Prompt Caching Economics: A Worked Example

By C.W. Jameson · Published 10 April 2026 · Last reviewed 10 April 2026

I ran the same 5,000-token system prompt through 10,000 calls. With caching: $12. Without: $112. The setup took twenty minutes.

Step-by-step cost comparison showing how Anthropic's prompt cache saves 80-90% on repetitive workloads.