The monthly bills a person receives for staying connected may seem inconsequential, but the total over a lifetime is likely to come as a shock to many.
A lifetime (60 years) of staying connected is likely to cost the average U.S. resident just over $200,000, according to Reviews.org’s State of Consumer Media Spending 2025 report.
Included in this estimate is the lifetime projected cost for:
- Television: $72,799.20
- Internet: $49,219.20
- Mobile: $41,731.20 (assuming the customer has service from one of the Big Three: AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon)
- Streaming: $37,230.43
In a further examination of streaming, the report, citing CableTV.com, said found the following increases:
- Netflix raised the price of all three of its remaining subscription plans in January 2025. The Premium plan increased from $22.99 to $24.99 per month, and the Standard plan (the cheapest ad-free option) rose from $15.49 to $17.99 per month. Netflix also discontinued its cheapest ad-free Basic option.
- ESPN introduced a new high-cost streaming tier, ESPN Unlimited, priced at $29.99 per month. This includes access to ESPN cable channels.
- In 2024, Hulu’s ad-supported plan increased from $7.99 to $9.99 per month. Its ad-free plan went up from $17.99 to $18.99 per month.
The report further found that consumer media spending in 2025 is 2% more than it was a year ago, driven primarily by rising costs of TV services. The changes are as follows:
- Internet: Down 1.5%
- Mobile: Down 4.5%
- Cable: Up 13.7%
- Streaming services: Up 22%
Among the report’s other findings:
- Americans pay nearly $280 per month on average for internet, mobile, cable TV, and streaming services
- Connectivity and TV services make up 4% of the average U.S. worker’s monthly earnings, based on the U.S. median income
- Switching from a Big Three mobile carrier to an MVNO carrier saves the average consumer $200 per year