These figures are indicative. They reflect typical UK partner-delivered migrations, exclude VAT and Microsoft funding, and are for budgeting only. Your free assessment produces a fixed-scope figure for your estate.
One-off Azure migration costs by estate size
| Estate | Typical scope | Indicative one-off cost | Typical timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1–10 servers | Single wave, simple landing zone | £5,000–£20,000 | 4–8 weeks |
| 11–50 servers | 2–4 waves, full landing zone, VPN | £20,000–£75,000 | 6–16 weeks |
| 51–200 servers | Dependency mapping, multiple waves, DR design | £60,000–£250,000 | 3–6 months |
| 200+ servers / data-centre exit | Programme-managed, ExpressRoute, decommissioning | Scoped individually | 6–12 months |
What pushes the one-off cost up
- Many interdependent applications that must move together
- Large databases needing near-zero downtime
- Tight deadlines (for example a fixed co-location exit date)
- Regulated environments needing extra security controls and evidence
- OS or application upgrades done at the same time as the migration
What brings it down
- Rehosting first, then modernising later
- Retiring servers nobody uses (usually 10–20% of an estate)
- Good existing documentation
- Microsoft funding through Azure Accelerate for eligible projects
Monthly Azure running costs
Your Azure bill is made up of:
| Cost line | What drives it | How to reduce it |
|---|---|---|
| Compute (VMs) | VM size, hours running, OS licence | Right-size, reserve, Hybrid Benefit, auto-shutdown |
| Storage | Disk type and size | Standard SSD where premium isn't needed |
| Backup & DR | Retention and replication | Retention policies that match real requirements |
| Networking | VPN/ExpressRoute, data egress | Keep traffic in-region, size gateways properly |
| Managed databases | vCores and storage | Azure Hybrid Benefit, reserved capacity |
| Monitoring & security | Log volume, Defender plans | Collect what you use, apply plans selectively |
Worked example (illustrative only): a general-purpose Windows VM with 2 vCPUs and 8 GB RAM in UK South runs at roughly £100–£150 per month at pay-as-you-go rates including the Windows licence. With a three-year reservation and Azure Hybrid Benefit, the same VM can cost a fraction of that. Prices change, so always check the Azure pricing calculator or ask us for a modelled estimate.
How to use the Azure pricing calculator in the UK
The Azure pricing calculator is free and gives a good first estimate if you set it up for the UK:
- Set the currency to British pounds (GBP) at the bottom of the estimate.
- Choose the UK South (London) or UK West (Cardiff) region for each item. Prices differ slightly between regions.
- Add a virtual machine for each server, sized from real CPU and memory use rather than the size of the old server.
- Apply your licensing. Select Azure Hybrid Benefit if you have Windows Server or SQL Server licences with Software Assurance.
- Compare pay-as-you-go with one- and three-year reservations for servers that run all the time.
- Add storage, backup and networking. These are the items most often left out.
- Export or share the estimate so you can compare it with your current costs.
The calculator doesn't show the one-off cost of migrating, VAT or any Microsoft funding. A free assessment adds those and checks the sizing against your real usage.
Five ways to cut Azure costs
- Right-size from real data. Azure Migrate recommends sizes based on actual CPU and memory use, not the size of the old server.
- Use Azure Hybrid Benefit. Reuse Windows Server and SQL Server licences with Software Assurance.
- Reserve steady workloads. One- or three-year reservations or a savings plan for always-on servers.
- Switch off what's idle. Schedule dev/test VMs to shut down out of hours.
- Set budgets and alerts on day one. Cost Management budgets catch surprises within days, not at quarter end.
Getting an accurate figure
Ranges are useful for budgeting, but the only reliable number comes from looking at your environment. Our free assessment takes two minutes online and a 30-minute call. You get a ballpark one-off cost, a forecast monthly cost and a view on funding eligibility.
Planning a migration? Get a free assessment covering scope, ballpark cost and funding eligibility.
Get my free assessmentFrequently asked questions
Is Azure cheaper than running our own servers?
Often, once you count everything. That includes hardware refreshes, data-centre space and power, backup, DR, support contracts and staff time. Azure is rarely cheaper if you simply copy over-sized servers and run them 24/7 at pay-as-you-go rates. Right-sizing, reservations and licence reuse are what make the numbers work.
What is included in the one-off migration cost?
Typically discovery and assessment, design and build of the Azure landing zone, migration and testing of each workload, cut-over support, documentation and handover. Application re-engineering and major OS upgrades are usually scoped separately.
Are there hidden costs in Azure?
The common surprises are data egress (data leaving Azure), premium storage used where standard would do, forgotten test resources and backup retention set too long. A landing zone with budgets, alerts and tagging prevents most of them.
Can Microsoft pay for part of the migration?
For eligible organisations and projects, yes. Azure Accelerate can provide partner funding and Azure credits. See Microsoft funding for Azure migrations.
Is there an Azure cost calculator for the UK?
Yes. Microsoft's Azure pricing calculator works for UK prices. Set the currency to British pounds (GBP) and choose the UK South or UK West region. It shows list prices, so apply Azure Hybrid Benefit and reservations where you're eligible to get a realistic figure.
Why are your figures ranges rather than fixed prices?
Because two 20-server estates can be very different, from simple file and print servers to complex clustered databases. The ranges show what's typical. The free assessment turns them into a fixed-scope quote.