How Much Does Server Colocation Cost Per Month
Server colocation pricing is one of the least transparent areas in the hosting industry. Providers rarely publish full rack rates, and the gap between advertised and invoiced costs can be significant. Understanding how colocation is priced - by rack unit, by power draw, or by full cabinet - is essential before signing a contract.
Price ranges by tier
Single rack unit (1U) colocation in a regional European data center starts at EUR 20-50 per month for the space alone. Power and bandwidth are typically billed separately. A half-rack (20-22U) in a Tier II facility costs EUR 200-600 per month all-in. A full 42U cabinet in a Tier III facility ranges from EUR 400 per month at a local provider to EUR 2,000-5,000+ per month at a major carrier-neutral facility like Equinix or Interxion in a tier-1 city. Power density matters: standard racks at 2-4kW are priced differently from high-density deployments at 10-20kW, which require dedicated cooling.
What drives the cost
Colocation cost consists of several components billed independently. Space is measured in rack units (U) for partial deployments or in full cabinets for larger customers. Power is measured in kW of committed draw; most contracts include a power allowance with overage charges. Bandwidth is quoted in Mbps of committed rate or in GB of total monthly traffic. Cross-connect fees apply when you connect to carriers or cloud providers within the facility. Remote hands (physical assistance with your hardware) is billed per hour or per incident, typically EUR 50-150 per engagement.
Facility tier significantly affects price. Tier III guarantees 99.982% availability with N+1 redundancy throughout; Tier IV adds 2N redundancy but costs 30-60% more. Certification (ISO 27001, SOC 2, PCI DSS) and compliance add to operational costs that providers pass through in pricing.
Price comparison table
| Provider | Location | Tier | Full rack | Power included | Approx/month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DCXV | Prague CZ / Vilnius LT | III | 42U | 2 kW | EUR 450 |
| Equinix | Frankfurt DE / Amsterdam NL | III+ | 42U | 2 kW | EUR 1,800 |
| Interxion | Amsterdam NL / Frankfurt DE | III | 42U | 2 kW | EUR 1,500 |
| Global Switch | London UK / Frankfurt DE | III+ | 42U | 2 kW | EUR 2,200 |
| Local DC | Various EU | II-III | 42U | 2 kW | EUR 300-700 |
DCXV pricing
DCXV offers colocation in Prague CZ and Vilnius LT, both operating at Tier III level with 99.982% facility SLA. Full rack colocation starts at EUR 450 per month including 2kW of power and 1Gbps uplink on AS204057. Remote hands services are available. Contracts are available monthly with no long minimum commitment required for standard configurations.
Colocation at DCXV is GDPR-native: the Republic of Cyprus jurisdiction ensures your hardware falls under EU data protection law regardless of which EU data center location you use. Support is 24/7/365 with average response time of approximately 10 minutes.
Contact sales@dcxv.com for a colocation quote or start at https://dcxv.com/data-center#dedi.
Hidden costs to watch for
Power overage is the most common source of unexpected charges. If your hardware draws more than the committed power allocation, overages are billed at high per-kW rates. Cross-connect fees at carrier-neutral facilities run EUR 50-300 per month per connection. Remote hands is billed separately and can add EUR 200-500 per month if your team makes frequent hardware changes. Out-of-hours access fees apply at some facilities. Review whether IP transit is included or sold separately - some colocation providers require you to purchase bandwidth from their network at premium rates.
