writes, reads, and other operation while testing. That could mean something is still using this storage account but I know that it is just from a test. Deleting unused blobs or even the storage account could help if you are absolutely sure it is no longer needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Unused Networking Resources<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Old load balancers, public IPs, and related networking items are common leftovers after testing. These are worth reviewing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These charges are extremely small on this invoice and they are not the main reason for the bill:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"\">Key Vault operations<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">storage list\/read\/write operations<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Azure Language standard text records and summarization records<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">inter-region bandwidth<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A practical order to review would be:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"1\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"\">Check whether the virtual machines are still needed.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">If not needed, deallocate or delete them.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Then check for leftover disk, public IP, and load balancer resources.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Review the storage account to see whether it contains anything you still need.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Ignore the tiny AI and Key Vault charges unless you are doing a full cleanup.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Is there anything I can switch off? Yes. Based on this invoice, I will: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"\">switch off \/ deallocate the virtual machine<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">delete the unused managed disk<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">delete then unused static public IP<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">delete the unused load balancer<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">clean up unused storage.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Caution. Do not delete<\/strong> anything until you confirm whether it is tied to something you still want. In Azure, a VM may depend on:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"\">a disk<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">a network interface<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">a public IP<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">a load balancer<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">storage<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Deleting the wrong one can break access or remove data. For full details <a href=\"https:\/\/learn.microsoft.com\/en-us\/azure\/cost-management-billing\/understand\/understand-invoice\">Understand your Azure invoice &#8211; Microsoft Cost Management | Microsoft Learn<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An Introduction for Non-Technical Finance or Management I received an Azure bill for the period Feb. 6th 2026 \u2013 March 5th 2026 that was $2.38 usage charges, with no tax added. Although a small amount, I decided it would be a good introductory example for anyone that has to understand and pay for Azure. My [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":730,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"everybody","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[61,60,1],"tags":[56,57,59,58],"class_list":["post-702","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-azure","category-cloud","category-software-development","tag-azure","tag-azure-resources","tag-cloud-computing","tag-virtual-machines"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4aJd0-bk","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ecahill.com\/staging\/3340\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/USD.png?fit=1523%2C155&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ecahill.com\/staging\/3340\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/702","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ecahill.com\/staging\/3340\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ecahill.com\/staging\/3340\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecahill.com\/staging\/3340\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecahill.com\/staging\/3340\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=702"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecahill.com\/staging\/3340\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/702\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":732,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecahill.com\/staging\/3340\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/702\/revisions\/732"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecahill.com\/staging\/3340\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/730"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ecahill.com\/staging\/3340\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=702"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecahill.com\/staging\/3340\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=702"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecahill.com\/staging\/3340\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=702"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}