Data usage by activity
How much data maps, calls, streaming, social, music, games and photo backups use, as typical ranges.
Data use depends on the activity far more than on the destination. Video and calls are counted in gigabytes per hour; maps, messaging and music in megabytes. These guides give typical ranges with sources, and show how to measure your own apps.
New guides
How many GB do I need for my trip? Estimate it by activity
A 7-step method to estimate travel data from what you will actually do: per-activity ranges, three worked trips, buffers and daily-cap checks.
Read the guide →How much data does streaming video use per hour?
How much data an hour of Netflix or YouTube uses at each quality setting, what the published figures mean on a phone, and how to cut it on a travel eSIM.
Read the guide →How much data do Instagram, TikTok and Reels use while travelling?
Why social feeds behave like video streaming, how to measure your own Instagram or TikTok use in 15 minutes, and the settings that cut it on a travel eSIM.
Read the guide →How much data do Google Maps and navigation use abroad?
Turn-by-turn navigation is light; place photos, satellite view and live transit add more. Ranges, offline-map limits and a way to measure your own use.
Read the guide →How much data does Spotify or Apple Music use abroad?
Spotify's published bitrates turned into MB per hour, what lossless and Apple Music settings change, and how downloads make music cost nothing abroad.
Read the guide →Does mobile gaming use a lot of data on a travel eSIM?
Online play, game downloads and updates, and cloud gaming use very different amounts of data. How to measure each one and protect a travel plan.
Read the guide →Video calls versus maps: which travel activities consume more data?
Where mobile data goes on a trip, and how to plan without false precision.
Read the guide →Reference: typical data per hour
| Activity | Per hour (typical) | Where the figure comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Maps and navigation | 5 MB – 60 MB | TripoSIM help: ≈5–10 MB/h navigation; upper end is planning headroom |
| Web, email and messaging | 20 MB – 120 MB | Planning assumption; photos and video in chats push it up |
| Music (Spotify Normal → Very high) | 43 MB – 144 MB | Spotify bitrates 96–320 kbit/s × 0.45 |
| Social feeds with autoplay video | 170 MB – 700 MB | Planning assumption set like mobile video; measure yours |
| Video: Netflix mobile Save Data → Medium | 170 MB – 700 MB | Netflix: ≈6 h per GB to "up to 0.7 GB" per hour |
| Video call 1:1 (Zoom high quality → 720p) | 540 MB – 1.1 GB | Zoom bandwidth, up + down, × 0.45 |
| Laptop on hotspot, light work | 200 MB – 600 MB | Planning assumption; excludes calls, updates, sync |
| Video: Netflix HD | 1 GB – 3 GB | Netflix: up to 3 GB per hour |
| Cloud gaming at 15 Mbit/s (example) | 6.8 GB | Arithmetic for a stream held at that speed |
From the guide archive
- A Practical Mobile Data Budget: Measure, Estimate and Buy the Right eSIMguide
- How Much eSIM Data Do I Need for Travel? A Measurable Methodguide
- How Much eSIM Data Do You Need? Calculate by Daily Activityguide
- How Much Data Does a One-Hour Video Call Use?guide
- How Much Mobile Data Do Video Calls Really Use Abroad?guide
- WhatsApp Voice vs Video Calls Abroad: Build a Data Reserveguide
- How Much Data Does Streaming Use on a Travel eSIM?guide
- Is 1 GB Enough for Google Maps and WhatsApp on Holiday?guide
- Offline Maps vs Live Navigation: How Much Data Is Avoidable?guide
- Photo and Video Uploads Abroad: The Hidden Data Budgetguide
- Cloud Photo Backup Abroad: Why Your eSIM Data Can Disappear Overnightguide
- The Real Data Budget for Travel: Photos, Video, Maps and Offline Choicesguide
- 5 GB vs 10 GB eSIM for Seven Daysguide
- Measure Travel Data Before Buying an eSIM: A Seven-Day Methodguide
- How much travel eSIM data do you really need? A measurement workflowguide
- What Uses More Data: Maps, Social Media or Video Calls?guide
- How to Reduce Mobile Data on a Family Holidayguide
- Online Classes While Traveling: A Practical eSIM Data Workbookguide