skill

Cost Estimation

Forecast Azure spend and price planned resources or workloads. WHEN: "forecast Azure spending", "project next month cost", "compare forecast to my planning target", "how much will Azure cost", "estimate VM cost", "compare storage tiers", "compare Azure regions", "retail price", "EA rate card", "negotiated pricesheet". DO NOT USE FOR: configured budget health or alerts, bill analysis, cost spikes, rightsizing, or commitments.

Microsoft0+ installsVetted

About

# Azure Cost Estimation

## Quick Reference

| Intent | Workflow | Primary tools | |--------|----------|---------------| | Forecast existing spend | [Cost forecast](references/cost-forecast/workflow.md) | `forecast_costs` | | Price planned resources | [Pricing estimate](references/pricing-estimate.md) | Pricing tools |

## When to Use This Skill

Use for forecasts, pricing, and planning targets.

## MCP Tools

| Tool | Use | |------|-----| | `forecast_costs` | Forecast a scope. | | `get_retail_prices` | Get public prices. | | `start_pricesheet_download`, `get_pricesheet_status` | Get Enterprise Agreement (EA) or Microsoft Customer Agreement (MCA) prices. |

Fallback: [API mappings](references/tool-fallback.md).

## Workflow

1. Distinguish forecasts from hypothetical pricing. 2. Confirm scope, assumptions, period, region, OS, and currency. 3. Load the matching workflow and label every value type. 4. Never transform MCP results in a shell or interpreter; request tool-side filtering or bounded follow-up queries.

## Error Handling

| Error | Action | |-------|--------| | Ambiguous meter | Ask for OS, term, tier, or usage. | | Forecast unavailable | Explain the history requirement. | | Pricesheet pending | Honor the returned polling interval. | | Multiple currencies | Never combine currencies. | | Server error | Retry once; then report the trace ID. |

Install

Run this command

git clone https://github.com/microsoft/azure-skills && cp -r azure-skills/.github/plugins/azure-cost/skills/cost-estimation ~/.claude/skills/

Works with

claude appclaude codeclaude apicursorcodexwindsurfclinezed

Manual steps

Clone the repository and copy the `.github/plugins/azure-cost/skills/cost-estimation` folder into your Claude skills directory. Compatible with Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, and any Agent Skills-compatible agent.

View source
License: MITBy Microsoft

Frequently asked questions

What is the Cost Estimation skill?

Forecast Azure spend and price planned resources or workloads. WHEN: "forecast Azure spending", "project next month cost", "compare forecast to my planning target", "how much will Azure cost", "estimate VM cost", "compare storage tiers", "compare Azure regions", "retail price", "EA rate card", "negotiated pricesheet". DO NOT USE FOR: configured budget health or alerts, bill analysis, cost spikes, rightsizing, or com…

How do I install Cost Estimation?

Run this in your terminal:

git clone https://github.com/microsoft/azure-skills && cp -r azure-skills/.github/plugins/azure-cost/skills/cost-estimation ~/.claude/skills/
Which AI tools does Cost Estimation work with?

It works with claude_app, claude_code, claude_api, cursor, codex, windsurf, cline, zed.

Who made Cost Estimation?

Microsoft, released under the MIT license.

Is Cost Estimation free?

Yes, it is free to use under the MIT license.

Related assets

More curated picks in Finance & Accounting.

All Cost Estimation alternatives →
skillclaude_appclaude_codeclaude_api
git clone https://github.com/microsoft/azure-skills && cp -r azure-skills/.github/plugins/azure-cost/skills/cost-analysis ~/.claude/skills/
Cost Analysis
Analyze actual Azure spend, bill changes, and AKS or AI costs. WHEN: "Azure cost breakdown", "most expensive resources", "why did my bill increase", "…0+
skillclaude_appclaude_codeclaude_api
git clone https://github.com/microsoft/azure-skills && cp -r azure-skills/skills/azure-compute ~/.claude/skills/
Azure Compute
Azure VM/VMSS router. WHEN: create / provision / deploy / spin-up VM, recommend VM size, compare VM pricing, VMSS, scale set, autoscale, burstable, li…0+
skillclaude_appclaude_codeclaude_api
git clone https://github.com/microsoft/azure-skills && cp -r azure-skills/skills/azure-app-onboard ~/.claude/skills/
Azure App Onboard
End-to-end orchestrator: from a business idea, app idea, or existing app to running Azure deployment with cost estimates and pre-deploy approval. Anal…0+
skillclaude_appclaude_codeclaude_api
git clone https://github.com/microsoft/azure-skills && cp -r azure-skills/skills/azure-resource-lookup ~/.claude/skills/
Azure Resource Lookup
List, find, and show Azure resources across subscriptions or resource groups. Handles prompts like "list the websites in my subscription", "list my we…0+
skillclaude_appclaude_codeclaude_api
git clone https://github.com/microsoft/azure-skills && cp -r azure-skills/.github/plugins/azure-cost/skills/cost-governance ~/.claude/skills/
Cost Governance
Govern Azure costs with budgets, alerts, tags, and policy restrictions. WHEN: "Azure budget health", "configured budget overrun", "list Azure budgets"…0+
skillclaude
Generates professional PDF invoices with line items, tax, totals, branding.
Invoice Generator Skill
Generates professional PDF invoices with line items, tax, totals, branding.0+

Audit before you install

Run any source through our checks - AI visibility, security, performance, and stack detection.

Automated Web Security Scan

security

PageSpeed Analyzer

performance

AI Content Quality Test

arabic content

AI Agent / MCP Server Tester

ai testing

Site Stack Detector

migration

AI SEO / AEO / GEO Audit

ai visibility

llms.txt Generator

ai visibility

Readability Score

arabic content

Schema / JSON-LD Builder

ai visibility

AI Cost Calculator

ai testing

Headline Analyzer

arabic content

More in Finance & Accounting