OpenAI Realtime API Pricing in 2026: Real-World Data From 4,000 Measured Sessions
Most blog estimates quote $0.18–$0.46/min for gpt-realtime-mini. We measured 4000 real production sessions and got $0.063–$0.082/min for a real voice agent, up to $0.146/min in extreme cases. Audio output tokens dominate — 80% of your bill. The $0.46/min figure is physically impossible: it would require 230 seconds of AI speech per minute. For client pricing, never quote the floor. Charge $0.20/min minimum to cover worst-case sessions with margin
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