Cheapest GPU to train a LoRA (live prices)

Live list prices for single-GPU rentals, fetched 2026-10-16 14:43 UTC from RunPod (public price API) and Vast.ai (cheapest live marketplace offer). TensorDock: unknown (no public price API).

Cheapest 24GB+ card right now: RTX 3090 at $0.12/hr.

GPU	VRAM	RunPod community	RunPod secure	Vast.ai cheapest
RTX 3090	24 GB	$0.22	$0.50	$0.12
RTX 4090	24 GB	$0.34	$0.89	$0.39
RTX 5090	32 GB	$0.69	$1.19	$0.40
L40S	48 GB	$0.79	$1.09	$0.80
A40	48 GB	$0.35	$0.59	—
A100 80GB	80 GB	$1.39	$1.79	$0.46
H100 80GB	80 GB	$2.69	$3.99	$3.19

Which card for which model?

FLUX.2 klein: 12-16 GB is enough (guide).
FLUX.2 dev: 80 GB recommended, a 24 GB config exists in ai-toolkit (guide).
Krea 2 / Z-Image: trainers do not publish exact numbers; musubi-tuner recommends 12 GB+ for image training (Krea 2, Z-Image).

Vast.ai is a marketplace: host reliability varies. Prices change constantly; check the provider before renting.

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Data updated 2026-10-16. Some provider links may be referral links. unknown = not yet verified.