Cost is the practical expense of using AI. A cloud service may charge a monthly subscription or bill an application for each use. Running a model locally avoids those service charges, but still requires hardware and electricity. section 14.3 section 14.3.1 section 16.5.6
For an API, count both input tokens—the content sent to the model—and output tokens—the content it generates. Multiply each count, in millions, by its own rate, then add the amounts. Check current prices: rates vary by model and service tier, and tool charges may add to the bill. section 16.5.6 section 14.3.1
The same token counts, different bills
At the listed standard rates, 1 million input tokens and 100,000 output tokens cost $7.50 with Claude Opus 4.5/4.6 or $0.42 with MiniMax M2.5. Equal token counts do not guarantee equal task quality or the same token usage on a real task. section 16.5.6
Cost matters especially for autonomous agents. One task can trigger dozens or hundreds of calls as an agent reasons, uses tools, and revises its plan. Measure actual token use and tool charges before choosing a hosted API or local model; also compare task quality, latency, hardware, and energy costs. A hybrid setup can keep everyday or sensitive tasks local and use cloud AI when greater capability is needed. section 16.5.6 section 14.6
Table 16.1 Approximate API token prices and local-deployment cost
| Model |
Input cost per 1M tokens |
Output cost per 1M tokens |
Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Opus 4.5/4.6 |
$5.00 |
$25.00 |
Proprietary |
| GPT-5.2 |
$1.75 |
$14.00 |
Proprietary |
| MiniMax M2.5 (API) |
$0.30 |
$1.20 |
Open-source |
| Local deployment |
Hardware and electricity |
No API token fee |
Self-hosted |
| Standard API rates checked September 8, 2026; cache, batch, priority, and tool charges are excluded. Local inference still incurs hardware and energy costs. | |||
Compare separate input and output rates with local deployment’s hardware and electricity costs. These standard API rates were checked September 8, 2026; the table excludes cache, batch, priority, and tool charges. section 16.5.6
