diff --git a/resolwe/flow/managers/workload_connectors/kubernetes.py b/resolwe/flow/managers/workload_connectors/kubernetes.py
index 049da1ba7..01b2a46f1 100644
--- a/resolwe/flow/managers/workload_connectors/kubernetes.py
+++ b/resolwe/flow/managers/workload_connectors/kubernetes.py
@@ -619,6 +619,118 @@ def optimize_job_scheduling(self, data: Data, job_description: dict):
                     }
                 }
 
+    def append_node_affinity(self, job_description: dict, process_requirements: dict):
+        """
+        Appends nodeAffinity based on CPU and memory ratio to an existing job description if instance_types are defined
+        within FLOW_KUBERNETES_AFFINITY.
+
+        :param job_description: dict containing the job spec where the affinity will be appended.
+        :param process_requirements: dict containing 'cpu' and 'memory' requirements of the process.
+        :return: None (modifies job_description in place).
+        """
+
+        # Extract kubernetes_affinity and instance_types from settings
+        if kubernetes_affinity := getattr(settings, "FLOW_KUBERNETES_AFFINITY", None):
+            instance_types = kubernetes_affinity.get("instance_types", {})
+        else:
+            instance_types = {}
+
+        # Proceed only if instance_types is not empty
+        if not instance_types:
+            return
+
+        # Consider a batch of ten same-sized processes with requirements 8 vCPU and 34 GB.
+        # non-discrete strategy would allocate it to general-purpose nodes,
+        # because the ratio is 4.25. This makes these nodes CPU under-utilized, costing $8/h.
+        # Discrete strategy will use memory-optimized nodes, costing $5.3/h.
+        # Set this to False if you expect processes with < 3.75 ratio at least 70%
+        # as frequently as there are 4.25 ratio, so the rest of the CPUs can be utilized.
+        use_discrete_instance_strategy = True
+
+        best_match_category = None
+        lowest_process_hourly_rate = float('inf')
+
+        process_cpu = process_requirements['cpu']
+        process_memory = process_requirements['memory']
+        # Don't invert this, it's not equivalent. The midpoint in geometric sequence is
+        # not the same as in linear sequence: 6=4+8/2, but 1/6!=(1/4+1/8)/2
+        process_ratio = process_memory / process_cpu
+
+        # Sort instance types by hourly_rate to prefer cheaper options.
+        # This should avoid spawning 128GB instance type for a single 32GB
+        # process, but support larger instances when needed. This is not fully
+        # optimized if smaller instance types are available, since it would
+        # create a lot of instance fragmentation. Smaller nodes should have
+        # at least 8 cpus in this configuration.
+        sorted_instance_types = sorted(instance_types.items(), key=lambda x: x[1].get("hourly_rate", float('inf')))
+
+        for instance_type, attributes in sorted_instance_types:
+            instance_cpu = int(attributes['cpu'])
+            instance_memory = int(attributes['memory'])
+            instance_category = attributes['instance-category']
+            instance_hourly_rate = float(attributes['hourly_rate'])
+
+            # Skip instance types that don't meet the process requirements
+            # This needs to be here, since some instance category may not have
+            # a sufficiently large instance type available.
+            if instance_cpu < process_cpu or instance_memory < process_memory:
+                continue
+
+            # Calculate ratio of CPU to memory for the process and the instance
+            instance_ratio = instance_memory / instance_cpu
+
+            # How many processes of this type would fit on the instance?
+            if use_discrete_instance_strategy:
+                process_instance_density = min(instance_cpu//process_cpu, instance_memory//process_memory)
+                # In practice this should be equivalent to:
+                # compute-optimized for ratio <= 2.0
+                # general purpose for 2.0 < ratio <= 4.0
+                # memory-optimized for ratio > 4.0
+
+            else:
+                process_instance_density = min(instance_cpu/process_cpu, instance_memory/process_memory)
+                # In practice this should be equivalent to:
+                # compute-optimized for ratio <~ 2.25
+                # general purpose for 2.25 <~ ratio <= 5.25
+                # memory-optimized for ratio > 5.25
+
+            process_hourly_rate = instance_hourly_rate / process_instance_density
+
+            if process_hourly_rate < lowest_process_hourly_rate:
+                lowest_process_hourly_rate = process_hourly_rate
+                best_match_category = instance_category
+
+        if not best_match_category:
+            raise ValueError("No suitable instance type found for the given process requirements.")
+
+        # Create the new match expression
+        new_match_expression = {
+            "key": "instance-category",
+            "operator": "In",
+            "values": [best_match_category]
+        }
+
+        # Ensure nodeAffinity structure exists in job_description
+        if "affinity" not in job_description:
+            job_description["affinity"] = {}
+
+        if "nodeAffinity" not in job_description["affinity"]:
+            job_description["affinity"]["nodeAffinity"] = {
+                "requiredDuringSchedulingIgnoredDuringExecution": {
+                    "nodeSelectorTerms": []
+                }
+            }
+
+        node_affinity = job_description["affinity"]["nodeAffinity"]
+        node_selector_terms = node_affinity["requiredDuringSchedulingIgnoredDuringExecution"]["nodeSelectorTerms"]
+
+        # If there are no existing terms, create one
+        if not node_selector_terms:
+            node_selector_terms.append({"matchExpressions": []})
+
+        # Append the new match expression to the first nodeSelectorTerm's matchExpressions
+        node_selector_terms[0]["matchExpressions"].append(new_match_expression)
+
     def _get_overcommit_factors(self, data: Data) -> dict:
         """Get the overcommit settings for CPU and memory.
 
@@ -680,6 +792,11 @@ def start(self, data: Data, listener_connection: Tuple[str, str, str]):
         requests["cpu"] = limits["cores"] * overcommit_factors["cpu"]
         limits["cpu"] = limits.pop("cores") + 1
 
+        process_requirements = {
+            "cpu": limits["cpu"],
+            "memory": limits["memory"]
+        }
+
         # The memory in the database is stored in megabytes but the kubertenes
         # requires memory in bytes.
         # We request less memory than stored in the database and set limit at 10% more
@@ -867,6 +984,19 @@ def start(self, data: Data, listener_connection: Tuple[str, str, str]):
             },
         }
         self.optimize_job_scheduling(data, job_description)
+        try:
+            self.append_node_affinity(job_description, process_requirements)
+        except Exception as e:
+            # This operation is not critical for the job to run, so we log the
+            # error and continue. The job will still run, but the node affinity
+            # may be sub-optimal.
+            logger.exception(
+                __(
+                    "Kubernetes instance category affinity assignemt failed: '{}'.",
+                    error,
+                )
+            )
+
         start_time = time.time()
 
         processing_name = constants.PROCESSING_VOLUME_NAME