The first question people ask is:
"How much does it cost to build a website?"
The best answer is, It depends.
The cost to develop a website can range from
a few dollars to several hundred dollars,
depending on several key factors.
This article breaks down those variables so you can understand what drives the cost and make informed decisions for your project.
The cost of owning a website consists of two components:
- Development costs and
- Running costs.
Typically, the development cost refers to what you pay the developer, while the running cost refers to the rent that you pay to a web hosting service provider.
1. Development costs
Development costs are a one-time expense for building a website.
Once developed, you can host it as long as you like the design.
Let me list some key factors that influence the development costs.
Type of Website (The Functionality)
The type of website is a primary factor that determines development costs.
The table below lists the types along with their development costs.
Please note that these are guidelines based on various online sources and my professional experience.
While not perfect, they closely reflect current industry practices.
| Type of Website | Cost Range |
|---|---|
| Personal Blog or Portfolio | $100 – $1,000 |
| Small Business Website | $1,000 – $10,000 |
| E-commerce Website | $5,000 – $50,000 |
| Web Application (SaaS, Marketplace) | $10,000 – $100,000+ |
| Enterprise-level Website | $30,000 – $100,000+ |
Design Complexity (The UX/UI)
The complexity of a design is directly related to the development cost.
The greater complexity leads to a higher development cost.
Here, we can make design choices, such as whether we can accommodate our functionality within a simple standard template design or whether we require a custom template.
Obviously, a standard template costs much less compared to a custom one.
| Template | Cost Range |
|---|---|
| Standard | $25 – $100+ |
| Custom | $500+ |
2. Running costs
Running costs refer to ongoing expenses that are usually calculated on an annual basis, although they can also be assessed monthly.
This cost may include both the rent paid to the service provider and our maintenance expenses.
Service Provider rents
| Service | Cost Per Year |
|---|---|
| Domain | $15 – $100+ |
| Hosting | $150 - $500+ |
Maintenance expenses
A static brousre type website do not require any bit a mainitanin at all
Total Cost
The total cost to own a website is always the sum of development cost and running cost.
The following table shows you an average cost to own a website.
| Year | Development Cost | Running Cost | Total Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| First | $250 | $155 | $405 |
| * Second | - | $185 | $185 |
* Second year or any consecutive years that doesn't involve any development work,
will only concede running cost, here $30 was added as maintenance.
I hope this article helps you understand most important aspects which are all affecting budget of a website.