What it costs to write a tailored cover letter

A résumé and a job posting in; a letter written against that specific posting out.

Pricing verified: August 2026

The short answer

Between $0.0001 and $0.0050 per run, depending on the model. That is a 82× spread for the same job.

Cheapest that fits

Mistral: Mistral Nemo

$0.0001

$0.0015 at 25 applications a month

Best value

GPT-5.6 Luna

$0.0006

$0.014 at 25 applications a month

Highest quality

Claude Sonnet 5

$0.0050

$0.124 at 25 applications a month

How this is calculated

A two-page résumé plus a full job posting ≈ 1,650 words ≈ 2,200 input tokens. A 400-word letter ≈ 550 output tokens.

2,200 input tokens550 output tokens3k tokens context needed

Cost = (input tokens ÷ 1M × input price) + (output tokens ÷ 1M × output price). Prices come from our daily-verified model data. Batch and cached-input discounts are not applied — they only ever make these numbers smaller.

Every model, cheapest first

Model	Provider	Per run	At 25 applications a month	Context
Mistral: Mistral Nemo	Mistral	$0.0001	$0.0015	131k tokens
Google: Gemma 2 9B	Google	$0.0001	$0.0029	8k tokens
Meta: Llama 3.1 8B Instruct	Meta	$0.0002	$0.0039	16k tokens
OpenAI: GPT-5 Nano	OpenAI	$0.0002	$0.0041	400k tokens
Meta: Llama 3.2 1B Instruct	Meta	$0.0002	$0.0042	60k tokens
OpenAI: GPT-4.1 Nano	OpenAI	$0.0002	$0.0055	1.0M tokens
Mistral: Ministral 3 3B 2512	Mistral	$0.0003	$0.0069	131k tokens
Mistral: Mistral Small 3.2 24B	Mistral	$0.0003	$0.0069	128k tokens
GPT-4o	OpenAI	$0.0003	$0.0083	128k tokens
Google: Gemini 2.0 Flash Lite	Google	$0.0003	$0.0083	1.0M tokens
OpenAI: gpt-oss-safeguard-20b	OpenAI	$0.0003	$0.0083	131k tokens
Mistral: Mistral 7B Instruct v0.1	Mistral	$0.0003	$0.0087	3k tokens
Llama 4 Scout	Meta	$0.0004	$0.0096	512k tokens
Mistral: Devstral Small 1.1	Mistral	$0.0004	$0.0096	131k tokens
Mistral: Mistral Small Creative	Mistral	$0.0004	$0.0096	33k tokens
Mistral: Voxtral Small 24B 2507	Mistral	$0.0004	$0.0096	32k tokens
Meta: Llama 3 8B Instruct	Meta	$0.0004	$0.0096	8k tokens
Mistral: Ministral 3 8B 2512	Mistral	$0.0004	$0.010	262k tokens
Google: Gemini 2.0 Flash	Google	$0.0004	$0.011	1.0M tokens
Google: Gemini 2.5 Flash Lite	Google	$0.0004	$0.011	1.0M tokens
Google: Gemini 2.5 Flash Lite Preview 09-2025	Google	$0.0004	$0.011	1.0M tokens
DeepSeek V4-Flash	DeepSeek	$0.0005	$0.012	1M tokens
Meta: Llama Guard 4 12B	Meta	$0.0005	$0.012	164k tokens
Gemma 4 26B A4B	Google	$0.0005	$0.013	262k tokens
Gemma 4 31B	Google	$0.0005	$0.013	262k tokens
GPT-5.6 Luna	OpenAI	$0.0006	$0.014	1.1M tokens
Mistral: Ministral 3 14B 2512	Mistral	$0.0006	$0.014	262k tokens
GPT-4o Mini	OpenAI	$0.0007	$0.017	128k tokens
Mistral: Mistral Small 4	Mistral	$0.0007	$0.017	262k tokens
Mistral: Saba	Mistral	$0.0008	$0.019	33k tokens
Llama 4 Maverick	Meta	$0.0009	$0.022	256k tokens
OpenAI: GPT-4.1 Mini	OpenAI	$0.0009	$0.022	1.0M tokens
xAI: Grok 3 Mini	xAI	$0.0009	$0.023	131k tokens
xAI: Grok 3 Mini Beta	xAI	$0.0009	$0.023	131k tokens
