Streaming Service Cost Comparison

Streaming service subscriptions can quietly drain your budget. A single service at USD 15–20 per month seems affordable, but most households now subscribe to several at once. Combined, the total often rivals a traditional cable TV bill, and frequently beats it.

The average US household subscribes to 3 to 5 streaming services. At an average cost of USD 12–15 each, that is USD 36–75 per month, or USD 432–900 per year just for video streaming. Add music, audiobook, and gaming subscriptions, and the total rises further.

One useful way to evaluate a subscription is cost per hour watched. Pay USD 15 a month for a service and watch 30 hours, and your cost per hour is USD 0.50, which is about what renting a movie costs. Watch 5 hours instead and the same subscription costs USD 3.00 an hour, which is worse than renting the two things you actually watched.

The figure to be honest about is not the total, it is the distribution. Most households have one service doing almost all the watching and two or three doing almost none, and it is the quiet ones that are worth canceling.

Ballpark US monthly pricing for major services (standard plans, as of 2024/2025). Streaming prices rise almost every year, so treat these as a starting point and check the current rate before you enter it:

• Netflix Standard: ~USD 15.49
• Netflix Premium: ~USD 22.99
• Disney+: ~USD 7.99 (ad-supported) / ~USD 13.99
• Max (HBO): ~USD 15.99
• Hulu: ~USD 7.99 (ads) / ~USD 17.99 (no ads)
• Apple TV+: ~USD 9.99
• Amazon Prime Video: ~USD 8.99 (add-on) / included in Prime (~USD 14.99/mo)
• Peacock: ~USD 7.99
• Paramount+: ~USD 7.99
• ESPN+: ~USD 10.99
• Spotify: ~USD 11.99 (individual)
• YouTube Premium: ~USD 13.99

This calculator lets you enter the actual costs you pay and get a clear picture of your total monthly and annual streaming spend, plus the cost per hour if you enter how much you watch.