The cheapest VPS you can run in a US data center is Vultr's Regular Performance 512 MB at $2.50 a month, billed hourly, but it comes with an IPv6 address only. With a normal IPv4 address, the cheapest useful server is InterServer's 1-slice Linux VPS: 2 GB of RAM, 40 GB of SSD and 2 TB of transfer for $3.00 a month, billed monthly, with no intro price and no renewal increase.
We checked these prices on 7 October 2026, at the shortest billing term each provider sells, so no plan below needs a long prepayment unless we say so. Providers that bill in euros are converted at that day's rate (about $1.13 per euro). Prices exclude sales tax.
How we picked
We counted cloud servers as VPS, since a 1 GB cloud instance and a 1 GB "VPS" do the same job, and kept only plans the provider sells in a US location. That leaves 762 plans from 18 of the 20 providers we track, more than in any other country. The notable absence is OVHcloud, whose VPS is sold in Canada but not in the US. We left out managed servers (Cloudways, managed VPS from hosting.com and DreamHost) because you pay extra for the management layer, and we left out Windows plans.
Our location data is country-level, so we can't rank East Coast against West Coast for every provider. Where a provider names its US cities, we mention them below.
The 12 cheapest VPS plans in the USA
| # | Plan | vCPU | RAM | Storage | Price per month | Billing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vultr Regular 512 MB (IPv6 only) | 1 | 512 MB | 10 GB SSD | $2.50 | Hourly |
| 2 | InterServer Linux VPS 1 Slice | 1 | 2 GB | 40 GB SSD | $3.00 | Monthly |
| 3 | UpCloud Starter 1 GB | 1 | 1 GB | 10 GB SSD | $3.38 (€3.00) | Hourly |
| 4 | Vultr Regular 512 MB | 1 | 512 MB | 10 GB SSD | $3.50 | Hourly |
| 5 | DigitalOcean Basic 512 MB | 1 | 512 MB | 10 GB SSD | $4.00 | Hourly |
| 6 | Namecheap Spark VPS | 1 | 1 GB | 20 GB SSD | $4.88 | Monthly, renews at $5.88 |
| 7 | Bluehost VPS NVMe 2 | 1 | 2 GB | 50 GB NVMe | $4.99 | Monthly, renews at $5.99 |
| 8 | Vultr Regular 1 GB | 1 | 1 GB | 25 GB SSD | $5.00 | Hourly |
| 9 | Linode Nanode 1 GB | 1 | 1 GB | 25 GB SSD | $5.00 | Hourly |
| 10 | IONOS VPS S+ | 1 | 2 GB | 60 GB NVMe | $5.00 | 12-month term, renews at $6.00 |
| 11 | IONOS Cloud Basic Cube XS | 1 | 2 GB | 60 GB NVMe | $5.76 | Hourly |
| 12 | InterServer Linux VPS 2 Slices | 1 | 4 GB | 80 GB SSD | $6.00 | Monthly |
All of these are unmanaged: you get root access and look after the operating system yourself.
Cheapest overall: Vultr's US-only 512 MB plans
Vultr sells two 512 MB plans that, in our data, exist only in its US locations: $2.50 a month with IPv6 only and $3.50 with IPv4. Both have 1 vCPU, 10 GB of SSD and 0.5 TB of transfer, billed by the hour.
An IPv6-only server can't be reached by visitors or services that only speak IPv4, which still includes plenty of home and mobile connections. It works for a backend that only talks to other IPv6 machines, or behind a proxy or CDN that handles IPv4 for you. For a public website, pay the extra dollar. Either way, 512 MB is tight: enough for a VPN or a small bot, not for WordPress with a database.
Most RAM per dollar: InterServer
InterServer builds its VPS from "slices": each $3 slice adds 2 GB of RAM, 40 GB of SSD and 2 TB of transfer, with one core per two slices. One slice costs $3.00 and two slices (4 GB, 80 GB, 4 TB) cost $6.00, both month to month, and the price doesn't change on renewal. InterServer's data centers are in New York City, Dallas and Los Angeles, on a shared 10 Gbps port, and it offers a 30-day refund.
There is also a Storage VPS at the same $3 per slice, which swaps the SSD for 1 TB of HDD per slice. It's built for backups and file storage rather than for running apps.
