★ COMPARISONS · EVERYDAY · STREAMING VS CABLE
Streaming wins by $3,960.00 over 5 years. Cable TV costs $110.00 a month, which is $6,600.00 over 5 years, and streaming costs $44.00 a month, which is $2,640.00 over 5 years. Enter your own cable bill, your streaming bill and the horizon to compare streaming and cable on your numbers.
Streaming and cable are priced on the same thing: a monthly bill. The cable bill is the base package plus the equipment rental plus the broadcast fees, and the streaming bill is the services added together. This calculator prices both sides over the same horizon and works out which one wins, how much it wins by a month, a year and over 10 years, and where the two sides break even — so the number you get is the number you actually pay.
Streaming and cable are priced on the same thing: a monthly bill, multiplied by the months in the horizon. The cable bill is the base package plus the equipment rental plus the broadcast fees: $89.00 + $12.00 + $9.00 = $110.00 a month. The streaming bill is the services added together: $16.00 + $15.00 + $13.00 = $44.00 a month. The 5-year total is the monthly bill times 60 months, the yearly total is the monthly bill times 12, and the winner is the smaller 5-year total. The gap between the two is how much the winner wins by.
At the defaults — cable $110.00 a month, streaming $44.00 a month, horizon 5 years — cable costs $110.00 × 60 = $6,600.00, streaming costs $44.00 × 60 = $2,640.00, and streaming wins by $6,600.00 − $2,640.00 = $3,960.00. A month costs $110.00 against $44.00, a year costs $1,320.00 against $528.00, so streaming saves $792.00 a year, and over 10 years cable costs $13,200.00 against $5,280.00 for streaming, so streaming wins by $7,920.00.
| Case | Cable 5-year | Streaming 5-year | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Default ($110 vs $44) | $6,600.00 | $2,640.00 | Streaming by $3,960.00 |
| Cable $75/mo | $4,500.00 | $2,640.00 | Streaming by $1,860.00 |
| Streaming $70/mo | $6,600.00 | $4,200.00 | Streaming by $2,400.00 |
| Cable $140/mo | $8,400.00 | $2,640.00 | Streaming by $5,760.00 |
| Streaming 1 service ($16/mo) | $6,600.00 | $960.00 | Streaming by $5,640.00 |
| Streaming 4 services ($59/mo) | $6,600.00 | $3,540.00 | Streaming by $3,060.00 |
| 1-year horizon | $1,320.00 | $528.00 | Streaming by $792.00 |
| Flip: streaming $120/mo | $6,600.00 | $7,200.00 | Cable by $600.00 |
Setup: cable $110.00 a month ($89.00 base + $12.00 equipment + $9.00 broadcast fees), streaming $44.00 a month ($16.00 + $15.00 + $13.00), horizon 5 years (60 months).
Line 1 — the cable bill. $89.00 + $12.00 + $9.00 = $110.00 a month.
Line 2 — the streaming bill. $16.00 + $15.00 + $13.00 = $44.00 a month.
Line 3 — the cable 5-year total. $110.00 × 60 = $6,600.00.
Line 4 — the streaming 5-year total. $44.00 × 60 = $2,640.00.
Line 5 — the yearly totals. Cable $110.00 × 12 = $1,320.00 a year, streaming $44.00 × 12 = $528.00 a year, so streaming saves $792.00 a year.
Line 6 — the winner. $6,600.00 − $2,640.00 = $3,960.00 to streaming. Over 10 years cable costs $13,200.00 against $5,280.00 for streaming, so streaming wins by $7,920.00.
Cable $75 a month: cable costs $75.00 × 60 = $4,500.00 over 5 years, while streaming stays $2,640.00 — so streaming wins by $1,860.00. A cheaper cable package narrows the gap, but $75.00 is still well above the $44.00 streaming bill.
Streaming $70 a month: streaming costs $70.00 × 60 = $4,200.00 over 5 years, while cable stays $6,600.00 — so streaming wins by $2,400.00. Dear streaming still beats cable here, because $70.00 is still $40.00 under the cable bill.
Cable $140 a month: cable costs $140.00 × 60 = $8,400.00 over 5 years, while streaming stays $2,640.00 — so streaming wins by $5,760.00. A premium cable package with sports and movie channels is the dearest side here, and the gap grows with every extra dollar on the bill.
Streaming 1 service, $16 a month: streaming costs $16.00 × 60 = $960.00 over 5 years, while cable stays $6,600.00 — so streaming wins by $5,640.00. One service is the cheapest side here by far, and it is the answer for anyone who only watches one catalogue.
Streaming 4 services, $59 a month: streaming costs $59.00 × 60 = $3,540.00 over 5 years, while cable stays $6,600.00 — so streaming wins by $3,060.00. Four services still beat cable, but every service added takes $15.00 a month off the saving.
1-year horizon: cable costs $110.00 × 12 = $1,320.00, streaming costs $44.00 × 12 = $528.00 — so streaming wins by $792.00. The horizon changes the totals, not the monthly gap: the winner is the same at 1 year and at 10 years, because both sides are a flat monthly bill.
Reverse — the break-evens: streaming ties cable at $110.00 a month — the cable bill itself. Cable ties streaming at $44.00 a month — the streaming bill itself. At $15.00 a service, 7 services ($105.00 a month) still beat cable, and 8 services ($120.00 a month) cost more than cable.
