A 24/7 YouTube stream uses roughly 324 GB of data per month for every 1 Mbps of continuous video bitrate, assuming a 30-day month. Multiply your total stream bitrate in Mbps by 324 to estimate monthly usage in decimal gigabytes.
That figure applies to the connection doing the uploading. If the stream is sent from a cloud service rather than your home or office, your local broadband may use almost no upload data, while the cloud account is responsible for the outbound traffic.
The one formula you need
The calculation starts with bitrate, not resolution. Bitrate is the amount of data sent each second. A stream set to 6 Mbps sends approximately 6 megabits every second, whether the picture is a devotional loop, a local news slide deck, a study timer or a rainy-window animation.
Use this formula:
Monthly data in GB = bitrate in Mbps × 10.8 × number of days
The 10.8 comes from the number of seconds in a day and the conversion from megabits to decimal gigabytes:
1 Mbps × 86,400 seconds ÷ 8 ÷ 1,000 = 10.8 GB per day
For a 30-day month, the shorter version is:
Monthly data in GB = bitrate in Mbps × 324
So a 4.5 Mbps stream uses approximately:
4.5 × 324 = 1,458 GB in 30 days
That is about 1.46 TB using decimal units. A provider may display the same usage in TiB or use a different definition of TB, so leave room for the units to differ when you compare the calculation with a dashboard.
The formula should use the total stream bitrate. If your video is 4 Mbps and your audio is 128 kbps, the total is 4.128 Mbps before protocol overhead. For a practical estimate, round up rather than down. Streaming software and network protocols add some traffic, and a stream may occasionally use a little more data than the nominal encoder setting.
A 31-day month changes the result. At 1 Mbps, the calculation is 334.8 GB for 31 days rather than 324 GB. If your connection has a strict monthly allowance, calculate for the longest billing period rather than relying on a 30-day average.
You can use YouTube's official live encoder settings guidance to check the recommended bitrate range for your chosen resolution and frame rate. Those recommendations are useful starting points, but they do not replace a test with your own content. A mostly static image behaves differently from fast footage, screen recording or a camera feed.
Monthly usage at common stream settings
The table below assumes the listed figure is the total continuous stream bitrate, a 30-day month and decimal gigabytes. It does not add a separate allowance for overhead.
| Total stream bitrate | Data per day | Data in 30 days | Approximate decimal TB |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5 Mbps | 27 GB | 810 GB | 0.81 TB |
| 4.5 Mbps | 48.6 GB | 1,458 GB | 1.46 TB |
| 6 Mbps | 64.8 GB | 1,944 GB | 1.94 TB |
| 9 Mbps | 97.2 GB | 2,916 GB | 2.92 TB |
| 13 Mbps | 140.4 GB | 4,212 GB | 4.21 TB |
These are upload figures for the machine or service sending the broadcast. They are not the amount watched by your audience. If 500 viewers watch the stream, YouTube distributes the viewing traffic to them. Your encoder does not normally upload a separate copy for each viewer.
There is also a difference between a setting and an observed average. A variable-bitrate encoder may move around the target according to the picture. A static channel logo and background can require less data at some moments, while moving footage, particles, camera noise or screen transitions can require more. The table is therefore best used for planning a data allowance, not as a billing guarantee.
For a quick estimate, a 2.5 Mbps loop is below one decimal terabyte in a 30-day month, while a 13 Mbps stream is above four decimal terabytes. That gap is why choosing a higher preset without checking the monthly allowance can change the economics of a small channel.
If you are still deciding what equipment or service should handle the broadcast, start with the broader 24/7 YouTube streaming guide, then return to this calculation with the bitrate you actually plan to use.
Why audio adds less than you think
Audio matters for quality, but it is usually a small part of the bandwidth calculation compared with video. Audio is measured in kilobits per second. To convert it to Mbps, divide by 1,000.
For a 30-day month:
Audio data in GB = audio bitrate in Mbps × 324
A 128 kbps audio track is 0.128 Mbps. On its own, that uses approximately 41.5 GB in 30 days. A 256 kbps track uses approximately 82.9 GB. Those are not trivial amounts on a small mobile plan, but they are much smaller than the video portion of a typical continuous stream.
