AI Image Generation Cost Calculator

What This Calculator Measures

AI image generation pricing depends on quality tier and image dimensions, and the billing model itself varies by generation of model. This calculator uses OpenAI's well-documented gpt-image-1 fixed per-image pricing table to show exactly what a batch of generated images will cost.

Fixed Per-Image vs. Per-Token Billing

Older image models (gpt-image-1 and earlier) bill a flat price per image based on quality (low/medium/high) and size (square, portrait, landscape) — the numbers in this calculator's table. Newer models (like gpt-image-2) instead bill by output image tokens, similar to how text generation is priced, which makes cost scale more continuously with resolution and complexity rather than jumping between fixed tiers.

The Math

total cost = price per image (by quality × aspect ratio) × number of images

Why Quality and Aspect Ratio Change the Price So Much

Higher quality and larger images require the model to generate more image tokens internally, which is why the jump from "low" to "high" quality can be more than 10x the price, and non-square aspect ratios cost more than a same-quality square image.

Practical Cost Control

• Use low/medium quality for drafts and iteration, and reserve high quality for final outputs — the price difference is large enough to matter at any real volume.
• Batch similar requests so you can standardize on one quality/size tier instead of mixing expensive and cheap tiers unpredictably.

Common Mistakes

• Assuming all image models price the same way. A per-token-billed model (like gpt-image-2) doesn't map cleanly onto this calculator's flat per-image table — check which billing model your chosen image model actually uses before budgeting.
• Forgetting regenerations count as new images. If your workflow regenerates on rejection, each regeneration is billed again.

Frequently Asked Questions