PLA vs PETG vs ABS: Which Filament Costs Less? (2026)

Sticker price says the three big filaments cost about the same. Print a few hundred hours with each and you'll find they don't. Here's where the real cost differences hide.

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Spool Prices at a Glance

For standard 1 kg spools from reputable brands, current street prices cluster tightly: PLA runs roughly $18–25/kg, PETG about $18–25/kg, and ABS around $16–23/kg — ABS is often the cheapest per kilogram because it's a commodity plastic produced at enormous scale. On raw spool price alone, the three are close to a wash. Use thefilament cost calculator to compare any two spools per gram — that's the honest way to compare deals across brands and spool sizes.

Where PLA Wins: Fewer Failures

PLA's real cost advantage isn't the spool price — it's the success rate. It prints cool (185–220 °C), doesn't need an enclosure, barely warps, and tolerates imperfect first layers. For a beginner, the difference between a 95% success rate and an 80% success rate is enormous: every failed print is filament in the bin. If you fail one 100 g print in five, your effective material cost jumps 25%.

A dependable starter PLA like Polymaker PolyLite PLA keeps that failure tax low.

Where PETG Costs More Than It Looks

PETG's spool price matches PLA, but it's hygroscopic — it drinks moisture from the air, and wet PETG strings, pops, and adheres poorly. Budget for a dry box or filament dryer (a one-time $30–60 cost), or expect to waste filament re-printing stringy parts. PETG also purges more during color changes and tends to need slightly hotter, slower prints — more electricity per part, though the difference is cents. A vacuum-sealed, reputable spool like Overture PETG arrives dry, which matters more for PETG than for any other everyday filament.

Where ABS Gets Expensive: The Failure Tax

ABS is the cheapest plastic on the spool and often the most expensive in practice. It demands a heated chamber or enclosure, warps aggressively on open-frame printers, and cracked or lifted prints go straight in the bin. On an enclosed printer it's a workhorse; on an open frame, the failure rate can make its effective cost the highest of the three. It also needs ventilation — the fumes are unpleasant and best not breathed. If your printer isn't enclosed, PETG delivers most of ABS's heat resistance at a fraction of the hassle.

The Verdict, Per Finished Print

Counting failures, drying gear, and electricity — not just spool price —PLA is the cheapest filament per successful print for most hobbyists, PETG is a close second once you own a dryer, and ABS only wins on cost if you have an enclosed printer and good ventilation. Run your own numbers with thecost-per-print calculator — set the waste percentage to your real failure rate and watch the ranking shift.

Prices are approximate and change frequently. Always check current listings before purchasing.