How much can you save by streaming vs cable?

When I cut the cord in 2011, I had run the numbers on how much it would cost me to watch TV via streaming rather than with cable. I only counted streaming, not over the air antenna. My totals for 2010 showed that I would have saved $65/month. So, how does that compare to 2023?

A new report from Leichtman Research Group, says that the average savings of streaming over cable is nearly $65/month. Imagine that.

But what about my particular situation today? How much am I now saving by streaming?

I'm not sure an exact comparison can be made. First of all, I don't live where I lived in 2011. I have a different Internet Service Provider and have a different cable provider in this area. So, the $65/month savings applied to my ISP and cable provider there. But now I'm here. Still, I can run the numbers and see what they show.

I'm currently paying $52/month for Internet, and (roughly) $30/month for streaming services. During football season, I have a cable alternative service such as Sling TV ($40/month). But let's go higher and use YouTube TV ($73/month) instead.

That means in a year, I'm paying $624 for Internet, $360 for streaming services, and $292 for sports programming. That's $,1276/year or $107/month (rounding up) for all the streaming TV I want.

But... I have Amazon Prime, and I had Amazon Prime when I had cable, and would still have Amazon Prime if I went back to cable. So, that changes the monthly streaming service cost from $30 to $18. That brings the yearly cost to $216 rather than $360. That makes the total cost $1,132/year or $95/month.

For Xfinity/Comcast Internet and cable TV, the total is $138/month. That means I'm only saving $43/month ($516/year) by streaming, which is around 2/3 the national average, and 2/3 of what I used to save. It's still worth it, is what all this means.

My Streaming Life has saved me money over my old cable TV life. It still does.