How much data does home internet actually use?
The most common question we get is some version of “how much data do I need?” — usually asked by someone trying to work out whether pay-per-GB is going to be cheaper than their cable bill. Here are the real numbers, and an honest answer about when it will not be.
Per-hour usage, by activity
These are the figures most people find useful, and they are the reason a metered connection is not automatically a bad deal. Streaming quality matters far more than the number of hours.
| Activity | Per hour | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Browsing & email | ~0.01 GB | About 10–20 MB per page |
| Music streaming | ~0.15 GB | Audio only |
| Video call, 720p | ~0.5 GB | One person, camera on |
| Gaming | 0.3–1.2 GB | Wildly title-dependent |
| Streaming, SD | ~0.7 GB | The cheapest good option |
| Group call, HD | ~1.5 GB | Four or more people |
| Streaming, HD 1080p | ~3 GB | Most common setting |
| Streaming, 4K | 7–15 GB | The single biggest variable |
What that looks like per month
A household is really defined by how much 4K it watches and how many people work from home. Three rough profiles:
- Light — one or two people, no work calls. Browsing, some HD streaming, music: roughly 150–300 GB a month.
- Family — four people, two or three streams, some remote work. Roughly 400–700 GB a month.
- Heavy — 4K on a big screen, gaming, two people in video calls all day. 1–1.5 TB a month, and this is where metered gets uncomfortable.
What it costs at 82¢ per GB
Straight multiplication, because that is what you will actually pay:
- 300 GB → about $246 a month
- 700 GB → about $574 a month
- 1.5 TB → about $1,260 a month
That is the honest arithmetic, and it is why we do not claim to be cheaper than cable for everyone. A typical NEPA cable plan runs $60–$90 a month for genuinely unlimited data. If your household is the heavy profile above, cable will almost certainly be cheaper and we would rather say so than have you find out on your first bill.
When pay-per-GB does win
- You are in the light or family profile and watch in HD rather than 4K. Two people streaming in HD lands near 250 GB, which is roughly $205 — competitive, and with no contract attached.
- You are billed for what you use, not what you might. This is the real argument. A plan that caps you at 300 GB for $60 and then charges overages is not cheaper than 300 GB at $0.82 if you regularly exceed the cap.
- You travel or move. There is no contract term, no install appointment, and no equipment to return. Data follows the router.
- Cable is not run to your address, or the install quote is months out. This happens more in the Endless Mountains and the Poconos than in Scranton.
- You already have an eSIM-capable router and just need data on it.
The cheapest lever, if usage worries you
Almost nobody needs 4K. Dropping from 4K to HD on a 65-inch TV is visually minor at normal viewing distance and cuts usage by roughly 60%. If your profile is on the boundary, that one setting change is usually the difference between a sensible bill and a surprising one.
Related
If the deciding factor is the hardware, see bringing your own eSIM router. If you are weighing the two technologies head to head, 5G vs cable in NEPA covers it.
Want the numbers?
AirWave is data-only 5G for Northeastern PA. A flat 82¢ per GB, billed daily for what you actually use. No contract, no data cap, no equipment rental.