Meta: Llama 3.2 11B Vision Instruct	Meta	$0.0009	$0.024	131k tokens
OpenAI: GPT-3.5 Turbo	OpenAI	$0.0010	$0.024	16k tokens
Google: Gemini 2.5 Flash	Google	$0.0010	$0.025	1.0M tokens
Llama Guard 3 8B	Meta	$0.0011	$0.027	131k tokens
Mistral Small 3.1	Mistral	$0.0011	$0.027	128k tokens
Mistral: Mistral Small 3	Mistral	$0.0011	$0.027	33k tokens
Meta: Llama 3.1 70B Instruct	Meta	$0.0011	$0.028	131k tokens
Mistral: Codestral 2508	Mistral	$0.0012	$0.029	256k tokens
DeepSeek V3	DeepSeek	$0.0012	$0.030	128k tokens
Anthropic: Claude 3 Haiku	Anthropic	$0.0012	$0.031	200k tokens
xAI: Grok Code Fast 1	xAI	$0.0013	$0.032	256k tokens
Google: Gemini 3 Flash Preview	Google	$0.0014	$0.034	1.0M tokens
DeepSeek V4-Pro	DeepSeek	$0.0014	$0.036	1M tokens
Mistral: Mixtral 8x7B Instruct	Mistral	$0.0015	$0.037	33k tokens
Meta: Llama 3 70B Instruct	Meta	$0.0015	$0.038	8k tokens
OpenAI: GPT-5 Mini	OpenAI	$0.0016	$0.041	400k tokens
OpenAI: GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini	OpenAI	$0.0016	$0.041	400k tokens
Google: Gemma 2 27B	Google	$0.0018	$0.045	8k tokens
Gemini 3.6 Flash	Google	$0.0019	$0.046	1.0M tokens
Mistral: Mistral Large 3 2512	Mistral	$0.0019	$0.048	262k tokens
Mistral: Devstral 2 2512	Mistral	$0.0020	$0.050	262k tokens
Mistral: Devstral Medium	Mistral	$0.0020	$0.050	131k tokens
Mistral: Mistral Medium 3	Mistral	$0.0020	$0.050	131k tokens
Mistral: Mistral Medium 3.1	Mistral	$0.0020	$0.050	131k tokens
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite	Google	$0.0020	$0.051	1.0M tokens
Google: Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image)	Google	$0.0020	$0.051	33k tokens
DeepSeek R1	DeepSeek	$0.0024	$0.060	128k tokens
OpenAI: o3 Mini	OpenAI	$0.0024	$0.061	200k tokens
OpenAI: o3 Mini High	OpenAI	$0.0024	$0.061	200k tokens
OpenAI: o4 Mini	OpenAI	$0.0024	$0.061	200k tokens
OpenAI: o4 Mini High	OpenAI	$0.0024	$0.061	200k tokens
Anthropic: Claude Haiku 4.5	Anthropic	$0.0025	$0.062	200k tokens
OpenAI: GPT Audio Mini	OpenAI	$0.0026	$0.066	128k tokens
Gemini 3.1 Flash	Google	$0.0027	$0.069	1M tokens
OpenAI: GPT-3.5 Turbo (older v0613)	OpenAI	$0.0033	$0.083	4k tokens
Codestral 25.01	Mistral	$0.0035	$0.087	256k tokens
Anthropic: Claude 3.5 Haiku	Anthropic	$0.0040	$0.099	200k tokens
Claude 4 Haiku	Anthropic	$0.0040	$0.099	200k tokens
Gemini 3.5 Flash	Google	$0.0041	$0.103	1.0M tokens
Google: Gemini 2.5 Pro	Google	$0.0041	$0.103	1.0M tokens
OpenAI: GPT-5 Codex	OpenAI	$0.0041	$0.103	400k tokens
Kimi K2.7 Code	Moonshot	$0.0043	$0.107	256k tokens
OpenAI: GPT-3.5 Turbo Instruct	OpenAI	$0.0044	$0.110	4k tokens
OpenAI: GPT-4.1	OpenAI	$0.0044	$0.110	1.0M tokens
OpenAI: o3	OpenAI	$0.0044	$0.110	200k tokens
Claude Sonnet 5	Anthropic	$0.0050	$0.124	1M tokens
GPT-5.6 Sol	OpenAI	$0.0050	$0.124	1.1M tokens
Muse Spark	Meta	$0.0051	$0.127	1.0M tokens
GPT-5.2 Mini	OpenAI	$0.0053	$0.132	128k tokens
GLM-5.2	Z.ai	$0.0055	$0.137	1M tokens
GPT-5.6 Terra	OpenAI	$0.0055	$0.137	1.1M tokens
OpenAI: GPT-5	OpenAI	$0.0055	$0.137	400k tokens