For example, a stream with 4 Mbps of video and 128 kbps of audio has a nominal total of 4.128 Mbps. The 128 kbps audio contributes about 41.5 GB per month, while the 4 Mbps video contributes about 1,296 GB. Lowering audio from 256 kbps to 128 kbps saves about 41.5 GB over 30 days, but lowering video from 6 Mbps to 4.5 Mbps saves about 486 GB.
That does not mean audio quality is unimportant. Music channels, devotional broadcasts and ambience stations may be judged more by their sound than by small changes in picture detail. Do not reduce the audio rate until voices, music and sustained tones still sound acceptable on ordinary headphones and phone speakers.
Also check whether the software reports video bitrate, audio bitrate or total bitrate. A setting labelled 4 Mbps may refer only to video. If you are close to a traffic limit, add the two figures before calculating. Captions, metadata and reconnects add comparatively little, but a conservative budget should still include a margin.
Metered home connections and fair-use caps
A home connection can be fast enough for a live broadcast and still be unsuitable for continuous streaming because of its monthly data policy. Speed answers whether the connection can send the stream smoothly. A data allowance answers whether it can keep doing so for the whole billing cycle.
Check four details in the current terms for your exact broadband or mobile plan:
- the monthly data allowance, if any
- whether the allowance applies to upload as well as download
- what happens after the allowance is reached
- whether the provider treats sustained upstream traffic differently under a fair-use policy
Do not assume that a plan described as unlimited has no conditions. Some providers use fair-use language, traffic management or service-specific restrictions. Others may count upload and download together. The current official plan page or your contract is the useful source, not an old forum answer or a screenshot from another city.
If your allowance is expressed in terabytes, compare it with the total stream bitrate. A 6 Mbps stream needs approximately 1.94 decimal TB in a 30-day month before overhead. A 31-day month needs approximately 2.01 TB. If the same connection is used for normal household activity, video calls, backups, security cameras and downloads, those activities must be added to the streaming budget.
Mobile broadband requires extra caution. Signal changes can cause reconnects, and a plan may have a separate high-speed allowance even if the headline service is described as unlimited. A reconnect does not always mean the entire video file is uploaded again, but repeated attempts and other household use can make the meter harder to predict.
A sensible test is to run the intended stream for several hours, record the router or provider's usage before and after, and extrapolate. This will not prove how the provider counts traffic for a full month, but it can reveal a mistaken unit conversion or an unexpectedly high total bitrate. Test during the time and on the connection you will actually use overnight.
If the home line is also carrying everyday work, you should separate the channel's traffic from personal use where possible. A dedicated connection makes the bill easier to understand, but it does not remove the need to check the provider's conditions.
Metered VPS traffic allowances and overage pricing
A virtual private server changes where the upload happens, not how much data the stream needs. The VPS sends the broadcast from its data centre to YouTube, so the relevant allowance is usually its outbound transfer quota. The exact meaning of “traffic”, “transfer” and “bandwidth” varies by host.
Some plans include a transfer allowance and charge, throttle or suspend service after it is exceeded. Some calculate traffic in both directions. Some distinguish between a port speed and a monthly transfer quota. A fast port does not mean you are permitted to send unlimited data for the month.
Read the provider's current pricing and network terms before choosing a plan. Every stated allowance, included transfer amount or overage rate must be checked on the vendor's own site and against your billing region. Pricing and policies can change, so treat a page as current only as listed on the vendor's site in September 2026. Do not copy a figure from a comparison article and assume it applies to your account.
For planning, compare the allowance with the table above. A 4.5 Mbps stream requires approximately 1,458 GB in 30 days. If a VPS plan includes less than that for the billing period, it is not enough for the stream before any other traffic is counted. If it includes more, reserve some capacity for operating-system updates, file transfers, monitoring and reconnects.
Overage pricing is often more difficult to predict than the base plan. A host may bill each additional unit, round usage up, use a monthly average, or apply a different rate after a threshold. A small arithmetic error can therefore become a large bill when a channel runs continuously. Ask the host how outbound transfer is measured and whether an alert or hard limit is available.
A VPS can be the better fit when you need to run your own encoder, combine sources, manage several channels or control the software environment. It also leaves you responsible for updates, storage, process monitoring, stream keys and recovery. For a single uploaded loop, that control may not be worth the operational work. The right choice depends on what you need to operate, not only on the headline monthly fee.
