# How much does LLM fine-tuning cost?

_The AI Build Index, published by VIZIO AI. Updated 2026-11-04. USD._

LLM fine-tuning typically costs about $3,500. Half of the 78 priced briefs we tracked fall between $420 and $13,700, and one in ten reaches $27,100 or more.

## Key facts

- Typical cost: $3,500, with the middle half of briefs between $420 and $13,700.
- That is 40% above the $2,500 median across all AI builds we track.
- Work expected to take under a month has a median of $450, against $26,400 for over six months.
- Fixed-price median $400; hourly estimate median $11,500.
- Hourly rates mostly run from $28 to $45 an hour.
- Most requested skills: Machine Learning, Python and Artificial Intelligence.

## What it includes

LLM fine-tuning trains a language model further on your examples so it follows a format, tone or specialised task more reliably than prompting alone.

- Dataset collection and cleaning
- Training runs on a chosen base model
- Evaluation against a held-out test set
- Deployment or hosted endpoint
- A process for retraining

## What drives the cost

Work expected to take under a month has a median of $450, against $26,400 for over six months. Part of that gap is built in, because hourly estimates are calculated from expected length. Fixed-price briefs state a median of $400, while hourly briefs work out at $11,500 on our estimate: 29 times as much. One likely reason is that fixed budgets tend to cover a small first step, while hourly briefs describe sustained work.

| Expected length | Median cost | Priced briefs |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Under 1 month | $450 | 22 |
| 1 to 3 months | $3,600 | 39 |
| 3 to 6 months | $21,600 | 8 |
| Over 6 months | $26,400 | 9 |

| Seniority requested | Median cost | Priced briefs |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Junior | Too few briefs | 3 |
| Mid-level | $1,000 | 35 |
| Senior | $6,800 | 40 |

- Quality and size of training data
- Hosted fine-tuning or open models on your own GPUs
- How rigorous the evaluation must be

## Skills and rates

The skills named most often in these briefs are Machine Learning (61%), Python (55%), Artificial Intelligence (35%) and Deep Learning (31%). Read this as the working stack for this kind of build, and as a checklist when assessing who should do it.

Hourly briefs for this work typically offer $28 to $45 an hour, the middle half of stated rates. The median top of the range is $45 an hour across 40 hourly briefs. These are rates in the open open-market market: agencies and in-house teams usually cost more.

## Who is buying

54% of briefs ask for senior talent. Buyers are most often based in the United States and the United Kingdom, with 44% in the United States. Among briefs that state a company size, 93% come from companies of up to 10 people. A typical brief draws about 12 responses.

## What to check before you commit

- Try better prompts and retrieval first, as they are often enough
- Hold back a test set before training
- Check the licence of the base model

## Frequently asked questions

### How much does LLM fine-tuning cost?

LLM fine-tuning typically costs about $3,500. Half of the 78 priced briefs we tracked fall between $420 and $13,700, and one in ten reaches $27,100 or more. That is 40% above the $2,500 median across all AI builds we track.

### How long does LLM fine-tuning take?

29% of briefs expect the work done in under a month, 50% in one to three months and 21% over a longer stretch. Work expected to take under a month has a median of $450, against $26,400 for over six months.

### Why do estimates vary so much?

Fixed-price briefs state a median of $400, while hourly briefs work out at $11,500 on our estimate: 29 times as much. One likely reason is that fixed budgets tend to cover a small first step, while hourly briefs describe sustained work. Scope matters most: quality and size of training data and hosted fine-tuning or open models on your own GPUs move the price the most.

### What hourly rate should I expect?

Most hourly briefs offer $28 to $45 an hour, with a median top rate of $45. Agencies and in-house specialists usually charge more than the open open-market market.

### What skills does this work need?

Briefs most often ask for Machine Learning, Python, Artificial Intelligence and Deep Learning.

### Do I need senior talent?

Briefs asking for senior talent have a median of $6,800, 6.8 times the $1,000 for mid-level talent. 54% of briefs ask for senior talent.

### Where do these numbers come from?

From 78 public project briefs published between December 2025 and November 2026: 38 fixed budgets as stated and 40 hourly briefs we costed from their rate, expected length and assumed hours. They are what buyers offered, not signed contract prices.

## Source

The AI Build Index. "LLM fine-tuning: what it costs." Published by VIZIO AI. Updated 2026-11-04. https://aibuildindex.com/cost/llm-fine-tuning

Method: https://aibuildindex.com/methodology