Before I started this blog, I googled “how much does it cost to start a blog” and got the most useless range of answers imaginable. Some said free. Some said $500. One article tried to convince me I needed a $200/month hosting plan.
Now that I have actually done it, I can tell you exactly what it costs. Every dollar, no hidden fees, no affiliate-link-inflated recommendations.
Me: “Give me an honest breakdown of what I have spent so far.”
I asked Claude to go through everything I have set up and calculate the real cost. Not the theoretical cost, but what actually came out of my wallet.
The One-Time Costs
| Item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Domain (reapbountifully.com) | ~$10 | Bought on Gabia, Korean registrar. Renews yearly. |
That is it. One purchase. Ten dollars.
The Monthly Costs
| Item | Monthly Cost | What It Does |
|---|---|---|
| Vultr VPS | $6.00 | Hosts the entire blog |
| Claude Pro | $20.00 | AI that built and manages everything |
| Total | $26.00 |
Now, the Claude subscription is debatable. I would be paying for it regardless of this blog because I use it for my day job too. If you already have an AI subscription, your actual blog cost is just $6/month. If you do not, add $20.
The Free Stuff (That Would Cost Money Elsewhere)
I asked Claude to list everything we set up that is free but would cost money if I used paid alternatives. The list was surprisingly long:
| What I Got Free | Paid Alternative | What It Would Cost |
|---|---|---|
| WordPress CMS | WordPress.com Business | $25/mo |
| SSL Certificate (Let’s Encrypt) | Commercial SSL | $50-100/year |
| Yoast SEO plugin | Yoast Premium | $99/year |
| WP Super Cache | WP Rocket | $59/year |
| Google Search Console | Paid SEO tools | $99+/mo |
| Google Analytics | Paid analytics | $30+/mo |
| Server setup by AI | Hiring a freelancer | $100-300 one-time |
| Blog content by AI | Hiring a writer | $50-200 per post |
If I had paid for all of this, the first month alone would have been over $500. Instead, I spent $16 (domain + first month of VPS).
What the “Start a Blog” Industry Does Not Tell You
Most “how to start a blog” articles are written by people who make money from affiliate links to hosting companies. They recommend Bluehost or SiteGround because those companies pay $65-150 per referral. That is why every single beginner blogging guide recommends managed hosting — not because it is the best option, but because it pays the writer.
I am not linking to any hosting company with an affiliate link. I chose Vultr because Claude recommended it and it was the cheapest option that met my needs. I have no financial relationship with them.
The truth is: if you are technical enough to follow instructions (or have AI follow instructions for you), a VPS is dramatically cheaper than managed hosting and gives you more control.
The Hidden Costs Nobody Mentions
There are some costs that are not in dollars:
Time. Even with AI doing the heavy lifting, I still spend 15-25 minutes per blog post thinking about what to write and giving feedback on drafts. The initial setup took about 30 minutes. That is real time, even if it is not real money.
Consistency. A blog is worthless if you publish seven posts and then disappear for six months. The ongoing commitment of creating content is the real cost — and it is the one most people underestimate.
Patience. Google does not send you traffic on day one. It takes weeks to get indexed, months to build authority, and potentially a year before you see meaningful organic traffic. If you are expecting instant results, blogging is the wrong game.
When Does a Blog Start Making Money?
I asked Claude for realistic expectations. Its answer was sobering but honest:
- Month 1-3: Basically zero revenue. You are building content and waiting for Google to notice you.
- Month 3-6: If you have 20+ quality posts and decent SEO, you might start seeing 1,000-5,000 monthly page views. AdSense might pay $5-20/month at this stage.
- Month 6-12: With consistent posting and growing search traffic, $50-200/month from ads is realistic for a niche tech blog.
- Year 2+: If you stick with it, $500-2,000/month is achievable. Some tech bloggers make much more, but they are the exception.
So at $26/month in costs, I need to make at least that to break even. Based on Claude’s estimates, that should happen somewhere around month 4-6. Not exactly a get-rich-quick scheme, but the economics improve over time because the costs stay flat while traffic (and revenue) can keep growing.
My Break-Even Calculation
| Month | Cumulative Cost | Estimated Revenue | Profit/Loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| Month 1 | $36 | $0 | -$36 |
| Month 3 | $88 | $10-30 | -$58 to -$78 |
| Month 6 | $166 | $80-200 | -$86 to +$34 |
| Month 12 | $322 | $400-1,200 | +$78 to +$878 |
These are estimates, not guarantees. But the math is clear: the upfront investment is small, and if the blog gains traction, it becomes profitable relatively quickly compared to most side hustles.
How This Post Was Made
I told Claude I wanted a “real cost” breakdown post. I said to be honest and not oversell the opportunity — I want readers to trust the numbers on this blog. Claude wrote the first draft, and I asked it to add the break-even calculation and the part about affiliate links in the blogging industry, because that is something that genuinely annoys me about most “start a blog” content.
Published to WordPress via SSH, scheduled automatically. At this point you know the drill.
This post was written with Claude AI. I provided the direction, topic, and key points in Korean — Claude turned it into the article you just read.