Flip — streaming $120 a month: streaming costs $120.00 × 60 = $7,200.00 over 5 years, while cable stays $6,600.00 — so cable wins by $600.00. Streaming only flips the answer when the services add up past the cable bill: the streaming bill is the one input that can turn the whole comparison around.
The model assumes both bills stay flat for the whole horizon, with no price rises, no promo periods and no introductory discounts, and it assumes the same services for the whole 5 years. It assumes cable is $89.00 base plus $12.00 equipment plus $9.00 broadcast fees, and streaming is three services at $16.00, $15.00 and $13.00. It leaves out the cost of the TV, the streaming stick and the internet connection, which both sides need, and it leaves out live sports packages and pay-per-view, which are priced separately. Rounding convention: money is rounded to cents, and all figures are computed from unrounded values, rounded only for display.
| Output | Formula | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Cable monthly | base + equipment + fees | $110.00/mo. |
| Streaming monthly | services added together | $44.00/mo. |
| Cable yearly | monthly × 12 | $1,320.00/yr. |
| Streaming yearly | monthly × 12 | $528.00/yr. |
| Cable 5-year | monthly × months | $6,600.00. |
| Streaming 5-year | monthly × months | $2,640.00. |
| Winner | cable 5-year − streaming 5-year | Streaming wins by $3,960.00. |
| Cable 10-year | monthly × 120 | $13,200.00. |
| Streaming 10-year | monthly × 120 | $5,280.00. |
| 10-year gap | cable 10-year − streaming 10-year | Streaming wins by $7,920.00. |
| Cable $75/mo | same model, $75 | Cable $4,500.00, Streaming wins by $1,860.00. |
| Streaming $70/mo | same model, $70 | Streaming $4,200.00, Streaming wins by $2,400.00. |
| Cable $140/mo | same model, $140 | Cable $8,400.00, Streaming wins by $5,760.00. |
| Streaming 1 service ($16/mo) | same model, $16 | Streaming $960.00, Streaming wins by $5,640.00. |
| Streaming 4 services ($59/mo) | same model, $59 | Streaming $3,540.00, Streaming wins by $3,060.00. |
| 1-year horizon | same model, 1 year | Cable $1,320.00 vs streaming $528.00, Streaming wins by $792.00. |
| Flip: streaming $120/mo | same model, $120 | Streaming $7,200.00, Cable wins by $600.00. |
| Reverse: break-even streaming price | cable monthly | $110.00/mo. |
| Reverse: break-even cable price | streaming monthly | $44.00/mo. |
| Reverse: 7 services at $15 | 7 × $15 | $105.00/mo — still beats cable. |
| Reverse: 8 services at $15 | 8 × $15 | $120.00/mo — costs more than cable. |
The math is exact for the numbers you enter: the 5-year total is the monthly bill times the months in the horizon, the yearly total is the monthly bill times 12, and the winner is the smaller 5-year total. What the model cannot do is read your bills for you: check the cable bill for the base, the equipment and the broadcast fees, and add up every streaming service, because a forgotten service is a $15.00 a month error. It assumes both bills stay flat, with no price rises, no promo periods and no introductory discounts, and it leaves out the TV, the streaming stick and the internet connection, which both sides need. For the car that drives to the store, see lease vs buy car calculator; for the household budget, see 52-week savings challenge calculator.
Bright Side Kit. "Streaming vs Cable TV Calculator: 5-Year Cost 2026." https://brightoolbox.com/streaming-vs-cable-calculator/ Accessed October 25, 2026.Yes, at the defaults. Cable costs $6,600.00 over 5 years and streaming costs $2,640.00, so streaming wins by $3,960.00. Cable is $110.00 a month against $44.00 a month for streaming, which saves $792.00 a year.
Multiply each monthly bill by the months in the horizon. Cable is $110.00 × 60 = $6,600.00 over 5 years, and streaming is $44.00 × 60 = $2,640.00. The winner is the smaller total, and the gap is $3,960.00 to streaming.
$110.00 a month in the default. The cable bill is $89.00 for the base package plus $12.00 for the equipment plus $9.00 in broadcast fees. At $75.00 a month cable costs $4,500.00 over 5 years, and at $140.00 a month it costs $8,400.00.
$44.00 a month in the default. Three services at $16.00, $15.00 and $13.00 add up to $44.00 a month. One service at $16.00 a month costs $960.00 over 5 years, and four services at $59.00 a month cost $3,540.00.
$792.00 a year. Cable is $1,320.00 a year and streaming is $528.00 a year, so the saving is $792.00 a year and $3,960.00 over 5 years. Over 10 years the saving is $7,920.00.
When the streaming bill passes the cable bill. Streaming at $120.00 a month costs $7,200.00 over 5 years against $6,600.00 for cable, so cable wins by $600.00. The break-even streaming price is $110.00 a month.
Seven, at $15.00 a service. Seven services cost $105.00 a month and still beat the $110.00 cable bill, but eight services cost $120.00 a month and lose to cable. Every service added takes $15.00 a month off the saving.
Cable $13,200.00 against streaming $5,280.00. The 10-year totals are the monthly bills times 120 months, so streaming wins by $7,920.00. Over 1 year cable costs $1,320.00 against $528.00 for streaming, so streaming wins by $792.00.