True cost
How Much Do Streaming Services Cost Per Month in 2026?
Each service, priced in hours of work
Ranked by monthly price. The last columns show how many hours of work one year of each plan costs at each income level.
| Service | Per month | Per year | Federal minimum wage | Median US full-time income | Higher incomeexample |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Disney+ ad-free | $18.99 | $227.88 | 31 | 7 | 5 |
| HBO Max Standard | $18.49 | $221.88 | 31 | 7 | 4 |
| Netflix Standard | $17.99 | $215.88 | 30 | 7 | 4 |
| Amazon Prime | $14.99 | $179.88 | 25 | 6 | 4 |
| Spotify Premium | $11.99 | $143.88 | 20 | 5 | 3 |
| Netflix with ads | $7.99 | $95.88 | 13 | 3 | 2 |
Sources: Tom's Guide — what streaming costs in 2026
The price right now
$84.00 — per month, average American across 4.5 subscriptions (LendingTree/DepositAccounts, Jan 2026, n=2,000)
- $7.99 · Netflix with ads — cheapest major tier (2026)
- $18.99 · Disney+ ad-free — priciest common tier (2026)
Prices as of July 2026. Survey methodologies differ: J.D. Power's household figure is ~$61/mo. This page uses the LendingTree per-person figure.
Sources: LendingTree/DepositAccounts streaming study (Jan 2026, via LiveNOW) · Tom's Guide — what streaming costs in 2026
What it really costs per year
| Cost item | Per year | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Average subscription stack | $1,008 | $84 a month × 12, across 4.5 services on average (LendingTree, Jan 2026). LendingTree/DepositAccounts streaming study (Jan 2026, via LiveNOW) |
| Forgotten and unused subscriptions | varies | Plans that keep renewing after you stop watching — check your bank statement before adding another. |
| Total per year | $1,008 | What the average American's stack adds up to over a year (LendingTree, Jan 2026). Households that share plans spend less, around $61/mo per J.D. Power. |
The price in hours of your life
The same yearly figure, converted into working time — one year of this habit costs you:
| Income level | Hourly | Hours of work / year | Work weeks / year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal minimum wage | $7.25 | 139 | ≈ 3.5 |
| Median US full-time income | $30.83 | 33 | ≈ 0.8 |
| Higher incomeexample | $50.00 | 20 | ≈ 0.5 |
Sources: US DOL — federal minimum, unchanged since 2009 · BLS Usual Weekly Earnings, Q1 2026 — median weekly earnings $1,233 ÷ 40h
Prefer to start from your side of the math? Calculate your exact hourly rate first — it's remembered for the session.
Are streaming services worth it?
One plan on its own is cheap entertainment: $8–19 a month spread over the hours you actually watch. The trouble is the stack — 4.5 services at $84 a month add up to $1,008 a year, close to a week of median-income work, and a good part of it pays for apps you rarely open. Keep the one or two you use and rotate the others month by month.
For
- Per hour watched, one service you really use is among the cheapest entertainment there is
- Every plan can be cancelled this month — few $1,000-a-year costs are this easy to cut
Against
- $84/mo on average ≈ $1,008/yr ≈ 33 hours of median-income work
- 4.5 services on average — the stack grows one 'cheap' plan at a time
- Unused plans keep billing whether you watch or not
Frequently asked questions
How much do streaming services cost per month?
About $84 a month for the average American, spread across 4.5 subscriptions (LendingTree/DepositAccounts survey, January 2026, n=2,000) — $1,008 a year. Counted per household, J.D. Power puts it lower, around $61 a month.
Which streaming service costs the most hours of work?
Of the major plans, Disney+ ad-free at $18.99/month: $227.88 a year, about 7.4 hours of work at the median US income and 31 hours at the federal minimum wage. HBO Max Standard ($221.88/yr) and Netflix Standard ($215.88/yr) are within an hour of it; Netflix with ads is the cheapest at $95.88 a year, about 3 hours.
How many hours of work does streaming cost per year?
The average $1,008-a-year stack costs about 33 hours of work at the median US full-time income of $30.83/hour — close to a full 40-hour week — and about 139 hours at the federal minimum wage.
How do I cut my streaming costs?
Start with the stack: the average person pays for 4.5 services. Keep the one or two you actually watch and rotate the rest month to month — that usually halves the $1,008 yearly bill without losing much.