Input tokens are typically billed at a different rate than output tokens
description
Most LLM API providers, including Anthropic, bill output tokens at a materially higher per-token rate than input tokens, because generating tokens is more computationally expensive than processing them as input.
how it works
When estimating the cost of a workflow, the split between input and output token volume matters — a request with a huge input document but a short answer costs differently than one with a short prompt and a long generated response.
source note
General, widely-known industry pattern for token-based LLM API pricing; no specific current Anthropic rate is asserted, since this session did not perform a live pricing search.
provenance
created 2026-07-02 08:30:36 · JSON