Picking a data plan is mostly guesswork for most people — so we either overpay for gigabytes we never touch, or run dry a week before payday. The fix is to estimate based on what you actually do, not a vague feeling.
The big data eater: video
Streaming is what burns data fastest. Rough hourly use:
- YouTube / Netflix (SD): ~0.7 GB/hour
- HD video: ~1.5–3 GB/hour
- 4K: ~7 GB/hour
- TikTok / Reels: ~0.8–1.5 GB/hour
If you watch an hour of HD video a day, that alone is ~45–60 GB a month.
Want your exact number? Use the Mobile Data Usage Calculator →
The medium spenders
- Music streaming: ~0.07–0.15 GB/hour
- Video calls (Zoom/WhatsApp): ~0.5–1.5 GB/hour
- Online gaming: ~0.05–0.3 GB/hour (downloads are the real cost)
The lightweights
Messaging, browsing, email and social feeds (text/images) use surprisingly little — often under 1 GB a day combined for typical use.
A quick rule of thumb
Add up your daily habits, multiply by 30, then add ~20% headroom for app updates and the odd heavy day. Light users land around 5–15 GB/month; average users 20–50 GB; heavy streamers 100 GB+.
Match it to a real plan
Once you know your monthly GB, you can compare it against actual carrier plans. Our Mobile Data Usage Calculator does the maths for you across 40+ carriers worldwide and suggests the best-fit plan.
Mobile Data Usage Calculator
Set your daily YouTube, WhatsApp, TikTok & gaming habits to see your monthly GB — and the best plan across 40+ carriers worldwide.