c4-standard-8vsc4a-standard-8
c4a-standard-8 is 9% cheaper than c4-standard-8 on demand in Iowa, saving $26.35 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-8 | c4a-standard-8 |
|---|---|---|
| On-demand | $0.3953/hr | $0.3592/hr9% less |
| Lowest rate | $0.1779/hr3-yr committed use, no upfront | $0.1617/hr9% less3-yr committed use, no upfront |
| Size | 8 vCPUs, 30 GiB | 8 vCPUs, 32 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-8 | c4a-standard-8 | c4a-standard-8 vs c4-standard-8 |
|---|---|---|---|
| On-demandPay by the hour | $0.3953 | $0.3592 | ▼ 9% |
| SpotCan be interrupted | 40% off$0.2366 | 51% off$0.1771 | ▼ 25% |
| 1-yr committed useNo upfront | 37% off$0.2491 | 34% off$0.2369 | ▼ 5% |
| 3-yr committed useNo upfront | 55% off$0.1779 | 55% off$0.1617 | ▼ 9% |
Key differences
The biggest lead each one has.
Where c4-standard-8 leads
Max persistent disks128 vs 32
4× higherWhere c4a-standard-8 leads
On-demand price$0.3592 vs $0.3953 per hour
9% cheaperMemory (GiB)32 vs 30
7% higherSpecs
6 of 11 specs differ. Those are in bold.
| Compute2 of 3 differ | c4-standard-8 | c4a-standard-8 |
|---|---|---|
| vCPUs | 8 | 8 |
| Architecture | x86_64 | arm64 |
| Processor | Intel Xeon (Granite Rapids) or Intel Xeon (Emerald Rapids) | Google Axion |
| Memory1 of 1 differ | c4-standard-8 | c4a-standard-8 |
|---|---|---|
| Memory (GiB) | 30 | 32 |
| NetworkingAll 1 match | c4-standard-8 | c4a-standard-8 |
|---|---|---|
| Network | Up to 23 Gbps | Up to 23 Gbps |
| Storage1 of 2 differ | c4-standard-8 | c4a-standard-8 |
|---|---|---|
| Storage | Network disks only | Network disks only |
| Max persistent disks | 128 | 32 |
| Instance details1 of 2 differ | c4-standard-8 | c4a-standard-8 |
|---|---|---|
| Family | c4 | c4a |
| Category | General purpose | General purpose |
| Other1 of 2 differ | c4-standard-8 | c4a-standard-8 |
|---|---|---|
| Series | C4 | C4A |
| Specs source | Compute Engine API | Compute Engine API |
On-demand prices by region
Cheapest for c4-standard-8 first. Linux, USD per hour.
| Region | c4-standard-8 | c4a-standard-8 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbusus-east5 | $0.3953 | $0.3592 | ▼ 9% |
| IowaUsed in summaryus-central1 | $0.3953 | $0.3592 | ▼ 9% |
| Northern Virginiaus-east4 | $0.3953 | $0.3592 | ▼ 9% |
| Oregonus-west1 | $0.3953 | $0.3592 | ▼ 9% |
| South Carolinaus-east1 | $0.3953 | $0.3592 | ▼ 9% |
| Mumbaiasia-south1 | $0.4112 | $0.3736 | ▼ 9% |
| Netherlandseurope-west4 | $0.4151 | $0.3772 | ▼ 9% |
| Stockholmeurope-north2 | $0.4151 | $0.3772 | ▼ 9% |
| Mexiconorthamerica-south1 | $0.4309 | $0.3915 | ▼ 9% |
| Belgiumeurope-west1 | $0.4353 | $0.3955 | ▼ 9% |
| Finlandeurope-north1 | $0.4353 | $0.3955 | ▼ 9% |
| Johannesburgafrica-south1 | $0.4353 | $0.3955 | ▼ 9% |
| Montréalnorthamerica-northeast1 | $0.4353 | $0.3955 | ▼ 9% |
| Torontonorthamerica-northeast2 | $0.4353 | $0.3955 | ▼ 9% |
| Las Vegasus-west4 | $0.4453 | $0.4046 | ▼ 9% |
| Londoneurope-west2 | $0.4507 | $0.4095 | ▼ 9% |
| Taiwanasia-east1 | $0.4578 | $0.4159 | ▼ 9% |
| Dallasus-south1 | $0.4665 | $0.4239 | ▼ 9% |
| Frankfurteurope-west3 | $0.4665 | $0.4239 | ▼ 9% |
| Madrideurope-southwest1 | $0.4665 | $0.4239 | ▼ 9% |
| Los Angelesus-west2 | $0.4752 | $0.4318 | ▼ 9% |
| Warsaweurope-central2 | $0.4783 | $0.4346 | ▼ 9% |
| Dohame-central1 | $0.4803 | $0.4364 | ▼ 9% |
| Singaporeasia-southeast1 | $0.4877 | $0.4431 | ▼ 9% |
| Sydneyaustralia-southeast1 | $0.4942 | $0.4491 | ▼ 9% |
| Tokyoasia-northeast1 | $0.5077 | $0.4613 | ▼ 9% |
| Melbourneaustralia-southeast2 | $0.5139 | $0.4669 | ▼ 9% |
| Zuricheurope-west6 | $0.5179 | $0.4706 | ▼ 9% |
| Jakartaasia-southeast2 | $0.5316 | $0.483 | ▼ 9% |
| Santiagosouthamerica-west1 | $0.5653 | $0.5136 | ▼ 9% |
| São Paulosouthamerica-east1 | $0.6278 | $0.5704 | ▼ 9% |
| Dammamme-central2 | $0.6325 | $0.5749 | ▼ 9% |
Keep exploring
Each type’s own page, and how it compares with others.
c4a-standard-8
c4a-standard-8 prices and specsEvery size in the c4a familyCompare c4a-standard-8 with
GCP Compute Engine Linux prices in USD. Monthly figures use 730 hours. Prices last updated 12 Nov 2026.