Data Usage Calculator
Estimate monthly data consumption from daily usage hours and content bitrate (e.g. video streaming).
Inputs
e.g. SD video ≈ 1-3 Mbps, HD ≈ 5 Mbps, 4K ≈ 15-25 Mbps.
Monthly Data Usage
202.5 GB/month
Daily Usage
6.75GB
Monthly Usage
202.5GB
Yearly Usage
2,463.8GB
Step by step
Values used
Daily Usage = 3 hours/day; Average Bitrate = 5 Mbps; Days per Month = 30
Monthly usage
monthly_GB = (daily_hours × 3600 × bitrate_Mbps) / 8 / 1000 × days
Monthly Data Usage
= 202.5 GB/month
Daily Usage
= 6.75 GB
Monthly Usage
= 202.5 GB
Yearly Usage
= 2,463.8 GB
How it works
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.
Formula
Monthly usage
monthly_GB = (daily_hours × 3600 × bitrate_Mbps) / 8 / 1000 × days
- h_day
- Daily usage hours
- b_Mbps
- Average bitrate
- d
- Days per month
Frequently Asked Questions
How much data does streaming video use?
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.
Why does my ISP's usage meter differ from this 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.
How do I stay under a monthly data cap?
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.