Domain price depends on the registry's wholesale cost, not on quality or ranking — extensions fall into three rough tiers: budget (often low single dollars, e.g. .xyz), mainstream (e.g. .com, .net, .org), and premium (e.g. .ai and registry-defined premium names). The single most important number is the renewal price, because cheap first-year promotions can renew at many times the teaser.
How TLD pricing actually works
You never buy a domain from ICANN or IANA — you license it for a year (or more) from a registrar, who pays a wholesale fee to the registry that operates the extension. Those wholesale fees vary by orders of magnitude, which is why a .com and a niche extension can differ so much. On top of the base fee, registries can flag individual names as "premium" (short, dictionary or keyword domains) and charge a multiple. Because exact figures move with promotions and registry changes, the table below gives indicative tiers and ranges rather than fixed quotes — always confirm the live renewal price at checkout.
TLD price tiers — indicative ranges
Typical posture by tier. Figures are indicative ranges that vary by registrar, promotion and date — confirm at registration.
| Tier | Example extensions | Typical range (USD/yr) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ultra-budget | .xyz | ~$1–$4 | Cheapest entry; check renewal, which is often higher than year one. |
| Budget | .online · .site · .shop · .store | ~$3–$10 | Cheap, descriptive niche extensions; promotional first-year deals common. |
| Mainstream | .com · .net · .org · .co | ~$10–$30 | Stable, predictable; .com renewal is regulated and rises slowly. |
| Mid-premium | .io · .app · .dev · .tech | ~$30–$70 | Popular tech extensions; .io and .ai are demand-driven. |
| Premium | .ai + registry "premium" names | ~$70–$1,000+ | High-demand extensions and short/keyword names; registry-set surcharges. |
Ranges are indicative and change with promotions and registry policy; treat them as orientation, not quotes. For a ranked, slug-level price list see cheapest TLDs. Registry data: IANA.
Renewal price is the number that matters
The headline registration price is a marketing figure; the renewal is what you actually pay every year for the life of the domain. Some registrars advertise a near-free first year and then renew at the standard — sometimes premium — rate. Before you register, find the renewal line in the cart and budget on that. A .com at a steady mainstream renewal is often cheaper over five years than a "cheap" extension with an aggressive renewal.
Premium individual names
Separately from the extension's base price, registries flag certain individual names as "premium" — typically short, single-word or high-keyword domains — and charge a surcharge that can be many times the standard fee, sometimes recurring every year. If a name you want shows an unusually high price, that is a registry premium tag, not a registrar error. Decide whether the exact name is worth the recurring premium or whether a standard-priced alternative serves the brand just as well.