FETV Cord-Cutting Cost Guide: Calculate Your Actual Savings
Cord-Cutting Cost Guide: Calculate Your Actual Savings
For lower spending, start with on-demand services and an antenna if your local reception works. Keep a live-TV package when its channels are essential. Compare internet, subscriptions, equipment, and recurring extras against the complete bill you pay now.
The U.S. subscription prices below were checked November 3, 2026. The worked household budget uses clearly stated assumptions so you can substitute your own cable bill and internet-only quote.
Start with the bill you can actually replace
Collect a recent bill and identify television charges, internet, equipment, broadcast or sports fees, taxes, promotions and optional services. If the bill includes phone service that you need, include its replacement cost too.
Then request a written internet-only quote for your address. Record its regular price, promotional end date, equipment charge, data allowance, overage rules and any contract obligation. A bundle discount may disappear when television is removed, so subtracting the TV line from your existing bill can understate the new internet cost.
Use this formula:
Monthly savings = current combined cost − new internet cost − streaming subscriptions − other new recurring charges.
Use comparable tax treatment. If the old number includes tax but the new subscription prices do not, add the applicable new taxes before calling the difference your savings.
Use current plan prices rather than remembered ones
These are regular published U.S. monthly prices before applicable tax, not new-customer introductory discounts:
| Service and plan | Monthly price | Important distinction |
|---|---|---|
| Netflix Standard with ads | $8.99 | 1080p; two simultaneous supported devices |
| Netflix Standard | $19.99 | Ad-free on-demand viewing in 1080p; two devices |
| Netflix Premium | $26.99 | 4K/HDR support and four simultaneous devices |
| Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max bundle with ads | $21.99 | Three services; not Hulu’s live-channel package |
| Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max bundle without ads | $34.99 | Includes HBO Max Standard, not its Premium tier |
| YouTube TV main plan | $82.99 | Live-channel service; confirm the lineup for your area |
Sources: Netflix plans, Disney+ plan prices, YouTube TV plans.
Netflix’s ad-supported plan excludes some licensed titles. Disney’s no-ads bundle still carries advertising in select live and linear programming. Check your must-watch titles and needed playback features before selecting the lowest-priced tier.
YouTube TV’s Sports + News plan costs $71.99 monthly at its regular rate, $11 less than the main plan. It includes a narrower lineup and local channels subject to ZIP-code availability. Choose it over the $82.99 plan when its channel list covers your viewing; the annual difference is $132.
Three complete replacement budgets
Assume an existing cable-plus-internet package costs $180 monthly before tax, an internet-only replacement costs $75, and any required new hardware costs $90 once. Those three figures are hypothetical.
The streaming prices in this table come from the published plans above:
| Replacement | Streaming per month | Internet plus streaming | Monthly savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netflix with ads + Disney/Hulu/HBO Max with ads | $30.98 | $105.98 | $74.02 |
| Netflix Standard + Disney/Hulu/HBO Max without ads | $54.98 | $129.98 | $50.02 |
| YouTube TV main plan + Netflix with ads | $91.98 | $166.98 | $13.02 |
The first option saves $888.24 over 12 months before the assumed $90 hardware purchase, leaving $798.24 in first-year savings. The second leaves $510.24 after hardware. The live-TV option leaves only $66.24 after hardware.
Add applicable taxes, fees, add-ons, and any later price changes. Choose the on-demand combinations when you mainly watch catalog programs; choose a live-TV plan when its channels justify the extra monthly cost.
If the internet-only quote rises from $75 to $90, the live-TV scenario becomes $181.98 monthly. It would cost $1.98 more than the hypothetical original package before hardware. Cord-cutting can increase spending.
Calculate how long equipment takes to pay back
The break-even formula is:
One-time switching cost ÷ monthly savings = months to recover the cost.
With the worksheet’s $90 hardware cost, $74.02 monthly savings recovers the purchase in about 1.22 months; $13.02 monthly savings takes about 6.91 months. If a promotion expires before break-even, recalculate using the later monthly price.
Include an antenna, streaming player, installation and cancellation charge only if you actually need or owe them. A working smart TV may already run the necessary apps. A new soundbar is an optional audio purchase, not an automatic requirement created by canceling cable.
Separate upgrades you wanted anyway from costs necessary to switch, so the calculation answers the decision you are making.
Build a viewing checklist before choosing a package
List the actual programs, local stations and sports you need. For each, record whether you require live viewing, whether delayed on-demand access is acceptable, and which service carries it in your location.
For sports, write down the actual games and local broadcasts you follow, then match each to a service. Include seasonal and premium add-ons only for the months you plan to use them.
Also check simultaneous-stream limits and supported devices. A plan that works for one viewer may fail when several household members watch different programs at once. Compare those features in the streaming-platform guide.
Use free streaming and an antenna for different purposes
Tubi is free to install and watch, supported by advertising, and requires no payment-card information. Search its catalog for programs you want before adding another paid subscription. Tubi’s service explanation.
An antenna serves a different function: receiving available local over-the-air broadcasts. Reception depends on location, equipment, terrain and nearby obstructions. The FCC points to its reception map and notes that buildings, trees and weather can affect actual signal strength. FCC discussion of over-the-air availability, DTV reception map.
Test the local stations at home while the antenna is returnable. Try the rooms and placement you expect to use, including the times you usually watch. Keep subscription-only channels on the separate paid-service checklist.
Rotate subscriptions with a real calendar
Rotate services around series you intend to finish. Keep one main service if the household uses it weekly, and add another for a month when enough desired episodes are available.
At $19.99 a month, Netflix Standard costs $239.88 for 12 billed months or $119.94 for six at the same rate. If six months covers your planned viewing, the other six renewals are $119.94 you can avoid.
Record renewal dates and cancellation confirmation. Verify whether an offer commits you to a multi-month term, whether a third party handles billing, and when access ends. A headline monthly equivalent is not necessarily a month-to-month contract.
Netflix states that its subscriptions are monthly and that it does not sell annual, multi-month or lifetime membership plans. Other services’ promotional terms can differ. Netflix billing structure.
Make the switch in a controlled sequence
First verify the internet quote and required programming. Then try the replacement on the devices and network you will use, including a busy evening with multiple viewers. If a free trial is offered, record its end date and the subsequent price.
Cancel the old television service only after those checks. Confirm what happens to internet pricing, equipment rental and any remaining contract charges. Return provider-owned equipment through an approved channel and keep proof of return.
Review the first replacement bill and the final cable bill. Then audit streaming charges again after a month: duplicate subscriptions and forgotten trials can erase the projected savings quickly.
Choose the lowest-cost combination that carries the programs your household uses. Revisit the worksheet when a promotion ends, a sports season finishes, or a subscription price changes.