OpenAI: GPT-5 Image Mini	OpenAI	$0.0066	$0.165	400k tokens
Anthropic: Claude Sonnet 4.5	Anthropic	$0.0074	$0.186	1M tokens
Claude Sonnet 4.6	Anthropic	$0.0074	$0.186	1M tokens
Mistral Medium 3.5	Mistral	$0.0074	$0.186	256k tokens
Grok 4	xAI	$0.0077	$0.193	2M tokens
Grok 4.5	xAI	$0.0077	$0.193	500k tokens
Mistral Large 2	Mistral	$0.0077	$0.193	128k tokens
Mistral: Mixtral 8x22B Instruct	Mistral	$0.0077	$0.193	66k tokens
Mistral: Pixtral Large 2411	Mistral	$0.0077	$0.193	131k tokens
Qwen 3.8 Max	Alibaba	$0.0077	$0.193	1M tokens
Google: Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview 05-06	Google	$0.0083	$0.206	1.0M tokens
Google: Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview 06-05	Google	$0.0083	$0.206	1.0M tokens
OpenAI: GPT-5 Chat	OpenAI	$0.0083	$0.206	128k tokens
OpenAI: GPT-5.1	OpenAI	$0.0083	$0.206	400k tokens
OpenAI: GPT-5.1 Chat	OpenAI	$0.0083	$0.206	128k tokens
OpenAI: GPT-5.1-Codex	OpenAI	$0.0083	$0.206	400k tokens
OpenAI: GPT-5.1-Codex-Max	OpenAI	$0.0083	$0.206	400k tokens
OpenAI: GPT-3.5 Turbo 16k	OpenAI	$0.0088	$0.220	16k tokens
OpenAI: o4 Mini Deep Research	OpenAI	$0.0088	$0.220	200k tokens
Qwen 3.7 Max	Alibaba	$0.0096	$0.241	1M tokens
Gemini 3.1 Pro	Google	$0.011	$0.275	2M tokens
Google: Nano Banana Pro (Gemini 3 Pro Image Preview)	Google	$0.011	$0.275	66k tokens
OpenAI: GPT Audio	OpenAI	$0.011	$0.275	128k tokens
OpenAI: GPT-5.3 Chat	OpenAI	$0.012	$0.289	128k tokens
OpenAI: GPT-5.3-Codex	OpenAI	$0.012	$0.289	400k tokens
Claude Opus 5	Anthropic	$0.012	$0.309	1M tokens
GPT-5.4	OpenAI	$0.014	$0.344	272k tokens
Anthropic: Claude 3.7 Sonnet (thinking)	Anthropic	$0.015	$0.371	200k tokens
Anthropic: Claude Sonnet 4	Anthropic	$0.015	$0.371	200k tokens
Kimi K3	Moonshot	$0.015	$0.371	1M tokens
xAI: Grok 3	xAI	$0.015	$0.371	131k tokens
xAI: Grok 3 Beta	xAI	$0.015	$0.371	131k tokens
OpenAI: GPT-4 Turbo	OpenAI	$0.019	$0.481	128k tokens
Anthropic: Claude Opus 4.5	Anthropic	$0.025	$0.619	200k tokens
Claude Fable 5	Anthropic	$0.025	$0.619	1M tokens
Claude Opus 4.7	Anthropic	$0.025	$0.619	1M tokens
Claude Opus 4.8	Anthropic	$0.025	$0.619	1M tokens
GPT-5.5	OpenAI	$0.028	$0.688	1M tokens
OpenAI: GPT-5 Image	OpenAI	$0.028	$0.688	400k tokens
Anthropic: Claude 3.5 Sonnet	Anthropic	$0.030	$0.743	200k tokens
OpenAI: o1	OpenAI	$0.033	$0.825	200k tokens
OpenAI: GPT-4 Turbo (older v1106)	OpenAI	$0.039	$0.963	128k tokens
OpenAI: GPT-4 Turbo Preview	OpenAI	$0.039	$0.963	128k tokens
OpenAI: o3 Deep Research	OpenAI	$0.044	$1.10	200k tokens
OpenAI: o3 Pro	OpenAI	$0.044	$1.10	200k tokens
GPT-5.2	OpenAI	$0.047	$1.18	200k tokens
Claude Mythos 5	Anthropic	$0.050	$1.24	1M tokens
OpenAI: GPT-5 Pro	OpenAI	$0.050	$1.24	400k tokens
Anthropic: Claude Opus 4	Anthropic	$0.074	$1.86	200k tokens
Anthropic: Claude Opus 4.1	Anthropic	$0.074	$1.86	200k tokens
Claude Opus 4.6	Anthropic	$0.074	$1.86	1M tokens
OpenAI: GPT-4	OpenAI	$0.099	$2.48	8k tokens
OpenAI: GPT-4 (older v0314)	OpenAI	$0.099	$2.48	8k tokens
OpenAI: o1-pro	OpenAI	$0.330	$8.25	200k tokens

