# How to cut your LLM API bill

> The biggest savings come from not sending every request to the most expensive model. After that: limit output length, reuse cached prompts, set budgets so mistakes can't run, use credits you already have, and measure the cost of every request so you know where the money goes.

Source: https://digitspace.ai/learn/reduce-llm-costs · Last checked: 2026-10-30

## Six ways, biggest first

- **Match the model to the job:** Small models handle classification, extraction and short summaries; send only the hard work to flagships.
- **Cap the output:** Output tokens often cost 3 to 6 times as much as input. Set max_tokens to what you actually need.
- **Cache long prompts:** Providers that support prompt caching charge much less for repeated context like system prompts and documents.
- **Set budgets:** A per-key monthly budget turns a runaway loop into a stopped request instead of an invoice.
- **Use credits you have:** Cloud startup credits work through your own Azure, Bedrock or Vertex keys.
- **Measure per request:** Cost per request, per feature and per key shows which part of the product to optimise.

## What a token costs, by size of model

Prices per million tokens on DigitSpace, 30 Oct 2026.

| Model | Input | Output |
| --- | --- | --- |
| ministral-3b-2512 | $0.10 | $0.10 |
| gpt-6-luna | $0.10 | $0.50 |
| claude-haiku-5-5 | $0.10 | $0.50 |
| claude-sonnet-5-5 | $2.00 | $10.00 |
| gpt-5.5 | $5.00 | $30.00 |
| claude-fable-5-1 | $10.00 | $50.00 |

Current prices for every model are on the models page.

## Questions

### How much can routing save?

It depends on your traffic. If most requests are simple, moving them from a flagship to a small model cuts their cost by 10 to 100 times; measure your own mix first.

### Does a gateway cost extra?

DigitSpace adds 5% on credit top-ups and nothing on tokens; with your own provider keys it's free.

## Related

- [Cost tracking](https://digitspace.ai/features/cost-tracking)
- [Smart routing](https://digitspace.ai/features/smart-routing)
- [Token cost calculator](https://digitspace.ai/token-cost-calculator)
- [Pricing](https://digitspace.ai/pricing)

Start free: https://digitspace.ai/signup · Docs: https://digitspace.ai/docs · Pricing: https://digitspace.ai/pricing