The verdict in three sentences
For a B2B site serving European customers, EU hosting (OVH, Scaleway) delivers sovereignty, native GDPR compliance and minimal latency at a cost comparable to US cloud. US cloud (AWS, GCP) still fits a global audience but requires framing the data transfer. In 2026, for most European B2B sites, the EU choice is the legally safest.
Monthly cost compared
| Configuration | EU (OVH, Scaleway) | US Cloud (AWS us-east) |
|---|---|---|
| Showcase VPS | 25 - 45 EUR/month | 20 - 40 USD/month |
| Mid application server | 50 - 90 EUR/month | 45 - 80 USD/month |
| CDN included | Often yes | Paid (CloudFront) |
| Egress / outbound traffic | Free or low | 0.08 - 0.12 USD/GB |
| Managed backup | 5 - 20 EUR/month | 10 - 30 USD/month |
| Local-language support | Included | Paid / English |
At equal configuration, the raw price gap is small. The real differentiator is egress traffic, billed on the US side, which can inflate the bill for a high-traffic site.
Latency and compliance
| Criterion | EU | US Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| Latency to EU users | 5 - 20 ms | 90 - 140 ms |
| GDPR compliance | Native | Must be framed (SCCs) |
| Data location | EU guaranteed | Outside EU by default |
| US Cloud Act exposure | None | Real |
| Reversibility | High | Variable (lock-in) |
| HDS/SecNumCloud certification | Available | Rare/partial |
In 2026, transferring personal data to the US remains possible but demands documented safeguards. For a DPO, EU hosting removes that compliance workstream.
Mini case study
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Celine, DPO of a B2B services group in Amsterdam, is deciding where to host a site that collects prospect forms. AWS us-east is priced at $55/month (~52 EUR); Scaleway at 65 EUR/month.
Apparent EU premium: 13 EUR/month, i.e. 156 EUR/year. But AWS would require a data protection impact assessment and standard contractual clauses: legal support estimated at 2,500 EUR in year one, plus a fine risk under GDPR (up to 4% of global revenue) on any lapse. Over 3 years, the 468 EUR hosting gap is negligible against the US-cloud compliance cost. Celine picks Scaleway: 6 ms latency, native compliance, GDPR file closed.
FAQ
Does GDPR ban US cloud? No, but it requires safeguards (standard contractual clauses, supplementary measures) and an impact assessment. In 2026 it is doable but costly in legal time: budget 2,000 to 4,000 EUR of support.
Does latency really affect SEO? Yes: a server latency of 100+ ms degrades TTFB, a Core Web Vitals signal. EU hosting close to your users saves 80 to 120 ms, measurable on the performance score.
How much does quality EU hosting cost? 2026 order of magnitude: 25 to 90 EUR/month for a B2B site on OVH or Scaleway, backup and CDN often included, local-language support bundled.
What is the Cloud Act and why should I care? It is a US law letting American authorities access data held by US companies, even stored in the EU. For sensitive B2B data, sovereign EU hosting eliminates that risk.
Can I host in the EU and serve a global audience? Yes, via a CDN that caches content closest to visitors. You keep data in the EU while delivering low latency everywhere.
Let's scope your project. Tell us the nature of the data you collect and your geographic audience: we recommend the optimal cost/compliance hosting and price it. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
