Codestral vs GPT-5.5
Detailed pricing comparison and cost analysis.
Updated September 2026
Cost Simulator
| Feature | Codestral | GPT-5.5 |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Mistral | OpenAI |
| Input Price (1M) | $0.30 | $5.00 |
| Output Price (1M) | $0.90 | $30.00 |
| Context Window | 256,000 | 1,000,000 |
Verdict
Codestral costs $0.30 per 1M input tokens and $0.90 per 1M output tokens. GPT-5.5 costs $5.00 per 1M input tokens and $30.00 per 1M output tokens. Codestral is 94% cheaper on input tokens than GPT-5.5. For output tokens, Codestral is the more affordable option at $0.90/1M vs $30.00.
On context window, GPT-5.5 supports 1,000,000 tokens — meaning it can fit more conversation history, documents, or code in a single request. This matters for RAG pipelines, long document analysis, and agentic workflows where context builds up over many turns.
When to choose Codestral
- ✓ You need the lowest input token cost ($ 0.30/1M)
- ✓ Your workload is output-heavy — Codestral generates text cheaper
- ✓ You are already integrated with Mistral
When to choose GPT-5.5
- ✓ You need a larger context window (1,000,000 tokens)
- ✓ You are already integrated with OpenAI
Use the calculator above to simulate your specific workload and find the exact break-even point. For most applications, the cheapest model is the one that minimises your total monthly bill given your input-to-output token ratio.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Codestral cheaper than GPT-5.5? ▼
Codestral is cheaper on input tokens at $0.30/1M vs $5.00/1M for GPT-5.5 — a 94% saving.
What is the context window of Codestral vs GPT-5.5? ▼
Codestral has a 256,000-token context window. GPT-5.5 has a 1,000,000-token context window. GPT-5.5 supports the larger context, suitable for longer documents and agentic workflows.
Which model is better: Codestral or GPT-5.5? ▼
The best choice depends on your use case. For cost efficiency on input tokens, Codestral is the cheaper option. For maximum context length, GPT-5.5 supports 1,000,000 tokens. Use the comparison table above to find the right fit for your workload.