OpenAI model
GPT-3.5 Turbo Instruct API cost calculator
GPT-3.5 Turbo Instruct costs $1.50 per 1M input tokens and $2 per 1M output tokens on the OpenAI API, with a 4K-token context window. A typical request (2K input, 500 output tokens) costs $0.0040 — about $120/month at 1,000 requests per day. Use the calculator below to model your exact workload.
Find me a cheaper modelWhat real workloads cost on GPT-3.5 Turbo Instruct
| Workload | Tokens (in / out) | Per request | Per 1K requests |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chatbot message | 500 / 300 | $0.0014 | $1.35 |
| RAG query with context | 4,000 / 500 | $0.0070 | $7.00 |
| Document summarization | 20,000 / 1,000 | $0.03 | $32.00 |
| Agent coding session | 100,000 / 5,000 | $0.16 | $160 |
GPT-3.5 Turbo Instruct vs other OpenAI models
| Model | Input /1M | Output /1M | Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPT-3.5 Turbo Instruct | $1.50 | $2 | 4K |
| GPT-5.6 Luna Pro | $0.20 | $1.20 | 1.1M |
| GPT-5.6 Luna | $0.20 | $1.20 | 1.1M |
| GPT-5.6 Terra Pro | $2 | $12 | 1.1M |
| GPT-5.6 Terra | $2 | $12 | 1.1M |
Frequently asked questions
How much does GPT-3.5 Turbo Instruct cost per 1M tokens?
According to current pricing data, GPT-3.5 Turbo Instruct costs $1.50 per 1M input tokens and $2 per 1M output tokens. Processing 1M tokens each way costs $3.50.
What does a typical API request to GPT-3.5 Turbo Instruct cost?
A typical request with 2,000 input tokens and 500 output tokens costs $0.0040. At 1,000 requests per day that is $4.00 daily, or about $120 per month.
What is GPT-3.5 Turbo Instruct's context window?
GPT-3.5 Turbo Instruct supports a 4K-token context window (4,095 tokens).
Does GPT-3.5 Turbo Instruct support prompt caching?
No cache-read pricing is published for GPT-3.5 Turbo Instruct, so every input token is billed at the full $1.50 per 1M rate.
What is a cheaper alternative to GPT-3.5 Turbo Instruct?
Ling-2.6-flash from Inclusionai is currently the cheapest comparable option at $0.01 per 1M input tokens versus $1.50 for GPT-3.5 Turbo Instruct — roughly 150x cheaper on input.
Prices may differ from OpenAI's official pricing page for batch, tiered, or fine-tuned usage. Compare all current prices on the live model pricing dashboard, see GPT-3.5 Turbo Instruct vs Ling-2.6-flash pricing, or run GPT-3.5 Turbo Instruct head-to-head against other models in the side-by-side comparison playground.
Pricing data via the OpenRouter models API.