July 28, 2025, 3:33 pm | Read time: 5 minutes
Streaming movies and series, listening to music, gaming, online dating. Our digital everyday life is packed—and costs money month after month. TECHBOOK researched what an average “digital life” really costs today—and why many users underestimate their expenses.
Whether it’s Netflix, Amazon Prime, YouTube Premium, or cloud storage and in-app purchases—virtually every type of online service costs if you want to use it ad-free and without frustration. The expenses are spread across many small items. This is what makes them tricky. While individual expenses seem cheap at first glance, they quickly add up to a three-digit monthly amount.
What Counts as Digital Life?
In 2023, consumers in the United Kingdom had some of the highest monthly online expenses in Europe, as Statista shows based on data from a PayPal analysis. On average, they spent 483 euros per month on online purchases and payments, (in-)app purchases, payments for bills or services, and other online shopping. In Germany, the average monthly online expenses amounted to 328 euros.
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We deliberately exclude online purchases from our analysis, as they are more akin to everyday expenses like supermarket shopping and mall visits. TECHBOOK instead focused on expenses that have a purely digital value. Physical purchases—such as smartphones, laptops, and consoles—are therefore excluded.
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How Much Money Do Users in Germany Spend on Digital Purchases?
A digital life can get really expensive. Depending on usage, expenses add up to nearly 138 euros per month—that’s more than 1,650 euros per year. Streaming is a major cost driver, but smaller digital purchases also contribute. The phenomenon is called subscription stacking: Many services cost only 3 to 15 euros per month—but using multiple platforms simultaneously quickly leads to a handful of active subscriptions. Music, cloud, streaming, and games are often booked in parallel.
Users Spend the Most on Streaming
In Germany, users pay 57 euros monthly for subscriptions, according to the Bango Report of 2024. With 684 euros annually, they are significantly behind the UK (812 euros), but also behind France (780 euros) and Spain (720 euros). Only in Italy do users spend less on subscriptions, at 600 euros. In Germany, users are most likely to lose track of their expenses—nearly 27 percent of respondents said they pay for a subscription they don’t use. According to the survey, Germans are most willing to pay more to their internet provider for a streaming bundle that offers access to multiple services.
According to Bango, video streaming is the most popular type of subscription in Germany, with 65 percent. Music subscriptions also play an important role, with 35 percent. Additionally, 17 percent of respondents said they pay for a gaming subscription monthly. On average, users in Germany have 3.3 active subscriptions, on par with the UK—and ahead of Spain and Italy. France ranks last with 3 active subscriptions.
Bitkom data from 2024 specify how much users in Germany spend on different types of streaming. According to the analysis, users spend a significant amount on various streaming services.
Broadband Internet and Mobile Contracts Contribute to Costs
There is no current data for the average costs of mobile contracts in Germany. However, as reported by Computer Bild, data from 2018 showed that a contract with 20 gigabytes of data volume costs approximately 25 euros. We consider this amount reasonable given the 2018 data.
According to data from the European Commission, a broadband internet connection with 100 to 200 Gbit/s throughput costs an average of 21.37 euros. Mobile contracts here are significantly higher compared to Western European countries. Even with broadband connections, Germany is only in the middle of the pack.
Hidden Costs in Smaller Purchases
According to a report by Appsflyer, users spend an average of nearly 8 euros per month on in-app purchases. Mobile games specifically target microtransactions. A few euros for power-ups, skins, or premium currencies—it all adds up. Many users easily lose track here.
Data from the European Commission also shows that a broadband internet connection with 100 to 200 Gbit/s throughput costs an average of 21.37 euros. With phone contracts, Germany is significantly higher compared to Western European countries. Even with broadband connections, Germany is only in the middle of the pack.
Bitkom data from 2024 specify how much users in Germany spend on various types of streaming. According to the analysis, users spend a significant amount on different streaming services. The evaluation shows that users in Germany spend the most on video streaming, with 65 percent. Music subscriptions also play an important role, with 35 percent. Additionally, 17 percent of respondents said they pay for a gaming subscription monthly. On average, users in Germany have 3.3 active subscriptions, on par with the UK—and ahead of Spain and Italy. France ranks last with 3 active subscriptions.
How to Reduce Costs
- Regularly review subscriptions: Which services are really being used? Canceling often saves money immediately.
- Limit in-app purchases: Many tools (office, cloud) have free options with basic functions.
- Check for free alternatives: Many tools (office, cloud) have free options with basic functions.
- Limit in-app purchases: Many tools (office, cloud) have free options with basic functions.