Cord cutting savings calculator
Enter your cable or satellite bill, pick a streaming replacement stack, and see exactly how much you would save — including what locals and sports coverage you keep or lose.
TL;DR — cord-cutting math in 2026
- The average cable bill is $130–160/month after broadcast fees, box rentals, and DVR charges.
- A streaming replacement (one live-TV app + two SVOD services) typically runs $80–110/month — saving most households $40–70/month.
- The main hidden cost is the internet-only surcharge ($15–30/month) when you lose the cable-TV bundle discount.
- Cord-cutting is hardest if you need regional sports networks (RSNs) — check FuboTV or DirecTV Stream before cancelling.
1. Your current cable / satellite bill
2. Build your streaming replacement
3 selectedLive TV / Locals Replacement
On-Demand Streaming (SVOD)
Add-ons & Extras
Internet-only upgrade surcharge
Switching from a cable bundle often means paying more for standalone internet. Enter $0 if your internet price stays the same.
3. Your cord-cutting savings
Cable / Satellite
$157/mo
Streaming stack
$127/mo
3 services + $20/mo internet upgrade
You could save $30/mo by cord-cutting.
That is $354/year back in your pocket. If you buy a one-time HD antenna (~$30) for locals, the equipment pays for itself in under a month at this saving rate.
What you are replacing cable with
- Hulu + Live TV$82.99/mo
- Netflix (Standard)$15.49/mo
- Amazon Prime Video$8.99/mo
- Internet-only surcharge+$20/mo
- Streaming total$127/mo
⚠️ What cord-cutting actually gives up
- Channel-surfing convenience — live TV apps are good but navigating multiple apps takes adjustment.
- Price creep risk — streaming services raise prices ~15%/year. Lock in annual plans or monitor the 2026 price increase tracker.
Already cutting the cord? Cut your streaming bill even further.
Services like Netflix, Spotify, and ChatGPT Plus can be split through licensed shared plans — reducing each one to roughly 30–40% of retail price.
Split subscriptions on GamsGoGamsGo links are affiliate links — SubSaver may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Locals and sports coverage after cord-cutting
The two most common reasons people stay on cable are local broadcast channels and regional sports. Cord-cutting handles the first problem well and the second inconsistently.
Local channels: YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, and FuboTV carry ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX affiliates in most major markets. Check your zip code on each service's website before subscribing — small markets sometimes lack one or two affiliates. The free alternative is an HD antenna ($25–50 one-time cost) that pulls over-the-air local signals directly. Reception quality depends on your distance from broadcast towers and building construction.
Regional sports networks: RSNs are the difficult case. DirecTV Stream and FuboTV carry many RSNs, but coverage is patchwork — not every team's local games are available in every market. Bally Sports and Marquee (Cubs) have had ongoing carriage disputes with streaming providers. If your team's RSN matters, verify the specific network on the specific service before cancelling cable. You can also check the bundle vs separate cost calculator to see whether bundling ESPN+ with a live-TV plan is cheaper than keeping a sports package on cable.
National sports: Mostly covered. NFL (over-the-air and NFL+), NBA on TNT (via Max), NBA on ABC (YouTube TV/Hulu+Live), MLB/NHL on ESPN (live-TV apps), college football on ESPN/ABC/CBS. The gaps are specific premium packages like NFL Sunday Ticket (YouTube TV add-on, $449/season) and NBA League Pass.
Reducing your streaming bill even further after you switch
Cord-cutting usually gets you to $80–110/month, but there are ways to go lower. The two biggest levers:
Ad-supported tiers: Netflix with ads runs $7.99/month versus $15.49 for the ad-free Standard tier — almost exactly half the price for the same content library with 4–5 minutes of ads per hour. Peacock, Paramount+, and Max all have similar splits. The 2026 streaming price tracker lists the current ad-tier prices next to the ad-free rates so you can see the gap.
Shared plans: Services with licensed shared-plan slots — Netflix, Spotify, YouTube Premium, ChatGPT Plus — can be accessed at roughly 30–40 cents on the dollar through group subscription services. The shared plan savings calculator shows the exact annual saving on your specific mix of services. This stacks on top of cord-cutting — it is a second reduction on the streaming bill you already trimmed.
Subscription hopping: Most SVOD services (not live-TV apps) have no contracts. Subscribing for a month, watching what you want, and cancelling is legitimate and can drop a four-service stack to an effective two-service average cost over a year.
Frequently asked questions about cord cutting
How much does the average person save by cutting the cord?
The average US cable bill in 2026 is roughly $130–160/month after all fees — broadcast surcharges, box rentals, and DVR charges stack up fast. A comparable streaming setup (one live-TV app plus two or three SVOD services) typically runs $80–110/month, putting average savings at $40–80/month or $480–960/year. The exact number depends heavily on which live-TV service you pick and whether you pay more for standalone internet after dropping the cable bundle.
What are the hidden fees in a cable bill that this calculator accounts for?
