Website cost calculator: monthly and three-year budgets
Calculate monthly and three-year website costs. Compare three worked budgets, setup fees and renewals, then download your figures.
One website. All the essentials accounted for.
Your annual bill increases at renewal. Plan for year two, too.
Illustrative inputs, not a quote. No payment required.
Your budget stays in this browser.
How to use this result
Enter annual hosting costs, not an advertised monthly price. Setup is charged once; domain renewals, email and extras recur. Years two and three use the same renewal rates. The optional tax percentage applies uniformly to all costs. This is a cost model, not the exact timing of payments on a multi-year contract.
Read our full methodologyHow much does a website cost per month?
For your own budget, add annual domain, hosting, email and maintenance costs, then divide by 12. Keep one-time setup separate. In the illustrative scenarios below, first-year recurring costs work out to $6, $18 and $43 per month. These are invented planning examples, not market averages or available hosting offers.
Use the calculator above with your actual quotes. A monthly average helps you compare costs; it does not mean your supplier accepts monthly payments.
| Scenario | Year 1 recurring / month | Renewal / month | Year 1 including setup | Three years including setup |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owner-managed portfolio | $6.00 | $9.58 | $72.00 | $302.00 |
| Service business with one mailbox | $18.00 | $21.58 | $516.00 | $1,034.00 |
| Content site with paid support | $43.00 | $48.25 | $1,116.00 | $2,274.00 |
What is included in each example?
- Portfolio: $12 domain registration and $60 hosting in year one; $15 domain and $100 hosting at renewal. No paid mailbox, setup or maintenance service. The owner does the work; their time is not valued in the cash total.
- Service business: the same domain and hosting, one $24-per-year mailbox, $120 annual maintenance allowance and $300 one-time setup.
- Content site: $12 domain and $120 hosting initially; $15 domain and $180 hosting at renewal, plus $24 email and $360 support per year, and $600 setup once.
Years two and three use identical renewal rates. Email and maintenance allowances stay constant. Taxes, transaction charges, paid advertising, owner time and unexpected repairs are excluded. An allowance is a planning provision, not a supplier commitment.
Download the scenario comparison (CSV)
Monthly average versus the payment due today
Suppose hosting is advertised as $3 per month but requires 36 months upfront. The hosting payment is $108 before tax and extras, not $3. If you also buy a $12 domain today, that initial payment becomes $120. Domain renewals in years two and three still need their own allowance. A long prepaid contract changes when cash leaves your account even if its average monthly cost looks small.
Record three separate figures before purchasing: the checkout total, the period it covers and the next renewal amount. Use the hosting contract calculator to compare different introductory terms. Use the renewal register to record the actual due dates.
Which costs can you remove?
Start with the features your visitors need. A portfolio that does not need a paid extension should not budget for it just because a package offers it. Check whether email or backups are already included before buying them twice. Keep a named owner for updates, enquiries and recovery even when no maintenance company is being paid. Removing a subscription does not remove the work it covered.
For maintenance choices, compare a retainer with paying for individual jobs. For the value of your own hours, use the maintenance budget calculator. The cash examples above do not include that opportunity cost.
Website budget questions
Do I need to pay for my website every month?
It depends on the contracts. Domains and hosting may be billed annually or for a longer prepaid term, while email may be monthly. Convert each service to a common period for comparison, then separately record when each bill is due.
Why does my website cost more in year two?
An introductory offer may end, or an included domain or mailbox may become separately chargeable. In the portfolio example, annual costs rise from $72 to $115 because the assumed domain and hosting renewals are higher. Check your actual renewal quote rather than assuming the first-year price repeats.
Does this include someone building the website?
The setup input is a one-time amount that you enter. It is zero in the portfolio example and $300 or $600 in the other examples. Those amounts demonstrate the calculation; they are not estimates of what a freelancer will quote for your project.
Can I use these numbers in another currency?
The calculator and download label amounts as USD and do not convert exchange rates. Convert each quote consistently before using them; add bank or conversion charges separately where relevant.
For a broader checklist, read what a small website costs to run. Calculations use the assumptions stated here; see our methodology or send a correction.