Streaming data
How much data does YouTube use per hour at 1080p?
2.25GB per hour
YouTube, 1080p: a ceiling worked out from the speed the service publishes
YouTube does not publish data per hour. It publishes the connection speed it recommends for each quality, and that gives a ceiling: a stream can't use more data than the speed it needs.
The arithmetic
- YouTube 1080p: 5 Mbps (published speed)
- 5,000,000 bits/s × 3,600 s ÷ 8 = 2,250,000,000 bytes = 2.25 GB per hour
- A 2-hour film: 2.25 × 2 = 4.5 GB
- Two hours a day for 30 days: 2.25 × 60 = 135 GB a month
| Setting | Per hour | Per 2-hour film | 2 h a day, 30 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| 360p | 315 MB | 630 MB | 18.9 GB |
| 480p | 495 MB | 990 MB | 29.7 GB |
| 720p | 1.12 GB | 2.25 GB | 67.5 GB |
| 1080p | 2.25 GB | 4.5 GB | 135 GB |
| 4K | 9 GB | 18 GB | 540 GB |
Sources and assumptions
- YouTube Help, 'Video resolution & internet speed' (support.google.com/youtube/answer/78358): recommended sustained speeds, checked 2026-10-25. YouTube publishes the connection speed it recommends, not data per hour. We convert that speed to GB per hour, so these are ceilings; YouTube's real bitrates are usually lower, especially with AV1 or VP9.