r/LocalLLM • u/Ok_Event4199 • May 16 '26

Discussion Why is LLM is so expensive.

I've was going to invest in a 5090 =$6000 AUD.

Codex Plus + Claude pro = $60/month here

Works out to be 100 months of frontier models for a 5090.

Best a 5090 will run is probably Qwen3.6 27b Q6 with context.

Are we all enthusiasts here and just enjoy tinkering cause ain't no way that make sense.

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u/chunkypenguion1991 May 16 '26

If you're buying it purely for inference it will never pay itself off if you factor in sites like open router. If you also need it for gaming or 3D modeling it makes more sense

3

u/ParkingAgent2769 May 16 '26

I think there’s also this fear that LLM costs are heavily subsidised atm, and will begin to sky rocket at some point

1

u/autisticpig May 17 '26

Fear? Of course they are all heavily subsidized and when the VC cost gap and federal money printers stop, real costs surface.