2026 Cost Guide
How much does Data Center & Colocation cost in Los Angeles?
Estimates last reviewed Jul 2026.
Cost snapshot — Los Angeles, 2026
| Item | Typical price |
|---|---|
| Quarter cabinet (5–10 U, ~2 kW) | $650–$1,400/month |
| Half cabinet (~4 kW) | $1,100–$2,300/month |
| Full cabinet (~7–10 kW) | $1,600–$4,500/month |
| Higher-density cabinet (15+ kW) | $3,500–$9,000/month |
| Cross-connect (per port/month) | $150–$400 |
| Remote hands | $195–$350/hour (2-hour minimum common) |
| Setup fees | Often $500–$3,500 one-time |
Frequently asked
Colocation vs. AWS/Azure?
Cloud is usually the right default in 2026. Colocation still wins for: legacy licensing (per-core Oracle), regulated workloads, extreme predictability of cost, and latency-sensitive interconnect at hubs like One Wilshire.
Which LA data centers should we consider?
The main options: Coresite (LA1, LA2, LA3), Equinix (LA1–LA5), Digital Realty, DataBank, and Flexential. One Wilshire itself is the primary carrier hotel. El Segundo, Downtown, and Chino/Ontario have the largest footprints.
What's a carrier hotel?
A building where multiple ISPs and networks terminate and interconnect. One Wilshire in Downtown LA is the largest on the West Coast — critical for any business needing low-latency Pacific Rim connectivity.
Do we need N+1 redundancy?
For anything customer-facing or revenue-critical, yes. All LA Tier III/IV facilities offer N+1 or 2N power and cooling. Verify your provider's SLA and outage history.
What are cross-connects and why do they matter?
A cross-connect is a physical cable between your cabinet and another cabinet or carrier in the same facility. They're how you connect to your ISP, to AWS Direct Connect, or to another company's infrastructure. Fees are recurring — watch this cost.
Methodology, briefly
These figures are editorial estimates: typical ranges assembled from published market rates and national benchmark data, adjusted for the Los Angeles market. They are a starting point for budgeting, not quotes — actual pricing varies with headcount, compliance scope, and asset counts. We are collecting real pricing data from LA providers and will refine these ranges as it accumulates. See our full methodology.