Checked 2026-10-23 · Every figure sourced and dated
Colocation price index
What colocation costs in late 2026: retail ranges, wholesale rents from public filings, published list prices, cross-connect charges and the metered power cost in all 25 metros. Benchmarks, not offers: bids set the real number.
What you pay for
| Component | How it's billed |
|---|---|
| Space and rent | Per cabinet, per kW, or per square foot for cages and suites. Usually escalates every year. |
| Power | All-in (bundled in the rate), metered (draw times billed PUE times the utility rate) or breakered (charged on circuit size, used or not). |
| Cross-connects | One-time install ($100 to $500) plus a monthly charge ($150 to $300) per connection. |
| Bandwidth | Blended IP transit from the facility, or ports from your own carriers over cross-connects. |
| Setup and remote hands | Install fees, cabling, and hourly hands beyond any bundled hours. |
| Escalators and renewal | The yearly step-up and the price at renewal: often the largest number in a 36-month total. |
Retail and list prices
Small footprints have published prices. Full racks run $900 to $2,000 a month nationally, and $1,000 to $1,500 for a central Tier III rack with dual 20A 208V circuits.
Published list prices, Chicago
| Plan | Monthly | Setup | Includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1U | $99 | $100 | 1 Gb/s uplink, /29, 1 hour remote hands |
| 2U | $199 | $200 | 1 Gb/s uplink, /29, 1 hour remote hands |
| Half rack (20U) | $799 | $1,000 | 1 Gb/s uplink (10G available), /29, 1 hour remote hands |
| Full rack (40U) | $1,400 | $1,500 | Dual 20A 120V circuits, 1 Gb/s uplink, /29, 2 hours remote hands |
Retail ranges: Inflect, Colocation Pricing: What to Expect for Racks, Cabinets, and Cages in 2026, 2026-04-01. List prices: GigeNET, Chicago colocation (published list prices), captured 2026-10-23.
Wholesale rents and renewals from public filings
Size moves the price per kW more than anything else. Renewals are where the increases land.
From Digital Realty's Q2 2026 filing
| Metric | Americas | All regions |
|---|---|---|
| New contracts under 1 MW, $/kW per month | $293 | $280 |
| New contracts over 1 MW, $/kW per month | $156 | $157 |
| Change in renewal rates, cash basis | +25.4% | |
| 2026 guidance, renewal rates, cash basis | +9% to +11% |
Digital Realty, second quarter 2026 results (Form 8-K, Exhibit 99.1), 2026-07-23. Annualized GAAP base rent per kW per month on new contracts signed in the quarter, at Digital Realty's share; renewal figures are the change in rental rates on renewals signed in the quarter.
Metered power cost by metro
Where power is metered, the utility rate flows through with the facility's PUE on top. At 70% average draw and a billed PUE of 1.4, this is what each committed kW adds a month, cheapest first.
| Metro | Industrial rate | Per kW per month | 10 kW over 36 months |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houston | 7.07 cents/kWh | $51 | $18,208 |
| Dallas / Fort Worth | 7.07 cents/kWh | $51 | $18,208 |
| Austin | 7.07 cents/kWh | $51 | $18,208 |
| Seattle | 7.51 cents/kWh | $54 | $19,342 |
| Charlotte / Raleigh | 8.37 cents/kWh | $60 | $21,556 |
| Hillsboro / Portland | 8.92 cents/kWh | $64 | $22,973 |
| Salt Lake City | 9.10 cents/kWh | $65 | $23,437 |
| Miami | 9.17 cents/kWh | $66 | $23,617 |
| Phoenix | 9.35 cents/kWh | $67 | $24,080 |
| Denver | 9.54 cents/kWh | $68 | $24,570 |
| Detroit | 9.81 cents/kWh | $70 | $25,265 |
| St. Louis | 9.87 cents/kWh | $71 | $25,420 |
| Kansas City | 9.87 cents/kWh | $71 | $25,420 |
| Toronto | 12.80 CAD cents/kWh | $72 | $25,754 |
| Atlanta | 10.03 cents/kWh | $72 | $25,832 |
| Las Vegas | 10.04 cents/kWh | $72 | $25,857 |
| Northern Virginia (Ashburn) | 10.07 cents/kWh | $72 | $25,935 |
| Minneapolis | 10.34 cents/kWh | $74 | $26,630 |
| New York / New Jersey | 10.81 cents/kWh | $77 | $27,841 |
| Columbus / New Albany | 10.95 cents/kWh | $78 | $28,201 |
| Philadelphia | 11.04 cents/kWh | $79 | $28,433 |
| Chicago | 11.87 cents/kWh | $85 | $30,570 |
| Boston | 20.25 cents/kWh | $145 | $52,153 |
| Los Angeles | 25.11 cents/kWh | $180 | $64,669 |
| Silicon Valley (Santa Clara / San Jose) | 25.11 cents/kWh | $180 | $64,669 |
EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A, July 2026 (preliminary). Toronto: Hydro-Quebec price comparison, about 0.10 USD/kWh used. Power is a pass-through: we hold it flat over the term.
One deployment, three billing models
10 kW in Chicago with two cross-connects and a 3% escalator, priced so that the first month is close under each model. The 36-month totals still differ, because escalators hit rent but not metered power, and breakered circuits bill the capacity you don't draw.
| Model | Basis | First month | 36-month total | Per kW per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All-in | $250/kW covers space and power | $2,950 | $110,018 | $306 |
| Metered | $165/kW rent plus power at 70% draw, PUE 1.4 | $2,949 | $109,061 | $303 |
| Breakered | $165/kW rent plus $121/kW circuit charge on the full circuit | $3,310 | $123,371 | $343 |
Benchmarks set the range. Bids set the price.
Send your spec or the renewal notice you just received. At least three facilities that fit bid blind, and every bid comes back on one 36-month cost.
- Blind until you pick: facilities never see your name, email, company or files.
- Every bid on one basis: rent, power model, cross-connects, escalators and SLA credit caps.
- You sign direct with the facility. Participating providers pay our desk a placement commission when a buyer we introduce signs. It never changes their price or how we rank them.