US-only hosts with intro pricing
Three providers in this list sell their VPS only in the US, and two of them use intro prices that rise later:
- Namecheap Spark VPS: 1 GB and 1 TB of transfer for $4.88 a month, renewing at $5.88. Pay for 12 months and it's $3.88, renewing at $4.88.
- DreamHost VPS Stack 4: 2 vCPUs, 4 GB and 75 GB of NVMe. It's $8.99 month to month, an intro price that lasts the first three months before $15.99. On a 24-month term it's $5.99 a month, renewing at $10.99. That makes it one of the cheapest 4 GB plans in the US if you prepay, but check the renewal before you do.
- InterServer, above, is the exception: one flat monthly price.
IONOS: cheap 2 GB, but read the term
IONOS's VPS S+ has 1 vCPU, 2 GB of RAM and 60 GB of NVMe with unlimited traffic at 1 Gbps. It is sold only on a 12-month term. IONOS advertises a lower promo price for the first three months, and $5.00 is the average monthly cost across that first year. After that, it renews at $6.00 a month.
If you don't want a yearly contract, IONOS's Cloud Cube XS has the same 2 GB and 60 GB for $5.76, billed by the minute. IONOS lists Newark, New Jersey, as the US location for its Cubes.
The hourly clouds: same price as everywhere
DigitalOcean, Vultr, Linode, UpCloud and Lightsail charge the same in the US as in their European regions: $4 to $6 for 512 MB to 1 GB, billed hourly up to a monthly cap. UpCloud's Starter 1 GB is the cheapest of these at $3.38, with a small 10 GB disk. Lightsail's cheapest US server is $5.00 for 512 MB, or $7.00 for 1 GB with 2 TB of transfer.
Hourly billing makes them the best choice for testing: create a server in two US regions, check which responds faster for your users, and delete the other.
Watch out for
- Contabo's location fee. Contabo's Cloud VPS 4 (4 vCPUs, 8 GB) is €5.50 a month in Germany. In the US, Contabo adds a location fee, from €1.05 a month for US Central on this plan, so budget about €6.55 ($7.37). It is still the most RAM for the money; see our 8 GB VPS comparison.
- Hetzner costs much more in the US. Hetzner's cheapest US server in our data is the CPX11 with 2 vCPUs and 2 GB at €17.99 a month ($20.24) and 1 TB of traffic. Its cheaper CX range isn't listed for the US at all.
- netcup's US prices. netcup's VPS 500 (4 GB) is listed at €7.98 a month for its European locations; its US servers are in Manassas, Virginia, and choosing a specific location costs extra.
- Renewals. Namecheap, Bluehost, IONOS and DreamHost all renew higher than the first term. Our renewal price guide explains how to compare them.
FAQ
What is the cheapest VPS in the USA?
Vultr's 512 MB plan at $2.50 a month with IPv6 only, or $3.50 with IPv4. For a server with real memory, InterServer's 1 slice gives you 2 GB of RAM for $3.00 a month.
What is the cheapest 4 GB VPS in the US?
InterServer's 2-slice VPS at $6.00 a month, billed monthly with no renewal increase. DreamHost's VPS Stack 4 is $5.99 a month, but only on a 24-month term, and it renews at $10.99.
Do US VPS providers charge more on the West Coast or East Coast?
Most providers we track show one price for all their US locations, with exceptions such as Contabo and netcup, which charge by location. Our data records locations at country level, so check the order page if you need a specific city.
Is a $5 VPS enough for a WordPress site?
A 1 GB server can run a small WordPress site, but 2 GB gives you more headroom for the database and caching. At $5 or less, Bluehost's VPS NVMe 2, IONOS's VPS S+ and InterServer's 1 slice all give you 2 GB.
The bottom line
The US is the cheapest and most crowded VPS market we track. Vultr's US-only 512 MB plans start at $2.50, but for most projects InterServer's $3.00 slice with 2 GB of RAM, or two slices with 4 GB for $6.00, is the best value, with no renewal jump. The hourly clouds cost $5 to $6 for 1 GB and are the easiest way to test.
To see every VPS we track with a US location, filtered and sorted live, use our VPS hosting page, or see the full, live ranking of cheap VPS hosting.