The itemised mode in this calculator separates out the six most common cable add-ons: the base package price, set-top box rental (typically $10–15 per box per month), DVR or cloud DVR fee ($10–15/month), broadcast TV surcharge (now $18–28/month on most providers), sports or regional sports network package, and premium channel add-ons like HBO or Starz. Together these can add $50–80 on top of the advertised base price — the gap between what you saw in the ad and what you actually pay.
Do I lose local channels when I cut the cord?
Not necessarily. Live-TV streaming services like YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, and FuboTV carry local ABC/NBC/CBS/FOX affiliates in most US markets. If you go with a cheaper service like Sling or Philo that skips locals, a one-time HD antenna ($25–50) gives you free over-the-air broadcasts from your local towers. The calculator shows a warning if your selected stack might be missing locals.
What happens to sports coverage when I cut the cord?
National sports on ESPN, TNT, and ABC are covered by YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, and FuboTV. Regional sports networks (RSNs) for local MLB, NBA, and NHL are harder — DirecTV Stream is the main option that still carries most RSNs, but it costs more. ESPN+ covers a lot of UFC and some soccer but not the main cable ESPN channel. If regional live sports are non-negotiable, run the numbers carefully: a live-TV plan with RSNs may cost nearly as much as cable.
Should I include an internet price increase in the cord-cutting calculation?
Yes, if you currently get a bundle discount. Many cable providers charge $15–30/month less for internet when it is bundled with TV. When you cancel TV, your internet bill often rises. The calculator has a separate internet surcharge field — enter the difference between your current bundled internet cost and the standalone internet rate you have been quoted. If your internet price stays the same after cancelling TV, enter $0.
Which streaming service is the best cable replacement for live TV?
YouTube TV at $72.99/month is the most popular because it includes local channels in almost every major market, 100+ cable channels, and unlimited cloud DVR. Hulu + Live TV at $82.99/month bundles Disney+ and ESPN+, which is useful if you already pay for those. Sling Blue at $45/month is the cheapest live option but skips local channels in most markets and lacks some popular networks. FuboTV is better for sports fans who need regional coverage. Philo at $28/month has entertainment channels only — no sports, news, or locals.
How do I reduce my streaming bill further after cutting the cord?
The biggest lever after cord-cutting is switching individual services to ad-supported tiers or splitting subscriptions. Services like Netflix Standard with Ads run $7.99/month versus $15.49 for the ad-free plan. For services that have licensed shared plans — Netflix, Spotify, ChatGPT Plus, YouTube Premium — splitting through a service like GamsGo can cut each bill to roughly 30–40 cents on the dollar. The SubSaver shared-plan savings calculator shows the math for your exact mix.
Is it worth cutting the cord in 2026 now that streaming prices have risen?
Most households still save $40–70/month even after the price increases that happened between 2023 and 2026. The savings are smaller than they were in 2020 when streaming was cheap, but the gap is still real because cable fees — especially broadcast surcharges — have also risen. The main question is whether your streaming stack creeps: people who subscribe to six or seven services end up paying nearly as much as cable. The cord-cutting savings calculator helps you see your specific number before you call to cancel.
What is the internet-only surcharge and how much is it?
When you cancel cable TV but keep internet service from the same provider, you often lose a bundle discount. The surcharge is the extra amount you pay per month for standalone internet versus the bundled rate. It typically runs $15–30/month with Xfinity, Spectrum, or Cox, and it is the main hidden cost in cord-cutting calculations that most online guides ignore. If you already have standalone internet or are switching to a different ISP, set this field to $0.
How accurate are the streaming prices in this calculator?
Prices reflect publicly listed US retail rates as of early 2026. Streaming services change prices regularly — YouTube TV has raised its price twice since 2022 — so always confirm the current price before subscribing. The calculator is designed for comparison, not as a guarantee of what you will pay. Cable bill estimates in the presets are based on industry average surveys; use the itemised mode and enter your actual bill for a precise number.
Can I still get a DVR when I cut the cord?
Yes. YouTube TV includes unlimited cloud DVR storage in its base price. Hulu + Live TV includes 50 hours of cloud DVR, with an unlimited option for a small add-on fee. FuboTV includes 1000 hours of cloud DVR. If you use Sling or a free OTA antenna, a Tablo networked DVR ($2.99/month service fee after a one-time hardware cost) connects to your antenna and records local broadcasts. The ad-supported DVR experience is different from cable — you cannot always fast-forward through ads on live TV recordings depending on the network rights.
Related tools
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Jim Liu tracks subscription and pay-TV pricing and runs the cost tools on SubSaver. Cable fees and streaming prices reflect publicly listed US rates as of June 2026. More about the author.
Prices as of June 2026 and reflect publicly listed US rates. Cable provider fees vary by market, promotion, and contract. Streaming service prices change frequently — confirm at checkout. GamsGo links are affiliate links; SubSaver may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.