# How Much Does It Cost to Build an AI SaaS in 2026? (Real Numbers)

I get this question every week from founders: "How much will it cost to build my AI SaaS?" The honest answer nobody gives you: it depends on 4 specific decisions, and most agencies quote you a number before understanding any of them. After building 15+ AI-powered SaaS products at Bluquoise Solutions, here are the real numbers. This is the biggest cost driver most people underestimate — not the engineering, the ongoing API cost. Model Input (per 1M tokens) Output (per 1M tokens) GPT-4o $5 $15 Cla