How to Export Your OpenAI Usage and Cost Data

You can't cut what you can't see. Here's how to get your OpenAI usage out of the dashboard or the API, and what to look at first.

Quick answer

Export usage from the OpenAI dashboard's usage page, or pull it with the Usage and Costs APIs using an admin key.

From the dashboard

The usage page in the OpenAI platform shows spend and tokens by day, model and project, and lets you export it. Group by model and project first.

From the API

OpenAI's organization Usage and Costs APIs return token usage and spend by time bucket, groupable by model, project and API key. They require an admin key. Check OpenAI's API reference for the current endpoints and parameters.

What to look at

Spend by model: where the money goes.
Input vs output tokens: output is the expensive side.
Cached input tokens: a low share means missed caching.
Spend by project or key: which product or team drives it.

Drop the export into the Bill X-ray to see your spend by model in seconds, in your browser. Or bring it to a free teardown.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need an admin key to export OpenAI usage?

For the organization Usage and Costs APIs, yes. The dashboard export works with normal dashboard access.

What's the first thing to look at in OpenAI usage data?

Spend by model, then input vs output tokens, then your cached input share.

Sources: OpenAI's API documentation. Checked October 30, 2026.

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