How to use the data usage calculator
Enter the average hours per day for each activity. For a home internet plan, add up everyone in the household (two people watching 2 hours each of HD = 4 hours). For a phone plan, enter only what you do on mobile data, not on Wi-Fi. Add monthly downloads such as games and system updates at the bottom. The calculator multiplies each activity by its typical data rate and by 30 days.
How much data each activity uses
| Activity | Per hour | 1 hour a day for a month |
|---|---|---|
| 4K streaming (Netflix, YouTube) | 7 GB | 210 GB |
| HD streaming (1080p) | 3 GB | 90 GB |
| SD or mobile video | 0.7 GB | 21 GB |
| Video calls (HD) | 1.5 GB | 45 GB |
| Social media with video | 0.7 GB | 21 GB |
| Web browsing | 0.15 GB | 4.5 GB |
| Music streaming | 0.15 GB | 4.5 GB |
| Online gaming (gameplay only) | 0.1 GB | 3 GB |
GB per month = Σ (hours per day × GB per hour) × 30 + downloads
Worked example: 2 hours of HD video (6 GB), 1 hour of music (0.15 GB), 1 hour of video calls (1.5 GB), 1 hour of gaming (0.1 GB), 3 hours of browsing (0.45 GB) and 1 hour of social video (0.7 GB) add up to 8.9 GB a day, or 267 GB a month. With 50 GB of game and app downloads, the total is about 317 GB a month.
Gaming: the downloads are the big part
Playing online uses surprisingly little data, often under 100 MB an hour. The big numbers come from downloading games and updates: a modern game can be 50–150 GB, and a big update 20 GB or more. If you game, the "downloads per month" field matters more than the hours you play.
How to use less data
- Lower the streaming quality on phones and tablets; on a small screen, 720p looks almost as good as 4K and uses a fifth of the data.
- Turn off autoplay for videos in social media apps.
- Schedule game and system updates for Wi-Fi or for off-peak hours if your plan has them.
- Check your router or provider's app, which usually shows the actual monthly total to compare with this estimate.
Frequently asked questions
How much data does a household use per month?
An average household with home broadband uses roughly 500–700 GB per month, mostly from video streaming. A household that streams in 4K for several hours a day can easily pass 1 TB.
How much data does Netflix use per hour?
About 1 GB per hour in standard definition, 3 GB per hour in HD and up to 7 GB per hour in 4K (Ultra HD). You can lower the quality in your account's playback settings.
Is 100 GB of mobile data a lot?
For a phone, yes. 100 GB covers about 3 hours of mobile-quality video every day for a month, plus browsing and music. Most people use 10–30 GB of mobile data a month.
How much data does a video call use?
A one-to-one HD video call uses about 1–1.5 GB per hour; a group call in gallery view can use 2 GB or more. Audio-only calls use about 50 MB per hour.
Data rates are typical averages and vary by service, app settings and device. Use your provider's usage meter for the exact figure.