EC2 m3.2xlarge can be had for $153/month as well when purchased as a reserved instance. EC2 reserved instances offer a substantial discount over on-demand pric

EC2 m3.2xlarge can be had for $153/month as well when purchased as a reserved instance. EC2 reserved instances offer a substantial discount over on-demand pricing. The all-up-front price for a 3-year reservation for m3.2xlarge would be an amortized monthly rate of $153/month, which is a 61% saving vs. the on-demand price of $388/month, according to the EC2 reserved instances pricing page. Granted, using this capacity type requires some confidence in one's need for it over that period of time, since RIs are purchased up front for 1 or 3 year terms. But RIs can also be changed using RI modification, or by using Convertible RIs, and can be resold on a secondary marketplace. As a tradeoff in comparison to GCE's automatic sustained use discount, the EC2 RI discount requires deliberate and up-front action.