Azure Database for PostgreSQL Azure SQL Database Cost Analysis Database Pricing SKU Comparison eMap Appendix G: PostgreSQL vs Azure SQL Cost Analysis Note
The following analysis is based on Microsoft's official published pricing using the Azure price calculator . It is based on primary resources being provisioned in Azure's Australia Southeast (Melbourne) zone, with failover replicas in Azure's Australia East (Sydney) zone. All costs are based on prices published on 26 May 2025 with Azure's currency exchange rate of 1 USD = 1.56 AUD. All prices are in AUD.
🎯 Overview 📊 Metric 🔵 Azure SQL 🟢 PostgreSQL 💡 Advantage Monthly Total A$6,276.96 A$2,581.75 59% savings Annual Total A$75,323.52 A$30,981.00 A$44,342.52 savings 3-Year Total A$225,970.56 A$92,943.00 A$133,028 savings
💸 Detailed Cost Analysis 📅 Monthly Cost Breakdown 🏗️ Environment 🔵 Azure SQL 🟢 PostgreSQL 💰 Monthly Savings 📈 Savings % DEV/UAT/TRN A$1,153.65 A$676.08 A$477.57 41% PROD A$4,967.60 A$1,749.97 A$3,217.63 65% 🎯 Total Monthly A$6,276.96 A$2,581.75 A$3,695.21 59%
🎯 3-Year Cost Projection 💰 Financial Metric 🔵 Azure SQL 🟢 PostgreSQL 💡 PostgreSQL Advantage 3-Year Total A$225,970.65 A$92,943.00 A$133,027.65 savings Monthly Average A$6,276.96 A$2,581.75 59% cost reduction
🛠️ Feature Capability Comparison 🔧 Specification 🔵 Azure SQL (Premium) 🟢 PostgreSQL (E8ads v5) 📊 Performance Analysis vCore Count 8 vCores 8 vCores ✅ Equivalent compute Memory Configuration Premium memory optimised 64 GiB dedicated 🟰 Comparable for spatial workloads Service Tier Hyperscale Memory Optimised 🟰 Both suitable for large datasets Spatial Capability Basic spatial support PostGIS full capabilities 🟢 PostgreSQL superior
💾 Storage and Backup Comparison PROD Storage Comparison 💾 Component 🔵 Azure SQL 🟢 PostgreSQL 📊 Analysis Primary Storage 500GB ZRS 500GB Premium SSD v2 🟰 Comparable capacity High Availability 1 HA Replica Zone Redundant HA 🟰 Equivalent availability Backup Storage 1,500GB RA-ZRS 1,500GB GRS 🟰 Comparable redundancy Long-term Retention 36 months 36 months 🟰 Comparable retention I/O Performance Hyperscale optimised Premium SSD v2 🟰 Both high-performance
DEV/UAT/TRN Storage Comparison 💾 Component 🔵 Azure SQL 🟢 PostgreSQL 📊 Analysis Primary Storage 50GB LRS 50GB Premium SSD v2 🟢 PostgreSQL superior I/O Backup Strategy Standby Replica LRS Backup 🔵 Real-time replica Performance Type Standard General Purpose Premium SSD v2 🟢 PostgreSQL higher IOPS
High Availability and Disaster Recovery 🛡️ Feature 🔵 Azure SQL 🟢 PostgreSQL 💰 Cost Impact Zone Redundancy ZRS (PROD only) Built-in HA 🟢 Included in PostgreSQL cost Standby Replicas 1 HA Replica (PROD) Zone Redundant HA 🟰 Comparable protection Backup Retention 36-month LTR (PROD) 36-month LTR (PROD) 🟰 Equivalent retention Recovery Options Point-in-time restore Point-in-time restore 🟰 Comparable DR Availability SLA 99.99% (ZRS) 99.99% (Zone Redundant) 🟰 Equivalent uptime
⚡ Performance Aspect 🔵 Azure SQL 🟢 PostgreSQL 🏆 Advantage Spatial Functions Basic spatial support PostGIS full capabilities 🟢 PostgreSQL superior Memory Optimisation Premium memory series E-series memory optimised 🟰 Comparable I/O Performance Hyperscale architecture Premium SSD v2 🟰 Both suitable for ArcGIS Scalability Up to 100TB storage Up to 64TB storage 🔵 SQL better for massive scale
