Qwen 3.5.9 B vs Qwen 3.8 27 B: cost comparison
Prices updated 2026-11-05 · computed from live provider data
Short answer: Qwen 3.5.9 B is cheaper on a
3:1 input/output blend — $0.190 per million tokens versus
$0.253, a 25% difference.
Both offer the same 262,144-token context window, so cost is the deciding factor.
Head to head
| Qwen 3.5.9 B | Qwen 3.8 27 B | |
|---|---|---|
| Input, per 1M tokens | $0.170 | $0.170 |
| Output, per 1M tokens | $0.250 | $0.500 |
| Blended 3:1, per 1M | $0.190 | $0.253 |
| Context window | 262,144 | 262,144 |
| Vendor | qwen | empiriolabs |
Monthly cost at real volumes
| Workload (input / output) | Qwen 3.5.9 B | Qwen 3.8 27 B |
|---|---|---|
| 1M in / 250K out | $0.233 | $0.295 |
| 10M in / 2.5M out | $2.33 | $2.95 |
| 100M in / 25M out | $23.25 | $29.50 |
Which should you pick?
Because the context windows are identical, the cheaper option is the better default. Choose Qwen 3.5.9 B unless you are already standardised on empiriolabs tooling and want to avoid a second integration.