The short answer
For a 720p Zoom call between two people, Zoom says you need 1.2 Mbps up and 1.2 Mbps down. That's about 1.08 GB an hour, by our sum. Two hours of calls a day for 22 days comes to 47.52 GB a month.
Those are the figures that matter most, because video calls are usually the heaviest thing a remote worker does. They're what the vendors say a call needs, so treat them as planning figures and not as a meter reading. We reviewed them on 2 November 2026.
Speed and data, call by call
| Call | Vendor's speed | GB an hour, our sum | 2 hours x 22 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zoom 1:1, 720p | 1.2 Mbps up and down | 1.08 | 47.52 GB |
| Zoom 1:1, 1080p | 3.8 up, 3.0 down | 3.06 | 134.64 GB |
| Zoom 1:1, high quality | 600 kbps | 0.54 | 23.76 GB |
| Zoom group, 720p | 2.6 up, 1.8 down | 1.98 | 87.12 GB |
| Google Meet, 720p | up to 1.7 each way | up to 1.53 | up to 67.32 GB |
| Google Meet, audio only | 100 Kbps | 0.09 | 3.96 GB |
| Teams, HD | under 1.5 | under 1.35, counting both ways | under 59.4 GB |
The sum is GB an hour = (Mbps up + Mbps down) x 3,600 / 8 / 1,000. Google also gives "250 Kbps and up" going out and "Up to 4.0 Mbps" coming in for group calls on Meet, so a busy group call can pull more in than one to one.
Our free call data calculator does this for your own hours, and it can show the cost if you type your price per GB.
What speed should you look for?
Look at both numbers, not just download. Providers often advertise download speed, but a video call also needs upload, and Zoom's group figure is higher going up than coming down: 2.6 Mbps up. So run a speed test at the time of day you'd really work, and check the upload.
These vendor figures are for one call on an otherwise quiet line. If someone else at home is streaming, or your laptop is syncing files, you need room above them. So a line that only just meets 2.6 Mbps up isn't a comfortable line.
How much data is 15 Mbps?
Speed isn't data, and this trips people up. If you used a 15 Mbps line flat out, it would move 15 x 3,600 / 8 / 1,000 = 6.75 GB an hour. Real use is far lower. Most of the time a line sits waiting. What it tells you is that a small data bundle on a fast line can go in a hurry.
Building your monthly figure
- Work out your hours of calls a day. Use the table or the calculator.
- Add your other work: email, documents, chat and browsing. We don't print a figure for this because your work may vary a lot, so watch your data use for a normal week. Your phone or router will show it.
- Add any large downloads, and updates to your computer.
- Leave room for a bad month.
Don't count your own streaming or your family's use as work data. Get those from the same check.
What to do on a bad line
- Turn off your camera. A shared screen and your voice are often enough. Ask first, in a line such as "My connection is weak today, so I'll keep my camera off."
- Go to audio only. On Meet, that's 100 Kbps, far below any video call.
- Lower your video quality. Zoom's high quality one to one figure is 600 kbps, half of its 720p.
- Close what's syncing during the call.
- Have a second line ready. Keep mobile data on another network, so that one outage doesn't stop you. See power and internet backup.
If you're on an important call or an interview, try it the day before at the same hour. Read remote job interview tips for more.
What we leave out
We don't rank internet providers or print bundle prices. We didn't open their pages, and prices change often. Compare what's sold where you live by the figures above: upload as well as download, and how many GB you'd really get. If you're also weighing up whether to take the job, include the cost in remote offer or local job. When your line's ready, browse remote roles.