"How much will this cost?" is usually the second question we get asked about a Google Workspace to Microsoft 365 migration, right after "will we lose anything?". There's no single number that applies to every business, but the cost structure is predictable once you understand what goes into it. Here's an honest breakdown.
The three things you're actually paying for
- Microsoft 365 licensing - the ongoing monthly subscription cost, separate from the migration itself.
- Migration labour - the one-off project cost of planning, migrating, and testing the move.
- Staff downtime and training - the indirect cost of the team adjusting to a new platform, which is real but often overlooked when budgeting.
Microsoft 365 licensing costs
This is an ongoing cost, not a one-off migration fee, but it's the number most business owners actually want to know first:
- Microsoft 365 Business Basic - around $9.40/user/month. Web and mobile apps only, no desktop Office.
- Microsoft 365 Business Standard - around $19.20/user/month. Full desktop Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
- Microsoft 365 Business Premium - around $35.10/user/month. Adds Intune device management, Conditional Access, and Defender for Business.
Most businesses moving off Google Workspace for the desktop apps or security features land on Standard or Premium. See our comparison of Business Standard vs Business Premium if you're deciding between the two.
Migration labour costs
This is where the real variability sits, and it scales with a few specific factors:
Number of mailboxes and shared mailboxes
More mailboxes means more accounts to provision, more devices to reconfigure, and more testing. Shared mailboxes (info@, accounts@) and distribution lists add complexity because they touch multiple staff members' Outlook setups, not just one.
Total data volume
A business with lean, well-managed mailboxes and a tidy Drive migrates faster than one with years of unmanaged email and tens of thousands of Drive files. Large Drive libraries specifically add time, since every native Google file needs conversion to Office format as part of the move.
Spreadsheet and document complexity
Simple documents convert automatically at no extra cost. Spreadsheets built on Google-only functions (QUERY, IMPORTRANGE, ARRAYFORMULA) or heavy use of Google add-ons need manual rebuilding in Excel, which is the most labour-intensive part of a Google-to-Microsoft migration when it applies.
Third-party integrations
Accounting software, booking systems, and CRMs connected via Gmail SMTP or "Sign in with Google" need to be reconnected to Microsoft 365 individually. The more integrations, the more testing time required to confirm nothing silently breaks.
What drives cost down
- Fewer, well-organised mailboxes with reasonable size limits
- A Drive that's been kept tidy, without years of unused files
- Simple spreadsheets without heavy Google-specific formulas
- A cutover scheduled outside your busiest season, reducing rushed, after-hours work
- Staff who are willing and available for a short Outlook orientation session, reducing post-cutover support calls
What drives cost up
- Large numbers of shared mailboxes with unclear ownership
- Very large individual mailboxes (50GB+) that take longer to migrate and verify
- Business-critical spreadsheets built on Google-only functions
- Many third-party integrations relying on Gmail credentials
- A hard deadline that forces work outside standard hours
Getting an accurate quote
Because cost depends so heavily on your specific environment, a genuine quote requires a short audit - mailbox count, data volume, and a look at what integrations and spreadsheets are in play. We cover exactly what that audit involves in our Google Workspace to Microsoft 365 migration guide, and what to prepare beforehand in our migration checklist.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a free way to migrate from Google Workspace to Microsoft 365?
Microsoft provides free native migration tools for mailboxes, and small businesses with only a handful of users and modest data volumes can sometimes complete a basic migration without paid third-party tools. The trade-off is time and risk - DIY migrations take longer, are more likely to miss shared mailboxes or Drive files, and don't include the planning, testing, and staff support that prevents a messy cutover. For anything beyond a very small team, the labour cost of doing it properly is usually worth more than what it saves.
Does migration cost include the new Microsoft 365 licences?
No, licensing is a separate, ongoing cost from the one-off migration project. Microsoft 365 Business Standard runs around $19.20 per user per month and Business Premium around $35.10 per user per month (ex-GST, prices change periodically). Migration cost covers the one-time work of moving your data and setting everything up - it doesn't replace your monthly subscription cost, which continues for as long as you use the platform.
What's the biggest cost driver in a Google to Microsoft 365 migration?
Total data volume and mailbox count are the primary drivers, but the hidden cost driver is how much cleanup is needed - old shared mailboxes nobody remembers the purpose of, spreadsheets with Google-only formulas that need rebuilding, and third-party integrations using Gmail SMTP credentials. A tidy, well-documented Google Workspace environment migrates faster and cheaper than one that's grown organically for years without maintenance.
Want an exact quote for your business?
We'll audit your Google Workspace environment and give you a fixed price for the full migration - no vague estimates.
Get a Free QuoteFor related reading, see our Google Workspace to Microsoft 365 migration guide and Managed IT Services cost guide.