Live TV vs streaming in 2026: what YouTube TV really costs
YouTube TV costs $82.99 a month — $995.88 a year. That is more than the 8 cheapest streaming services put together, which come to $75.92 at their cheapest paid tiers and leave $7.07 in change.
People cut cable to stop paying cable prices, then sign up for live TV streaming and pay them again. Both sides below are priced from the same table the rest of this site uses, so these figures move when prices move.
What $82.99 a month buys instead
Every major streaming service, cheapest first, with the running total. The highlighted rows all fit inside one YouTube TV subscription:
| # | Service | Cheapest paid tier | Running total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Discovery+ | $5.99 | $5.99 |
| 2 | Peacock Premium | $7.99 | $13.98 |
| 3 | Netflix | $8.99 | $22.97 |
| 4 | Amazon Prime Video | $8.99 | $31.96 |
| 5 | Paramount+ | $8.99 | $40.95 |
| 6 | Max (HBO) | $10.99 | $51.94 |
| 7 | Disney+ | $11.99 | $63.93 |
| 8 | Hulu | $11.99 | $75.92 |
| 9 | Apple TV+ | $12.99 | $88.91 — over YouTube TV |
| 10 | ESPN+ | $12.99 | $101.90 — over YouTube TV |
| All 10 services | $101.90 |
Read the other way round: one YouTube TV subscription is 81% of what the entire major streaming catalogue would cost you — all 10 services, every month, at $101.90.
What that price difference actually buys
It would be dishonest to stop at the arithmetic, because live TV is not selling the same product. The premium buys four things that a stack of on-demand services genuinely does not replace:
- Local channels — your regional affiliates, and with them local news and weather.
- Live sports across leagues — the one case where the alternative is several separate subscriptions, each carrying a different sport.
- Live news — rolling coverage as it happens rather than clips afterwards.
- Not having to choose — turning the television on and letting it play, which no on-demand catalogue reproduces.
If you use all four, $82.99 is a fair price and this guide is not arguing otherwise. If you use one, you are paying a live TV price for a habit that an antenna and a single streaming service would cover.
The other live TV services
Sling TV, FuboTV, Hulu + Live TV and DirecTV Stream all compete with YouTube TV, and we have deliberately not put a number on any of them. Their pricing varies so much by package, region and promotional period that a single figure would mislead more than it informs, and our price table carries no verified rate for them. We would rather quote nothing than quote something we cannot stand behind — every other figure on this page comes from a price we check.
The cheapest way to replace cable
An antenna covers local channels for a one-off cost and no subscription at all. Add one or two on-demand services and most households are covered for a fraction of $82.99 a month. The case for live TV streaming is really a case about sport: if you follow several leagues, the per-league subscriptions add up fast and a live TV package starts to win.
And whichever side you land on, the same lever applies — you are not obliged to keep everything running all year. Our money-saving guide covers rotating subscriptions around what you are actually watching, the bundle guide prices the bundles, and the ad-free guide covers what removing ads costs on top.
Common questions
- How much does YouTube TV cost per year?
- $995.88 at its current $82.99 monthly price, before add-ons.
- Is YouTube TV more expensive than streaming services?
- Yes — more than the 8 cheapest streaming services combined ($75.92), and 81% of what all 10 major services would cost together.
- What do you lose by dropping live TV streaming?
- Local channels, live news, most live sport outside the leagues with their own streaming deals, and the ability to turn the television on without choosing something.
- What is the cheapest way to replace cable?
- An antenna for locals plus one or two on-demand services. Live TV streaming earns its price mainly for live sport across several leagues.
Prices are the current rates in our pricing table, checked regularly, and are the cheapest paid tier of each service. Add-ons, regional sports fees and promotional rates are excluded.