Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite vs Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image): API Cost Comparison
Compare the API pricing, context windows, features, and real-world cost projections for Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite (Google) and Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image) (Google). Use the interactive calculator below to compute your exact monthly cost based on your token usage and request volume.
Prices verified Jun 26, 2026
Interactive Cost Calculator
Fills in typical token counts for a workload type
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Showing costs for 2 models. Cheapest: Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite at $10.00/month.
| Alert | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
BestGemini 3.1 Flash-Lite | $10.00 | $0.001000 | $2.50 | $7.50 | 50.0% | Alerts coming soon | |
Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image) | $20.00 | $0.002000 | $5.00 | $15.00 | — | Alerts coming soon |
Monthly Cost Comparison
Price Comparison at a Glance
All prices are in USD per 1 million tokens ($/M tokens). Lower is cheaper.
| Pricing Type | Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite | Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image) | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Input (standard) | $0.25/M | $0.50/M | Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite |
| Output | $1.50/M | $3.00/M | Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite |
| Cached input | $0.03/M | N/A | — |
| Batch input | $0.13/M | N/A | — |
| Batch output | $0.75/M | N/A | — |
Prices last verified: 2026-03-08 – 2026-06-26
Cost Breakdown by Usage Volume
Estimated monthly costs at different request volumes, assuming 1,000 input tokens and 500 output tokens per request. Adjust in the calculator above for your specific use case.
| Volume | Gemini 3.1 Flash-LiteMonthly | Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image)Monthly | Gemini 3.1 Flash-LitePer request | Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image)Per request |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1K requests/mo | $1.00 | $2.00 | $0.001000 | $0.002000 |
| 10K requests/mo | $10.00 | $20.00 | $0.001000 | $0.002000 |
| 100K requests/mo | $100.00 | $200.00 | $0.001000 | $0.002000 |
| 1M requests/mo | $1,000.00 | $2,000.00 | $0.001000 | $0.002000 |
Green values indicate the lower-cost option at each volume tier. Cost per request is calculated at 1,000 input + 500 output tokens using standard (non-batch, non-cached) pricing.
Price History
Input price per 1M tokensWhen to Choose Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite
by Google
- Text classification
- Data extraction
- Customer support
Input / 1M tokens
$0.25/M
Output / 1M tokens
$1.50/M
Context window
1,048,576
Tier
budget
When to Choose Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image)
by Google
- General chatbot
Input / 1M tokens
$0.50/M
Output / 1M tokens
$3.00/M
Context window
131,072
Tier
budget
Key Differences Beyond Price
Cost is only one factor in choosing an AI model. Context window size, rate limits, supported features, and latency all affect whether a model fits your use case.
| Capability | Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite | Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image) |
|---|---|---|
| Context window | 1,048,576 tokens | 131,072 tokens |
| Max output tokens | 65,536 tokens | 32,768 tokens |
| Performance tier | Budget | Budget |
| Vision / image input | Yes | Yes |
| Function calling | Yes | No |
| JSON mode | Yes | Yes |
| Prompt caching | Yes | No |
| Batch API (50% discount) | Yes | No |
| Extended reasoning | No | Yes |
| Fine-tuning | No | No |
| Rate limit (req/min) | 4,000 | Not published |
Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite notes
Preview model. Budget-friendly Gemini 3.1 option with 1M context window.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite cheaper than Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image)?
At standard usage (1,000 input tokens, 500 output tokens, 100,000 requests/month), Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite costs $100.00/month versus $200.00/month for Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image) — a 50% saving. Your actual savings will vary based on your token profile; output-heavy workloads amplify differences in output pricing.
Which model has a larger context window, Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite or Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image)?
Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite has a larger context window at 1,048,576 tokens, compared to 131,072 tokens for Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image). A larger context window is important for processing long documents, multi-turn conversations, or large codebases without truncation.
Do Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite and Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image) support the Batch API?
Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite supports the Batch API (50% discount for async processing), while Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image) does not. If your workload tolerates up to 24-hour latency, routing to Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite with batch pricing could significantly cut costs versus Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image)'s standard rate.
Which model offers better prompt caching?
Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite supports prompt caching at $0.03/M for cached input, while Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image) does not offer prompt caching. For RAG applications or chatbots with large, repeated context, Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite's caching capability can substantially reduce effective costs.
What are the best use cases for Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite vs Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image)?
Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite is best suited for Text classification, Data extraction, Customer support, while Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image) is optimized for General chatbot. Choose based on which use case matches your primary workload — and validate with the cost calculator above to confirm the total monthly spend fits your budget.
What is the cost per request for Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite vs Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image)?
At 1,000 input tokens and 500 output tokens per request — a typical conversational workload — Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite costs $0.001000 per request and Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image) costs $0.002000 per request. At 100,000 requests/month, that translates to $100.00 and $200.00 respectively. Use the interactive calculator to adjust these parameters for your actual workload.
Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite vs Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image): Summary
When comparing Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite and Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image) for API cost, the right choice depends on your workload's token profile, required features, and tolerance for latency. Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite offers lower total cost at standard usage volumes (1,000 input + 500 output tokens per request at 100,000 requests/month) at $100.00/month, compared to $200.00/month for Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image).
Both models are priced in USD per million tokens, the standard unit across all major AI API providers. Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite charges $0.25/M for input tokens and $1.50/M for output tokens. Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image) charges $0.50/M input and $3.00/M output. If your workload is output-heavy (more tokens generated than consumed as input), the model with the lower output price compounds cost savings significantly at scale.
Prompt caching is supported by Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite but not Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image). For workloads with large, repeated system prompts or document context — such as RAG pipelines or multi-turn conversations with a fixed knowledge base — prompt caching can reduce effective input costs by 60–90%, which may change the cost ranking between these two models at your specific usage pattern.
Context window capacity differs between the two: Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite supports up to 1,048,576 tokens in a single request, versus 131,072 tokens for Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image). A larger context window is essential for document summarization, large codebase analysis, and multi-document retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) applications.
Use the interactive calculator at the top of this page to enter your actual token usage and monthly request volume for a precise cost comparison tailored to your workload. Adjust for batch API discounts and prompt caching to find the most cost-effective option for your specific deployment.
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Relevant Use Cases
See cost recommendations for workloads where Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite or Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image) is recommended.