Management and Integration 🛠️ Feature 🔵 Azure SQL 🟢 PostgreSQL 📊 Consideration ArcGIS Integration Enterprise Geodatabase PostGIS/Enterprise GDB 🟢 PostgreSQL native spatial advantage Monitoring Azure Monitor Azure Monitor 🟰 Comparable monitoring Maintenance Fully managed Fully managed 🟰 Equivalent management overhead Support Standard tier Standard tier 🟰 Equivalent support levels Developer Tools Azure ecosystem Azure ecosystem + Postgres extensions 🟢 PostgreSQL broader compatibility
🔧 Configuration Specifications 🔵 Azure SQL Database Configuration ⚙️ DEV/UAT/TRN Environment Specifications 🏷️ Component 📋 Configuration 💰 Cost Impact Computing Tier Provisioned Standard billing Hardware Series Standard-series Gen 5 Intel-based processors vCore Count 4 vCore A$288.41/vCore/month Service Tier General Purpose Basic redundancy Disaster Recovery Standby Replica Included in cost Zone Redundancy Locally Redundant Standard availability Reserved Capacity 3-year reservation 60% discount applied Storage Capacity 50GB LRS backup storage Monthly Cost A$1,153.65 41% higher than PostgreSQL
🎯 PROD Environment Specifications 🏷️ Component 📋 Configuration 💰 Cost Impact Computing Tier Provisioned Premium billing Hardware Series Premium memory optimised High-performance processors vCore Count 8 vCore A$620.95/vCore/month Service Tier Hyperscale Unlimited scale capability Zone Redundancy Zone Redundant Storage Enterprise availability High Availability 1 HA Replica Automatic failover Reserved Capacity 3-year reservation Maximum discount applied Storage Capacity 500GB + 1,500GB backup RA-ZRS redundancy Long-term Retention 36-month backup retention Extended compliance Support Tier Standard support Professional assistance Monthly Cost A$4,967.60 65% higher than PostgreSQL
🟢 PostgreSQL Flexible Server Configuration ⚙️ DEV/UAT/TRN Environment Specifications 🏷️ Component 📋 Configuration 💰 Cost Impact Deployment Model Flexible Server Modern architecture Performance Tier General Purpose Balanced compute Instance Series Dadsv5 Series AMD-based processors vCore Count D4ads v5, 4 vCore A$169.02/vCore/month Reserved Capacity 3-year reservation Maximum discount applied Storage Type Premium SSD v2 High-performance I/O Storage Capacity 50GB Scalable storage Backup Strategy LRS, 0GB additional Standard retention Monthly Cost A$676.08 41% lower than Azure SQL
🎯 PROD Environment Specifications 🏷️ Component 📋 Configuration 💰 Cost Impact Deployment Model Flexible Server Enterprise-ready Performance Tier Memory Optimised Spatial workload optimised Instance Series Eadsv5 Series High-memory AMD processors vCore Count E8ads v5, 8 vCore A$218.75/vCore/month Reserved Capacity 3-year reservation Maximum discount applied Storage Type Premium SSD v2 Ultra-high performance Storage Capacity 500GB + 1,500GB backup Enterprise capacity High Availability Zone Redundant HA Automatic failover Backup Strategy GRS redundancy Geographic protection Support Tier Standard support Professional assistance Monthly Cost A$1,749.97 65% lower than Azure SQL
✅ Conclusion PostgreSQL configuration delivers:
Equivalent compute capacity with 4 vCore (DEV/UAT/TRN) and 8 vCore (PROD) configurationsSuitable memory optimisation for spatial workloadsEquivalent availability through zone redundant high availabilitySuperior spatial functionality via PostGIS integration with ArcGIS EnterpriseSignificant cost advantages projected saving of $133,028 over 3 years