API cost decision in 10 seconds

🔥GPT-5.4 vs Qwen3 Coder 30B A3B Instruct

Pick Qwen3 Coder 30B A3B Instruct for lower cost; pick GPT-5.4 only if the larger context window matters more.

Page updated:  Data confirmed:  Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output

Budget verdict

Pick Qwen3 Coder 30B A3B Instruct for lower cost; pick GPT-5.4 only if the larger context window matters more.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Qwen3 Coder 30B A3B Instruct is estimated at $0.21 vs $10 for GPT-5.4, saving $9.79 (98% lower).

Cost-first pickQwen3 Coder 30B A3B Instruct
Context-first pickGPT-5.4
Sample savings$9.7998%
10x traffic gap$97.95

GPT-5.4 has more context, but Qwen3 Coder 30B A3B Instruct saves $9.79 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $97.95. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

Qwen3 Coder 30B A3B Instruct stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.

Workload shapeToken mixBetter pickGPT-5.4Qwen3 Coder 30B A3B Instruct
Input-heavy / RAG5M input + 500K outputQwen3 Coder 30B A3B Instruct$20$0.49
Balanced workload1M input + 1M outputQwen3 Coder 30B A3B Instruct$17.5$0.34
Output-heavy chatbot1M input + 5M outputQwen3 Coder 30B A3B Instruct$77.5$1.42
Cheaper input Qwen3 Coder 30B A3B Instruct $2.5 vs $0.07 / 1M

Qwen3 Coder 30B A3B Instruct is $2.43 cheaper per 1M input tokens (97.2% lower; 35.7x difference).

Cheaper output Qwen3 Coder 30B A3B Instruct $15 vs $0.27 / 1M

Qwen3 Coder 30B A3B Instruct is $14.73 cheaper per 1M output tokens (98.2% lower; 55.6x difference).

Larger context GPT-5.4 1.05M vs 160K

GPT-5.4 has 890K more context (6.56x larger).

Sample workload Qwen3 Coder 30B A3B Instruct $10 vs $0.21

Qwen3 Coder 30B A3B Instruct is $9.79 cheaper on the standard workload (98% lower).

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.
GPT-5.4 Calculating… Estimated API cost
Qwen3 Coder 30B A3B Instruct Calculating… Estimated API cost
Cheaper for this workload Calculating… Difference: calculating…

This estimate uses normalized public API pricing per 1M tokens. It is a planning aid, not a billing quote. Verify provider pricing, limits, and terms before production use.

Quick Decision

Verdict

Qwen3 Coder 30B A3B Instruct has the lower input price; Qwen3 Coder 30B A3B Instruct has the lower output price; GPT-5.4 offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Qwen3 Coder 30B A3B Instruct is cheaper for the standard workload.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $10 for GPT-5.4 and $0.21 for Qwen3 Coder 30B A3B Instruct.

Best Fit

Choose GPT-5.4 when you care most about larger context window.

Choose Qwen3 Coder 30B A3B Instruct when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.

Decision Notes
  • On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Qwen3 Coder 30B A3B Instruct is estimated at $0.21 vs $10 for GPT-5.4, saving $9.79 (98% lower).
  • Qwen3 Coder 30B A3B Instruct is $9.79 cheaper on the standard workload (98% lower).
  • Qwen3 Coder 30B A3B Instruct is $2.43 cheaper per 1M input tokens (97.2% lower; 35.7x difference).
  • Qwen3 Coder 30B A3B Instruct is $14.73 cheaper per 1M output tokens (98.2% lower; 55.6x difference).
  • GPT-5.4 has 890K more context (6.56x larger).
Head-to-Head Specs
Feature🔥GPT-5.4
(OpenAI)		Qwen3 Coder 30B A3B Instruct
(Qwen)
Input Price
prompt tokens per 1M		$2.5$0.07
Completion Price
per 1M tokens		$15$0.27
Sample Workload Cost
1M input + 500K output		$10$0.21
Context Window1.05M160K
Release Date
Popularity#19#145

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use caseBetter pickWhy
Budget-constrained productionQwen3 Coder 30B A3B InstructOn the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Qwen3 Coder 30B A3B Instruct is estimated at $0.21 vs $10 for GPT-5.4, saving $9.79 (98% lower).
High-volume input processingQwen3 Coder 30B A3B InstructLower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbotsQwen3 Coder 30B A3B InstructLower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document workGPT-5.4A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files.

Related Alternatives

Same-provider lower-cost swaps
  • gpt-oss-120b (free) can replace GPT-5.4 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
  • gpt-oss-20b (free) can replace GPT-5.4 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
  • gpt-oss-20b can replace GPT-5.4 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.1.
  • gpt-oss-120b can replace GPT-5.4 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.13.
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