Azure MSDN Virtual Machine Price Discount

Q: Why does my Azure MSDN subscription have cheaper rates than a regular Azure subscription?

A: Azure includes benefits for MSDN subscribers. One of the benefits is a 33 percent discount on Windows virtual machines and additional discounts on other types of machines, enabling the Azure allowance to go even further. You might wonder why this discount exists; the Azure pricing calculator shows why. Essentially the price of a Windows virtual machine costs the same as a Linux virtual machine for MSDN subscribers, which makes sense because MSDN gives you the right to use Windows software for development purposes. The reason Windows virtual machines typically cost more than Linux virtual machines on Azure is that the Windows virtual machine price includes the Windows license cost. If you're using the MSDN credit, then you're using Azure for development purposes; therefore, your MSDN rights transfer to Azure, which means you don't need to pay for the Windows license—and hence the price is cheaper.