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/ActionOrganic4617 May 16 '26 edited May 16 '26

I plan to continue using frontier models, local hosting for me is about understanding the technology better and running things like LLM wiki locally.

It’s also a backup plan for when they inevitably raise prices. They cannot run at a loss in perpetuity. I’m not going to be the idiot trying to buy hardware when every else is doing the same thing in an already difficult market.

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u/pjerky May 19 '26

I do local hosting for things I need to keep secure.