Estimate data consumption for browsing, streaming and downloads over a period.
Data usage is derived by converting daily viewing/usage time into seconds, multiplying by the content's bitrate to get total megabits transferred, then converting to gigabytes (dividing by 8 for bits-to-bytes and by 1000 for MB-to-GB). Multiplying the daily figure by the number of days in the billing cycle gives the monthly total, which is the number that matters against a data cap.
Monthly usage
monthly_GB = (daily_hours × 3600 × bitrate_Mbps) / 8 / 1000 × days
It depends heavily on resolution and codec: standard definition typically runs 1-3 Mbps (~0.3-1 GB/hour), HD around 5 Mbps (~2.25 GB/hour), and 4K can reach 15-25 Mbps (~7-11 GB/hour). Enter your service's stated bitrate for an accurate estimate.
This calculator assumes a constant average bitrate, but real streaming uses adaptive bitrate technology that varies with network conditions, and other background usage (updates, other devices) adds to the ISP's measured total.
Lower the streaming quality setting to reduce bitrate, download content on Wi-Fi for offline viewing instead of streaming repeatedly, and use this calculator with your plan's cap as the target monthly figure to find a sustainable daily budget.