How Much Do All Your Subscriptions Cost? The Real Numbers for 2026
The average person spends $50–$200/month on subscriptions without realising it. Here's what Netflix, Spotify, ChatGPT, and 70+ other services actually cost in 2026.
The subscription creep problem
Most people underestimate their subscription spending by 2–3x. You think you're paying $30/month, but when you add Netflix, Spotify, ChatGPT, iCloud, a news site, a fitness app, and that one tool you forgot to cancel — it's closer to $100–$200.
Here's what the most common subscriptions actually cost in 2026.
Streaming services
| Service | Cheapest Plan | Standard Plan | Premium Plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netflix | $7.99 (with ads) | $17.99 | $24.99 |
| Disney+ | $7.99 (with ads) | $13.99 | $13.99 |
| Spotify | $6.99 (student) | $11.99 | $19.99 (family) |
| YouTube Premium | — | $13.99 | $22.99 (family) |
| Apple Music | $5.99 (student) | $10.99 | $16.99 (family) |
| Amazon Prime Video | $8.99 | $14.99 (full Prime) | — |
*Prices in USD. Vary by country.*
AI tools
| Service | Monthly | Annual (per month) |
|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT Plus | $20.00 | $20.00 |
| Claude Pro | $20.00 | $20.00 |
| Midjourney | $10.00 | $8.00 |
| GitHub Copilot | $10.00 | $10.00 |
| Perplexity Pro | $20.00 | $16.67 |
| Cursor Pro | $20.00 | $16.00 |
AI tools alone can easily hit $50–$100/month if you use more than two.
Common subscription stacks and their cost
Here are some typical combinations:
The basics — Netflix + Spotify + iCloud
- US: $37.97/month ($455/year)
- AU: $38.97 AUD/month ($467/year)
The developer — ChatGPT Plus + GitHub Copilot + Cursor + Netflix + Spotify
- US: $79.97/month ($959/year)
The content creator — Midjourney + Adobe CC + Canva Pro + Spotify
- US: $86.98/month ($1,043/year)
The family — Netflix Premium + Spotify Family + Disney+ + YouTube Premium Family
- US: $81.96/month ($983/year)
Subscription costs by category (US averages)
| Category | Typical Monthly Spend |
|---|---|
| Streaming Video | $15–$40 |
| Streaming Music | $11–$17 |
| AI Tools | $20–$60 |
| Cloud Storage | $3–$10 |
| Gaming | $10–$17 |
| Fitness | $10–$15 |
| News & Media | $5–$17 |
| Education | $10–$30 |
How to calculate your actual spend
We built a subscription calculator API that adds up any combination of services:
curl -H "X-API-Key: YOUR_KEY" \
"https://api.aristocles.com.au/v1/services/calculator?services=netflix,spotify,chatgpt-plus,github-copilot"{
"total_monthly": "74.97",
"total_annual": "899.64",
"service_count": 4,
"breakdown": [
{ "service_name": "Netflix", "price_amount": "17.99" },
{ "service_name": "Spotify", "price_amount": "11.99" },
{ "service_name": "ChatGPT Plus", "price_amount": "20.00" },
{ "service_name": "GitHub Copilot", "price_amount": "10.00" }
]
}Finding cheaper alternatives
For every service, there are alternatives. The API includes a feature overlap score so you know how similar the replacement actually is:
curl -H "X-API-Key: YOUR_KEY" \
"https://api.aristocles.com.au/v1/alternatives/netflix"Returns Disney+ (55% overlap), Amazon Prime Video (60% overlap), Stan (75% overlap) — with prices for each.
Data source
All 75+ services are tracked by the Aristocles Subscription Pricing API across 6 countries with current, verified pricing.