Cord cutting saves money only when your new stack costs less than the TV portion of your bill — after equipment fees, after promos expire, and after you include the sports apps you will actually buy. This article walks through simple math for US and Canadian households with three profiles: light viewers, balanced homes, and sports-heavy fans.
All figures are planning estimates from late 2026 research. Your bill and local pricing win every argument.
Step 1: Find your true TV cost
Ignore the “internet + TV bundle” marketing number for a moment. Ask:
- What is my internet-only price if I cancel TV today?
- What TV-related lines disappear (receivers, whole-home PVR, sports packs)?
- Are there exit fees inside a contract term?
- Will internet speed or rental modem discounts change?
True monthly TV cost ≈ current total − internet-only price − one-time credits + any fees you will still pay.
Example: You pay CA$180 for internet+TV. Internet-only is CA$95. True TV cost is about CA$85, not CA$180.
Typical ranges before cord cutting
United States
Legacy cable/satellite TV portions commonly land around US$80–$200/mo once sports and boxes are included, though bare-bones plans exist lower. Live-TV streamers that replace a full guide often sit near US$80–$90 (YouTube TV ~$82.99, Hulu + Live ~$89.99, Fubo main plans nearby). Budget Sling/Philo paths sit near US$25–$60.
Canada
Advertised TV tiers can look like CA$20–$70 with credits, but equipment and post-promo rates push many households into CA$65–$145+ for capable packages. Sportsnet+/TSN add-ons as standalone apps run roughly CA$25–$45 each.
Three sample US savings scenarios
A) Light US viewer
Old TV cost: US$90/mo
New stack: Antenna (one-time ~$40) + Tubi/Pluto free + Paramount+ ~$10 + Peacock ~$8
Ongoing: ~US$18/mo
Savings: ~US$72/mo → ~US$860/year (after ignoring the one-time antenna)
B) Balanced US household
Old TV cost: US$120/mo
New stack: YouTube TV ~$83 + Netflix ad tier ~$8
Ongoing: ~US$91/mo
Savings: ~US$29/mo → ~US$350/year
Still worthwhile if you hate contracts and boxes — but not a life-changing windfall.
C) US sports completionist
Old TV cost: US$160/mo (sports tiers)
New stack: Fubo or YouTube TV ~$85–$90 + Sunday Ticket (seasonal, amortized) + Prime already paid
Ongoing: often US$100–$140+ depending on add-ons
Savings: modest or near break-even
Sports fans should calculate honestly. Cord cutting still wins on flexibility even when dollars are close.
Three sample Canadian savings scenarios
A) Light Canadian viewer
Old TV cost: CA$70/mo
New stack: CBC Gem free + Crave with ads ~$12 + STACKTV ~$15
Ongoing: ~CA$27/mo
Savings: ~CA$43/mo → ~CA$515/year
B) Balanced Canadian household
Old TV cost: CA$95/mo
New stack: Crave ~$22 + STACKTV ~$15 + Sportsnet+ Standard ~$35
Ongoing: ~CA$72/mo
Savings: ~CA$23/mo → ~CA$275/year
C) Hockey-heavy Canadian household
Old TV cost: CA$130/mo
New stack: Sportsnet+ Premium ~$45 + TSN Premium ~$30 + Crave ads ~$12
Ongoing: ~CA$87/mo
Savings: ~CA$43/mo → ~CA$515/year — if you truly needed both sports apps. If one sports app covers your team, savings jump.
Hidden costs people forget
- New streaming sticks for every TV (budget CA$50–$100 each)
- Faster internet tier required for multiple 4K streams
- Annual price hikes on Netflix/Disney/live-TV apps
- Buying two sports apps “temporarily” and forgetting to cancel
- Unreturned cable boxes billed for months
Hidden savings people forget
- No forced bundling of channels you never watch
- Pause sports apps in the off-season
- Share household plans legally within one roof
- Antenna backups during ISP outages
- No truck appointment fees
A one-page worksheet
Copy this into a note:
“`
Current total bill: ______
Internet-only quote: ______
True TV cost (A): ______
New apps monthly total (B): ______
One-time devices this year / 12: ______
Expected monthly (B + devices): ______
Monthly savings (A − new): ______
Annual savings × 12: ______
“`
If monthly savings are under US/CA$15, decide based on convenience, not dollars.
Will prices keep rising either way?
Yes. Streaming services raised prices repeatedly through 2025–2026, and Canadian sports apps such as Sportsnet+ and TSN posted notable hikes. Cable is not unique in getting more expensive — but cable often combines the hike with equipment rental. Revisit your worksheet yearly.
When cord cutting does not save money
- You watch every regional sports net and premium movie channel
- Your condo already includes bulk TV in fees
- Your internet-only price jumps sharply without the TV bundle
- You replace one CA$90 package with CA$100 of overlapping apps
Soft landing if you want a wider live test
Before you buy three official apps, some households trial a broader live lineup for a couple of days to see which channels they actually click. That experiment only helps if you keep notes. Disclosure: We may earn a commission if you sign up through our partner links. We still cover legal streaming options first so you can choose what fits. Official stacks above should drive the savings math; if you use StreamSurfers’ free 48-hour trial, treat it as research time, not as an automatic replacement cost in the worksheet until you choose a paid plan.
Taxes and currency — do not compare USD to CAD blindly
US prices in this article are USD; Canadian prices are CAD. A US$83 YouTube TV bill is not “about CA$83.” Convert before you brag about savings in a cross-border Facebook group. Also include sales tax / HST in Canadian totals — sports apps quote pre-tax more often than not.
One-year vs month-to-month math
Annual prepay discounts on some streamers look great until you move or lose interest in month four. For your first cord-cutting year, prefer month-to-month while you learn what you open. Switch to annual only for services you used at least 10 of the last 12 months.
Revisit the worksheet every March and September
Sports seasons and price hikes cluster around those months. A stack that saved CA$40/mo in October can shrink after a Sportsnet+ increase and a Disney hike. Fifteen minutes with the worksheet twice a year protects the project better than any “set and forget” myth.
Equipment return timeline (protect your savings)
Savings vanish if a provider keeps charging CA$15–$20 per unreturned box. When you cancel:
- Get a return authorization or store drop-off checklist in writing.
- Photograph serial numbers and the drop-off receipt.
- Watch the next two bills for rental lines.
- Call immediately if a fee reappears.
Treat box return like closing a bank account — follow through until the statement is clean.
Streaming sticks as a one-time investment
Budget one stick for the main TV in year one. If savings exceed CA/US$25 monthly, you can fund bedroom sticks from the first quarter’s surplus instead of buying four devices on day one. Spreading hardware purchases keeps the psychological “cord cutting is expensive” feeling away.
Bottom line
Light viewers in both countries can save hundreds per year. Balanced homes often save a bit and gain flexibility. Sports-heavy homes must do the worksheet — savings shrink fast when you re-buy every game legally. The only wrong approach is cancelling first and adding apps blindly until the new bill exceeds the old one.
Want more channels for less?
Try StreamSurfers free for 48 hours and test it on your own TV before you pay anything.
Affiliate link, see our disclosure.