GPT 5.4 vs Gemini Exp 1206 pricing
Side-by-side token pricing for GPT 5.4 (OpenAI) and Gemini Exp 1206 (Google Gemini), plus the total cost at three workload sizes so the crossover point is obvious. Prices refreshed 2026-10-28 12:57 UTC.
Reviewed by Mohammad Ghonchegi · dataset generated 2026-10-28 12:57 UTC · every figure below is recomputed from it on each refresh · how the numbers are produced
Which one is cheaper, and for what
GPT 5.4 and Gemini Exp 1206 sit at different points on the price curve: Gemini Exp 1206 charges free per million input tokens against $2.5 for GPT 5.4 — a 2.5× gap before any discount. On output they are billed at $15 and free respectively, which matters because output tokens are usually the larger line item once a workload is chatty. Blended 3:1 toward input, Gemini Exp 1206 comes out cheaper overall.
Workload shape decides the winner more often than the headline rate does. A prompt-heavy job (long documents, short answers) favours Gemini Exp 1206, because input dominates the bill. A completion-heavy job (short prompts, long answers) narrows the gap, because GPT 5.4 is only dearer on the input side: at $2.5 versus free per million input, a workload whose input is a small share of the total can land within a few percent of the cheaper option. Cache pricing changes this again: GPT 5.4 publishes a cache rate of $0.25 and Gemini Exp 1206 of —, so any app with a large fixed prompt should price both shapes before deciding.
Both columns come from the same pipeline and the same unit (USD per million tokens, refreshed together), so the comparison is like-for-like on price. It is not a quality comparison: identical token prices say nothing about accuracy, latency or rate limits, and enterprise agreements, regional pricing and batch modes are excluded. Confirm against each provider's own pricing page before committing to a contract.
| Metric | GPT 5.4 | Gemini Exp 1206 |
|---|---|---|
| Input $/1M tokens | $2.5 | free |
| Output $/1M tokens | $15 | free |
| Cached input $/1M | $0.25 | — |
| Context window | 1.1M | 2.1M |
| Max output | 128K | 8K |
| Vision | yes | yes |
| Tool calling | yes | yes |
| Cache pricing | yes | no |
Total cost by workload
| Workload | GPT 5.4 | Gemini Exp 1206 | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1M tokens in · 300K out | $7 | free | Gemini Exp 1206 (100% less) |
| 10M tokens in · 3M out | $70 | free | Gemini Exp 1206 (100% less) |
| 100M tokens in · 30M out | $700 | free | Gemini Exp 1206 (100% less) |
On blended cost (weighted 3:1 toward input), Gemini Exp 1206 comes out cheaper. Pick Gemini Exp 1206 when the workload is price-sensitive and its context window covers your prompts; GPT 5.4 is the one to benchmark if you need vision, reasoning depth, or a different quality profile.
Frequently asked
› Is GPT 5.4 cheaper than Gemini Exp 1206?
On input pricing, Gemini Exp 1206 is cheaper (free vs $2.5 per 1M tokens). On blended cost the winner is Gemini Exp 1206, because output tokens are weighted differently for most workloads.
› Which has the larger context window?
Gemini Exp 1206 offers the larger context (2.1M tokens).
› Do these prices include prompt caching?
Cached input is priced separately where a provider publishes a cache rate; the table above lists it per model so the comparison stays like-for-like.