Azure Sql Server Costing much more than expected

Azure SQL Database incurs hourly charges regardless of your usage, unless you switch to the Serverless service tier.

You can configure Serverless to automatically pause after one hour of inactivity. Please note that this pausing feature is exclusive to the Serverless service tier, and other Azure SQL variants cannot be paused. If you infrequently use the database or primarily use it for occasional QA purposes, Serverless is the most cost-effective option to optimize your expenses.

You can find more details in below thread- learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/1373894/database-paused-cost

Also, this free course can help you manage Azure costs.

Thank you!