or you can just use AzureSQL and essentially just pay what it costs for the box, because it is platform as a service. Its far cheaper (and easier to maintain) than what it'd cost to buy a SQL Server license and run it on a VM.

A 32 core SQL Server license is $700.

This page[1] seems to indicate licensing SQL Server (Standard Ed) for 32 cores would cost $59,472 ($3,717 per 2 cores). Where do you get $700 from?

[1] https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/sql-server/sql-server-2017-p...

That is a 10 cal license, so you can only have 10 users using it, and that is 10 assigned users. Don't quote me on that but you have to use core licenses for web apps if you have internet users.

Those prices are too good to be true, reminds me of the sites that sell windows or office licenses to personal users for like 10 bucks.

This site isn't Microsoft?