4 vCPU / 8 GB in October 2026: Contabo’s commitment price vs US clouds

Yesterday’s Rack Lens brief covered the 2 vCPU / 4 GB split between European raises and flat US catalogues. Today’s question is the next rung up: what does 4 vCPU / 8 GB cost if you actually open the provider pages on 2 October 2026? The short answer: Contabo’s shared Cloud VPS 4 is still the headline cheap number — but only if you accept a long commitment and a slower port.

Prices below exclude VAT unless a page says otherwise. Euro→USD conversions for HostingSift figures use their flat 1.15 rate. Contabo’s US storefront shows dollars; Contabo’s EUR tracking and HostingSift use euros.

Contabo Cloud VPS 4 — the cheap 4/8 plan

HostingSift’s 1 October 2026 article (still matching Contabo’s live Core VPS page on 2 October) lists Cloud VPS 4 as:

Contabo’s US VPS page (checked 2026-10-02) shows the same tier marketed around $5.28/mo “for the first 24 months” (VAT-inclusive display on that storefront) with 4 vCPU / 8 GB / 100 GB. Treat currency and VAT line carefully — compare EUR-ex-VAT trackers to USD storefronts only after aligning tax.

HostingSift notes Contabo’s shared Cloud VPS 4 has been flat since that plan naming entered their series in August 2026. Contabo’s Cloud VDS (dedicated cores) did move up ~25–26.5% on 24-month terms; that is a different product line.

Same RAM tier elsewhere (orderable)

Hetzner CPX32 (4 vCPU / 8 GB) sits at €35.49 month-to-month after the June 2026 CPX hike (Hetzner USD list $41.99 per HostingSift). Hetzner’s cloud marketing page still marks the cheaper cost-optimised shared line as “Currently not available” — do not plan a new buy on unavailable SKUs.

Commitment math in one paragraph

If you keep Contabo Cloud VPS 4 for the full 24 months at €4.40, the headline wins on RAM dollars. If you might leave in month three, the relevant number is closer to €5.50 month-to-month — still far below DigitalOcean’s $48, but the gap versus OVH’s €8.49 mtm shrinks, and OVH’s shorter 12-month commit plus faster port may matter more than raw RAM. Contabo’s VDS hike is a reminder that “cheap Contabo” is not one number across product families.

Checklist before you click buy

1. Term — 24-month, 12-month, or true month-to-month?
2. Port and fair use — 200 Mbit/s with unlimited traffic is not the same product as a 1 Gbps cloud with metered egress.
3. Disk — 75 GB (OVH) vs 100 GB (Contabo) vs 160 GB (DO/Vultr class).
4. Renewal — Contabo published little about legacy protection on shared VPS; HostingSift flags reading your own renewal line.
5. VAT / currency — German VAT-inclusive views vs ex-VAT trackers vs Contabo’s USD storefront.

This is a briefing for buyers who already know they want roughly 4 vCPU and 8 GB. It is not a speed test and not a renewal guarantee.