“Needs chunking” means the model's context window can't hold this job in a single pass, so the real cost is higher than the figure shown and quality usually suffers.

Should you just pick the cheapest?

A whole job search costs pennies at API rates, so almost nobody should be paying per token for this — the free consumer tiers cover it comfortably. The API figures below matter only if you are building a tool that writes letters for other people.

Price your own token counts →best ai for cover letters →best ai for resumes →best ai for job applications →best free ai →

Frequently asked

How much does it cost to write a cover letter with AI?

$0.0001 on Mistral: Mistral Nemo, the cheapest capable option, rising to $0.0050 on Claude Sonnet 5 at the top end. GPT-5.6 Luna is the value pick at $0.0006 per run. The job is priced at 2,200 input and 550 output tokens — see the working below.

How did you work out the token count for this task?

A two-page résumé plus a full job posting ≈ 1,650 words ≈ 2,200 input tokens. A 400-word letter ≈ 550 output tokens.

What does this cost at 25 applications a month?

$0.0015 a month on Mistral: Mistral Nemo, $0.014 on GPT-5.6 Luna, and $0.124 on Claude Sonnet 5. Batch APIs typically halve these figures for work that can wait, and prompt caching cuts the input side further when the same context is reused.

Is the cheapest model the right choice for this task?

Are these prices current?

Yes. Every figure on this page is computed from our model pricing data, which is checked daily against each provider's official pricing page. When a provider changes a price, these numbers change with it.