How much mobile data do I really need?
Rough usage figures for messaging, music, video and hotspot, and what each step up in data costs today.
All prices in this guide come from our comparison of 274 German mobile tariffs and are average prices per month over 24 months, one-time costs included. As of .
How much everyday use takes
These are rough guide values; actual use depends on the app, quality settings and screen.
| Use | Approximate data |
|---|---|
| Messages, emails without attachments | a few MB a day |
| Browsing, social media with pictures | 50–150 MB an hour |
| Music streaming | 50–150 MB an hour |
| Navigation | 5–20 MB an hour |
| Video calls | 0.5–1 GB an hour |
| Video in normal quality (social media, TV apps) | 0.5–1 GB an hour |
| Video in HD (Netflix, YouTube) | 1.5–3 GB an hour |
| Hotspot for a laptop | varies a lot, easily several GB a day |
Rules of thumb
- 5–10 GB is enough if you mostly message, browse, navigate and listen to music on the go and have Wi-Fi at home.
- 20–30 GB suits you if you watch some video on the go every day or make video calls often.
- 50 GB or more, or unlimited, pays off if you have no Wi-Fi at home, stream a lot or use the hotspot regularly.
Your phone shows your actual use: on Android under “Network” or “Data usage” in the settings, on an iPhone under “Mobile Data”. Look at the last few months and add a little reserve.
What more data costs today
The cheapest tariff for each step. The last column shows how much more it costs per month than the cheapest tariff of the step before; the jump is often smaller than you would expect.
| Data | Cheapest tariff | Extra over the step before |
|---|---|---|
| from 5 GB | Lyca Mobile Global Connect XS 5 GB, Ø €3.50 |
– |
| from 10 GB | Lebara Allnet 20 GB 20 GB, Ø €5.20 |
+€1.70 |
| from 20 GB | Lebara Allnet 20 GB 20 GB, Ø €5.20 |
€0.00 |
| from 50 GB | Lebara Allnet 50 GB 50 GB, Ø €9.20 |
+€4.00 |
| from 100 GB | ALDI TALK Tarif S 25 GB / 4 weeks, then unlimited top-ups, Ø €10.82 |
+€1.62 |
| Unlimited | ALDI TALK Tarif S 25 GB / 4 weeks, then unlimited top-ups, Ø €10.82 |
– |
For prepaid packages billed every 4 weeks or yearly, we convert the data volume to one month.
Quick answers
How much data does an hour of video use?
Roughly 0.5 to 1 GB in normal quality and 1.5 to 3 GB in HD, depending on the app and settings. Music streaming needs about 50 to 150 MB an hour, messaging without videos hardly anything.
Is 10 GB a month enough?
For messaging, email, navigation, social media and music on the go, usually yes. If you watch videos on the go regularly or connect your laptop through the hotspot, you will want 30 GB or more.
What does more data cost?
Today the cheapest tariff with 10 GB or more costs €5.20 a month on average, the cheapest with 50 GB or more €9.20. More data is often cheaper than you think.