Certification Cost Changes 2025 to 2026
CISSP jumped 9%. CompTIA raised everything 4%. AWS held flat. Salary premiums grew faster than costs across the board. Here's where every major cert landed.
Last updated: March 2026 • Sources: Vendor published pricing, Global Knowledge IT Skills and Salary Report, Dice Tech Salary Report, BLS OEWS
2025 vs 2026: Certification Exam Fees
Exam fee only. Study materials, training courses, and renewal fees listed separately below.
| Certification | 2025 Exam | 2026 Exam | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| AWS Solutions Architect Associate | $300 | $300 | — 0% |
| AWS Cloud Practitioner | $100 | $100 | — 0% |
| CISSP | $689 | $749 | ▲ +9% |
| CompTIA Security+ | $404 | $420 | ▲ +4% |
| CompTIA A+ | $358 | $372 | ▲ +4% |
| CompTIA Network+ | $358 | $372 | ▲ +4% |
| PMP (PMI member) | $405 | $405 | — 0% |
| PMP (non-member) | $555 | $555 | — 0% |
| CCNA | $330 | $330 | — 0% |
| Azure Administrator (AZ-104) | $165 | $165 | — 0% |
| Google Cloud Architect | $200 | $200 | — 0% |
| CKA (Kubernetes) | $395 | $395 | — 0% |
| Terraform Associate | $70 | $70 | — 0% |
| CISM (ISACA non-member) | $720 | $760 | ▲ +5% |
| CISA (ISACA non-member) | $720 | $760 | ▲ +5% |
| CEH (EC-Council) | $1,199 | $1,199 | — 0% |
2025 vs 2026: Salary Premiums (Certified vs Non-Certified)
Annual salary premium — what cert holders earn above non-certified peers in the same role.
| Certification | 2025 Premium | 2026 Premium | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| AWS Solutions Architect | $33,500/yr | $36,000/yr | ▲ +8% |
| CKA (Kubernetes) | $30,000/yr | $32,000/yr | ▲ +7% |
| CISSP | $34,000/yr | $36,000/yr | ▲ +6% |
| CompTIA Security+ | $19,000/yr | $20,000/yr | ▲ +5% |
| PMP | $25,000/yr | $26,000/yr | ▲ +4% |
| CCNA | $22,000/yr | $23,000/yr | ▲ +5% |
| Terraform Associate | $24,000/yr | $25,000/yr | ▲ +4% |
| CompTIA A+ | $12,500/yr | $13,000/yr | ▲ +3% |
Cloud Certs: Flat Costs, Rising Returns
AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud all kept exam fees frozen in 2026. AWS in particular has held the Solutions Architect Associate at $300 since 2020. Free online renewals (Azure) and low re-certification fees ($150 AWS, $200 GCP) mean the total 3-year cost of maintaining cloud certs hasn't changed.
Meanwhile, the salary premium for AWS SA grew 8% year-over-year — the biggest premium increase of any cert. Kubernetes (CKA) grew 7%. The gap between cloud cert costs and cloud cert returns widened in 2026, making these the best ROI paths in the industry.
Security Certs: Higher Costs, Higher Returns
Security certification costs went up across the board. CISSP saw the biggest jump: 9% to $749. CompTIA Security+ rose 4% to $420. ISACA raised CISM and CISA by 5%. The increases reflect growing demand for security professionals — and the organizations behind these certs know their product is non-negotiable for many employers.
The silver lining: salary premiums for security certs grew 5–6%, enough to offset the fee increases. CISSP's payback period is still under 4 months. Security+ pays back in under 3 months. The ROI math held even after the price hikes.
Study Materials: Getting Cheaper
The one category where costs dropped. Online course platforms (Udemy, A Cloud Guru, Pluralsight) cut prices 10–15% as competition from AI-assisted study tools intensified. A decent AWS SA prep course that cost $45 in 2025 now runs $30–$35. Practice exam sets stayed at $15–$25.
Books held steady — the Sybex and O'Reilly guides still run $40–$60 — but fewer candidates are buying them. Video courses and practice exams dominate prep spending now. Total study material cost for most certs: $100–$200, down from $150–$250 in 2025.
Common Questions
Which cert has the best ROI in 2026?
Terraform Associate. $70 exam, $100 study materials, $25,000/year salary premium. Payback: about 3 days. AWS Solutions Architect is close behind at $300 + $200 study = $500 total, $36,000 premium, payback under 2 months. For security roles, Security+ offers the fastest payback at 3 months.
Did any certifications get cheaper?
No vendor lowered exam fees in 2026. But Azure and Google Cloud renewals remain free (just pass an online assessment), which keeps their total multi-year cost lower than vendors that charge $150–$400 to renew. Study material costs dropped 10–15% across the board.
Should I wait for 2027 to get certified?
No. The salary premium you miss by waiting 6–12 months costs more than any possible exam fee savings. At a $36,000/year premium, every month you delay getting AWS SA certified costs you roughly $3,000 in foregone income. Even if CompTIA raises Security+ by another 4% in 2027, that's $17 more — less than a day's salary premium.
More Certification Tools
Data Sources
Exam fees: Official vendor pricing pages (AWS, Microsoft, CompTIA, ISC2, PMI, Cisco, ISACA, EC-Council, HashiCorp, CNCF), verified March 2026. Salary data: Global Knowledge IT Skills and Salary Report 2026, Dice Tech Salary Report, Robert Half Technology Salary Guide. State adjustments: BLS Regional Price Parities. Study material pricing: Udemy, A Cloud Guru, Pluralsight catalog pricing.
Data: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Official Certification Body Fee Schedules, O*NET Occupation Data
Last updated: January 2025
How we calculate this · Payback calculations assume you qualify for and secure a role that values the certification. Outcomes vary by employer, region, and experience level.