Setting Up Cost Explorer

Step 1: Sign in to your primary AWS account.

If you have multiple accounts consolidated in AWS Organizations ensure you are signed into the master account. If you do not yet have an AWS account please create one.

Notes about Cost Explorer: 

• Using Cost Explorer, Budgets, and Cost Usage through the AWS console is free.
• Once Cost Explorer is enabled on an account, you cannot disable it.
• Cost Explorer can help make recommendations for reducing your overall costs.
• Budgets can be configured with alarms to warn of spend.

At the AWS Console Home click Services on the menu bar and search for "billing"

The AWS console Billing service allows you to view, report, manage, and project costs across your AWS Organizations.

• Click on Cost Explorer.

• On the welcome screen, select Enable Cost Explorer.

Once enabled, Cost Explorer will take some time to provision. Within 24 hours you will be able to view the past 3 months of your data. It may take a few days to show up to 12 months of your past data. - Troubleshoot Cost Explorer.

• Once Cost Explorer has been enabled, click Launch Cost Explorer.

• The AWS Cost Management home screen will show your monthly costs to date, your forecasted costs, and your daily spend and trends across services.

• If you select Cost Explorer you can run custom reports for all services in your consolidated or individual AWS accounts.

Pro Tip: Depending on your institutional needs, utilizing billing products like AWS Reserved Instances for Learning Labs, or setting budgets and alarms may help you to optimize your AWS spend.