Free tool by DCAST
Streaming Bandwidth Cost Calculator
Estimate monthly bandwidth (GB) and CDN cost from bitrate, viewers, and watch time.
Inputs
Hours you are on air per month.
Estimate
Bandwidth: 18 TB / month
Cost: $900 / month
Based on bitrate × concurrent viewers × stream hours. CDN pricing varies; use your provider's $/GB.
How the bandwidth cost calculator works
Enter your stream bitrate (Mbps), average concurrent viewers, and stream hours per month. The calculator multiplies them to get total data transferred (GB), then applies your cost per GB to estimate monthly spend. Use your CDN or host's $/GB. For recommended bitrate from upload speed, use the OBS settings calculator; for file size from bitrate and duration, use the bitrate calculator. For on-demand video, switch the audience model to views × average watch time: the same bytes are counted per view instead of per hour on air.
- Q:How is monthly bandwidth calculated?
- A:Bandwidth (data transferred) = bitrate × number of viewers × stream duration. We use: bitrate (Mbps) × concurrent viewers × stream hours per month × 3,600 seconds, converted to GB. So each viewer-hour of stream consumes (bitrate in Mbps × 0.45) GB per viewer per hour.
- Q:Who needs this calculator?
- A:Streamers and broadcasters planning CDN or hosting costs, videographers estimating delivery traffic, and anyone comparing bandwidth pricing. Enter your bitrate, average concurrent viewers, and hours per month; then your price per GB to get monthly cost.