Where the upload happens when the stream is not on your line
When your own computer encodes and sends the broadcast, the upload travels through your home, office or mobile connection. The calculation from this article then applies directly to that connection. Turning off the monitor does not stop the upload, and reducing audience playback quality does not reduce the encoder's upstream traffic.
When a cloud-based workflow sends the file to YouTube, the continuous upload takes place away from your local line. Your initial file upload and any later replacement upload still use your connection, but the 24/7 broadcast traffic is handled by the service running the channel. You should still consider the reliability of your local connection for management, file preparation and emergency access.
StreamNeo is designed for the specific situation where you upload a video once, provide the YouTube stream key, and want the broadcast to continue without leaving your own computer running. It also removes the need to watch a local encoder overnight, while automatic monitoring and restarts address the problem of a dropped process.
This distinction is important when comparing costs. A cloud service may remove a large home upload requirement but introduce a service charge or a provider-specific limit. A VPS may give you more control but require you to budget outbound traffic and maintain the running process. A local computer may avoid a separate hosting charge but use electricity, hardware and your own broadband allowance.
YouTube remains the destination in all three cases. Review the current YouTube live streaming requirements for your channel, and do not confuse the location of the encoder with the rules applied to the YouTube account.
If you want to change a loop after the channel is already running, plan the replacement separately from the monthly traffic calculation. The practical steps are covered in how to change the video in a running 24/7 stream.
Cutting bitrate without visibly losing quality
The safest way to reduce monthly usage is to reduce bitrate only after checking what the viewer can actually see. A lower number is not automatically better if it creates blockiness around text, ringing around graphics or muddy detail in moving footage.
Start with the content. A static background with slowly moving text usually needs less bitrate than a camera pointed at a busy street. A rain or fire loop can contain constant fine movement that looks simple to the eye but is difficult for an encoder to compress. A local news loop with small captions needs enough detail for those captions to remain readable.
Then review resolution and frame rate. A smaller frame or lower frame rate can reduce the amount of information that must be encoded, but it can also make text and motion less clear. For many informational or ambience channels, a stable 30 frames per second may be more sensible than 60 if the source does not contain fast movement. The frame-rate guide for 24/7 loops explains that trade-off in more detail.
Use a controlled test rather than changing several settings at once. Make a short section containing the hardest material in your loop: small text, a face, a dark scene, movement, gradients and any animated overlay. Encode it at the proposed settings and inspect it on the devices your viewers use. Look at pauses and transitions as well as the most attractive frame.
A useful order is:
- Confirm that the source does not contain unnecessary resolution or frame rate.
- Choose a reasonable video bitrate for that format and content.
- Keep audio high enough for the channel's purpose.
- Watch the encoded result at full size and on a phone.
- Calculate the monthly traffic using the actual combined bitrate.
Do not lower bitrate to compensate for a source file that is already poor. Re-encoding a noisy or heavily compressed file at a lower setting can make the defects more obvious. Removing unnecessary audio tracks, unused video streams and oversized source files can simplify the workflow, although the continuous stream still depends on the output settings.
You can also reduce traffic by avoiding unnecessary restarts and repeated manual uploads. A replacement file does use additional upload data, but that is normally small compared with sending the live stream continuously for a month. The larger saving comes from selecting an output bitrate that suits the content from the beginning.
Before committing, compare the operating options on the pricing page. When the file and channel are ready, start free — 24-hour trial, no card.
FAQ
Does a 24/7 stream use the same data every day?
Not exactly. The estimate is based on a continuous average bitrate, while variable-bitrate encoding, reconnects and protocol overhead can change the observed total. Use the formula for planning and leave a margin if your connection has a strict allowance.
Is 1 Mbps equal to 1 GB per day?
No. One Mbps running continuously uses approximately 10.8 decimal GB per day. The difference comes from converting bits to bytes and multiplying by all the seconds in a day.
Does YouTube charge my home connection for viewer watch time?
Your encoder uploads one stream to YouTube; it does not normally upload a separate copy for each viewer. Your home connection is therefore mainly affected by the outgoing stream, plus other household activity, rather than by the number of people watching.
Should I use a VPS or a cloud streaming service?
A VPS can suit you if you need control over the encoder or several custom processes and are prepared to manage the machine and its outbound allowance. A cloud workflow can suit a single uploaded loop when you want the computer and overnight monitoring removed from the job. Compare the total operating work, traffic policy and current vendor terms rather than looking only at the advertised connection speed.