How many tokens does a 1-point story take to build with AI?
A 1-point user story typically takes about 160,000 tokens to build with an AI coding agent (roughly 64,000–374,000 depending on complexity), about $0.4750 at today's GPT-4o prices ($0.1900–$1.12). This is the build-time (developer) cost, not the cost of running the finished feature.
A 1-point story is the smallest unit most teams estimate: a change one developer finishes quickly, with little unknown. For an AI coding agent that usually means a handful of turns on one or two files, so the token spend — and cost — is small but non-zero because the agent re-reads context each turn.
Token & cost ranges
Cost uses GPT-4o at current prices. Verified 29 July 2026.
| Scenario | Input tokens | Output tokens | Total tokens | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low (simple) | 60,000 | 4,000 | 64,000 | $0.1900 |
| Typical | 150,000 | 10,000 | 160,000 | $0.4750 |
| High (complex) | 350,000 | 24,000 | 374,000 | $1.12 |
Typical cost by model
The same typical token estimate priced across a few common coding models.
| Model | Typical cost | Range (low–high) |
|---|---|---|
| GPT-4o | $0.4750 | $0.1900 – $1.12 |
| GPT-4o mini | $0.0285 | $0.0114 – $0.0669 |
| Claude Sonnet 4.6 | $0.6000 | $0.2400 – $1.41 |
| Gemini 2.0 Flash | $0.0190 | $0.00760 – $0.0446 |
How we estimate this
A 1-point story is a tiny, well-understood change — a couple of agent turns touching one or two files. Input tokens dominate because an agent re-sends file context on every turn; output is the generated code, diffs and tests. Treat these as planning ranges, not a quote — your real usage depends on codebase size, model, prompt caching and how many iterations it takes.
Examples of this size
- Add a field to an existing form and validate it
- Copy or config change with a small test
- Fix a well-isolated, reproducible bug
Estimate it with your own model
Plug in your model, complexity and prompt-caching to get a tailored range.
Frequently asked questions
How many tokens does a 1-point user story take to build with AI?+
A 1-point user story typically takes about 160,000 tokens to build with an AI coding agent (roughly 64,000–374,000 depending on complexity), about $0.4750 at today's GPT-4o prices ($0.1900–$1.12). This is the build-time (developer) cost, not the cost of running the finished feature.
Is this the cost to build it or to run it?+
This is the build-time (developer) cost — the tokens an AI coding agent burns while implementing the work. Running the finished feature is a separate, usually much smaller per-request cost.
Why is the range so wide?+
A 1-point story is a tiny, well-understood change — a couple of agent turns touching one or two files. Input tokens dominate because an agent re-sends file context on every turn; output is the generated code, diffs and tests. Treat these as planning ranges, not a quote — your real usage depends on codebase size, model, prompt caching and how many iterations it takes.
How can I lower the cost?+
Split large work into smaller pieces, enable prompt caching so re-sent context is billed at the cheaper cache-read rate, and use a cheaper model for routine steps. Try your own model in the Cost to build X estimator.