GKE Insufficient CPU for small Node.js app pods

So on GKE I have a Node.js app which for each pod uses about: CPU(cores): 5m, MEMORY: 100Mi

However I am only able to deploy 1 pod of it per node. I am using the GKE n1-standard-1 cluster which has 1 vCPU, 3.75 GB per node.

So in order to get 2 pods of app up total = CPU(cores): 10m, MEMORY: 200Mi, it requires another entire +1 node = 2 nodes = 2 vCPU, 7.5 GB to make it work. If I try to deploy those 2 pods on the same single node, I get insufficient CPU error.

I have a feeling I should actually be able to run a handful of pod replicas (like 3 replicas and more) on 1 node of f1-micro (1 vCPU, 0.6 GB) or f1-small (1 vCPU, 1.7 GB), and that I am way overprovisioned here, and wasting my money.

But I am not sure why I seem so restricted by insufficient CPU. Is there some config I need to change? Any guidance would be appreciated.

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