Claude Cost Per Token (What to Track)
A clear way to estimate Claude costs, including input vs output tokens and workflow call volume.
The problem
Claude cost becomes confusing when your app keeps re-sending context or when agents trigger extra refinement calls.
Claude pricing in plain language
Think in input tokens (context) and output tokens (responses). Then add the call volume your product triggers.
Cost breakdown
- Prompt/context tokens
- Response/output tokens
- Workflow calls: retries, tools, and “draft → refine” loops
Example estimate
Multiply input/output token counts by their respective rates, then scale by how many calls you make per user action.
Optimization checklist
- Shorten context (summaries + retrieval)
- Cap max output tokens
- Add guardrails to stop runaway loops