c4-standard-48vsc4a-standard-48
c4a-standard-48 is 9% cheaper than c4-standard-48 on demand in Iowa, saving $158.26 a month. They use different processor architectures (x86_64 and arm64), so software built for one may need rebuilding to run on the other.
| At a glance | c4-standard-48 | c4a-standard-48 |
|---|---|---|
| On-demand | $2.372/hr | $2.155/hr9% less |
| Lowest rate | $1.067/hr3-yr committed use, no upfront | $0.9701/hr9% less3-yr committed use, no upfront |
| Size | 48 vCPUs, 180 GiB | 48 vCPUs, 192 GiB |
| Processor | Intel Xeon (Granite Rapids) or Intel Xeon (Emerald Rapids) | Google Axion |
| Architecture | x86_64 | arm64 |
Prices in Iowa
“Off” is the discount against each type’s own on-demand price. Linux, USD per hour.
| Option | c4-standard-48 | c4a-standard-48 | c4a-standard-48 vs c4-standard-48 |
|---|---|---|---|
| On-demandPay by the hour | $2.372 | $2.155 | ▼ 9% |
| SpotCan be interrupted | 40% off$1.42 | 51% off$1.063 | ▼ 25% |
| 1-yr committed useNo upfront | 37% off$1.494 | 34% off$1.421 | ▼ 5% |
| 3-yr committed useNo upfront | 55% off$1.067 | 55% off$0.9701 | ▼ 9% |
Key differences
The biggest lead each one has.
Where c4-standard-48 leads
Max persistent disks128 vs 32
4× higherWhere c4a-standard-48 leads
On-demand price$2.155 vs $2.372 per hour
9% cheaperMemory (GiB)192 vs 180
7% higherSpecs
6 of 11 specs differ. Those are in bold.
| Compute2 of 3 differ | c4-standard-48 | c4a-standard-48 |
|---|---|---|
| vCPUs | 48 | 48 |
| Architecture | x86_64 | arm64 |
| Processor | Intel Xeon (Granite Rapids) or Intel Xeon (Emerald Rapids) | Google Axion |
| Memory1 of 1 differ | c4-standard-48 | c4a-standard-48 |
|---|---|---|
| Memory (GiB) | 180 | 192 |
| NetworkingAll 1 match | c4-standard-48 | c4a-standard-48 |
|---|---|---|
| Network | Up to 34 Gbps | Up to 34 Gbps |
| Storage1 of 2 differ | c4-standard-48 | c4a-standard-48 |
|---|---|---|
| Storage | Network disks only | Network disks only |
| Max persistent disks | 128 | 32 |
| Instance details1 of 2 differ | c4-standard-48 | c4a-standard-48 |
|---|---|---|
| Family | c4 | c4a |
| Category | General purpose | General purpose |
| Other1 of 2 differ | c4-standard-48 | c4a-standard-48 |
|---|---|---|
| Series | C4 | C4A |
| Specs source | Compute Engine API | Compute Engine API |
On-demand prices by region
Cheapest for c4-standard-48 first. Linux, USD per hour.
| Region | c4-standard-48 | c4a-standard-48 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbusus-east5 | $2.372 | $2.155 | ▼ 9% |
| IowaUsed in summaryus-central1 | $2.372 | $2.155 | ▼ 9% |
| Northern Virginiaus-east4 | $2.372 | $2.155 | ▼ 9% |
| Oregonus-west1 | $2.372 | $2.155 | ▼ 9% |
| South Carolinaus-east1 | $2.372 | $2.155 | ▼ 9% |
| Mumbaiasia-south1 | $2.467 | $2.241 | ▼ 9% |
| Netherlandseurope-west4 | $2.491 | $2.263 | ▼ 9% |
| Stockholmeurope-north2 | $2.491 | $2.263 | ▼ 9% |
| Mexiconorthamerica-south1 | $2.586 | $2.349 | ▼ 9% |
| Belgiumeurope-west1 | $2.612 | $2.373 | ▼ 9% |
| Finlandeurope-north1 | $2.612 | $2.373 | ▼ 9% |
| Johannesburgafrica-south1 | $2.612 | $2.373 | ▼ 9% |
| Montréalnorthamerica-northeast1 | $2.612 | $2.373 | ▼ 9% |
| Torontonorthamerica-northeast2 | $2.612 | $2.373 | ▼ 9% |
| Las Vegasus-west4 | $2.672 | $2.427 | ▼ 9% |
| Londoneurope-west2 | $2.704 | $2.457 | ▼ 9% |
| Taiwanasia-east1 | $2.747 | $2.495 | ▼ 9% |
| Dallasus-south1 | $2.799 | $2.543 | ▼ 9% |
| Frankfurteurope-west3 | $2.799 | $2.543 | ▼ 9% |
| Madrideurope-southwest1 | $2.799 | $2.543 | ▼ 9% |
| Los Angelesus-west2 | $2.851 | $2.591 | ▼ 9% |
| Warsaweurope-central2 | $2.87 | $2.608 | ▼ 9% |
| Dohame-central1 | $2.882 | $2.619 | ▼ 9% |
| Singaporeasia-southeast1 | $2.926 | $2.659 | ▼ 9% |
| Sydneyaustralia-southeast1 | $2.965 | $2.694 | ▼ 9% |
| Tokyoasia-northeast1 | $3.046 | $2.768 | ▼ 9% |
| Melbourneaustralia-southeast2 | $3.084 | $2.801 | ▼ 9% |
| Zuricheurope-west6 | $3.107 | $2.823 | ▼ 9% |
| Jakartaasia-southeast2 | $3.19 | $2.898 | ▼ 9% |
| Santiagosouthamerica-west1 | $3.392 | $3.082 | ▼ 9% |
| São Paulosouthamerica-east1 | $3.767 | $3.422 | ▼ 9% |
| Dammamme-central2 | $3.795 | $3.449 | ▼ 9% |
Keep exploring
Each type’s own page, and how it compares with others.
c4a-standard-48
c4a-standard-48 prices and specsEvery size in the c4a familyCompare c4a-standard-48 with
GCP Compute Engine Linux prices in USD. Monthly figures use 730 hours. Prices last updated 12 Nov 2026.