How much is 10GB of data and how long does it last in Singapore?

Last updated: 1 January 2024

In the heart of Singapore, a mere ten years ago, a 10GB monthly cap on data plans would have been seen as generous. Today, it's a comfortable middle ground. With 10GB, you can enjoy a smooth online experience, from browsing to streaming. But, the questions arise: "How much does 10GB of data cost in Singapore?" and "Is it enough for me?"

To find out, keep reading.

Know that 10GB is definitely not enough for you? Get up to 300GB of data with Circles.Life!

How much is 10GB of data?

"Is 10GB a lot of data?" seems like a simple question. But different activities, apps, and devices use data in different ways. This means that 10GB of data will last for different amounts of time, depending on its use.

We most commonly look at data in terms of GB or MB, but it can be broken down further than that. The smallest measurement of data is 1 bit. Up from this is 1 byte, which is made up of 8 bits.

From there up, we typically measure in multiples of 1,000, in the following order: Kilo, Mega, Giga, Tera, Peta, Exa, Zetta, Yotta. It's worth noting that when talking about mobile data, we don't currently look at anything over Gigabytes, as that would probably be way more than anyone would need - even if you’re addicted to your phone.

So if you're wondering, "How much is 10GB of data in MB?", it would be 10,000MB, as it's the next interval up. When mobile data plans first started hitting the mainstream, plans of less than 1GB were available, but that's a rare sight now, with data plans only increasing in size every year.

"How much data do you need?" Use our data usage calculator to find out how much mobile data you need each month.

What can you do with 10GB of data?

These days, almost all smartphone apps connect to the internet in one way or another, so people are often using data without even realising it. Keeping track of data isn't always easy, especially if you're unsure how much data different platforms consume.

• Social media browsing
• Video/music streaming
• Web navigation
• Cloud storage
• Video calls
• Online gaming
• And more

Each of these activities can use different amounts of data. Web browsing, for example, typically doesn't use much. On the other hand, video streaming can use quite a lot - especially if the video is high quality.

When you buy your data plan, you want to think about what you'll be using it for to ensure you have enough data. At Circles Life, we have a range of plans available to meet the needs of different users. Someone who uses a lot of data may want to opt for 200GB a month, while other users may not need as much data and might be fine with 10GB.

To get an idea of how much data you'll consume, you need to think about what activities you use your smartphone for, and how data-heavy these activities are.

How long does 10GB data last?

Each activity's data usage differs. While web browsing is relatively conservative, high-definition video streaming can significantly dent your data allowance.

When choosing your plan at Circles Life, take a moment to analyze your typical usage. Digital enthusiasts might lean towards a massive 200GB, but many find a sweet spot with 10GB. Gauge your needs and select accordingly.

For a significant number of Singaporeans, 10GB spans the entire month. However, individual mileage may vary. Let’s delve into the specifics:

Netflix streaming with 10GB data

Netflix, Amazon Prime, Stan and Disney+ have become incredibly popular platforms for watching movies and shows. Getting caught up in a series can be easy, but hours of viewing may drain your data. To help break this down, let’s focus on Netflix.

Viewing Netflix content in the lowest quality will use around 300MB per hour, and the highest quality available (4K ultra high definition) can use up to 7GB per hour. If you're watching Netflix, you want to make sure you adjust the quality so that you're not eating through your data too fast, but even on the lowest setting, 10GB of data will still only last for around 32 to 34 hours.

Other streaming services like Disney+ and Amazon Prime will typically have similar usage rates.

A pro tip: Netflix offers offline downloads. Leverage WiFi to download and enjoy without impacting your data!

Forgot to download your favourite series before travelling? Fret not - you can utilise your local data allowance using with Circles.Life's Borderless plan without worrying about exorbitant charges!

YouTube usage with 10GB data

Like Netflix, YouTube allows you to adjust the quality of videos while streaming, which will affect how much data is used. The lowest end of the scale is 144p, but you're not likely to want to view videos like this.

At around 480p, videos are much more watchable, and this will consume around 264MB per hour. The highest quality setting on YouTube is 1080p, which uses about 1.65GB per hour. To compare Netflix and YouTube, a 720p video will use around 3GB of data per hour on Netflix and roughly 870MB on YouTube.

People typically don't watch videos for hours on YouTube as on Netflix, but if you use the platform a lot, you should factor it in when deciding which data plan to get.

Spotify streaming with 10GB data

Spotify gives you the option to adjust the audio quality so that you can save data if you want to. As an audio streaming app, Spotify uses much less data than video streaming platforms.

• Low (24Kbps) - uses 10.8MB per hour
• Normal (96Kbps) - uses 43.2MB per hour
• High (160Kbps) - uses 72MB per hour
• Very high (320Kbps) - uses 144MB per hour

From this, you can see that the audio quality can make a huge difference in data usage. You want to keep this in mind when using Spotify or other music streaming platforms.

Like Netflix, Spotify has a download feature, so if there are any songs or albums you really enjoy, you can download them when you’re on a WiFi connection so that you don't have to use data every time you listen to them.

Podcast streaming with 10GB data

There are several apps that you can use to stream podcasts. This includes Spotify, as well as Apple Music and Pandora. Again, the amount of data that these use when you're listening to podcasts depends on the audio quality. Generally, you can expect similar usage rates to music streaming, close to the above usage for Spotify.

10GB data on a hotspot

If you're trying to figure out "how much is 10GB of data on a smartphone?" you can get an idea from the uses above. Things get a bit more complex when asking "how much is 10GB of data for a hotspot?" and it's harder to say how many hours you'll get out of 10GB of data.

Hotspotting can vary more, as the usage will depend on the device that you're hot-spotting.

It's harder to get an exact figure, but you should expect some activities to use close to the following amounts of data per hour:

• Web browsing - 60MB
• Facebook - 80MB
• Music streaming - up to 150MB
• Netflix - 250MB+
• YouTube - 300MB
• Instagram - 720MB
• Video call (e.g. Zoom) - 810MB

In recent years, remote work has become incredibly popular. Because of this, you may be wondering, is 10GB of data enough for a month of working from home? This will depend entirely on your daily tasks.

You may not need to use much internet for your work if it's primarily done in tools you can use offline, such as Microsoft Office. Some jobs, however, might require more. If you have a lot of meetings and calls, this will use up 10GB of data quite quickly, so we don’t recommend this as a viable option.

How much does 10GB of data cost in Singapore?

Mobile communication technology has improved significantly over the years. While 10GB of data per month would have been very expensive not too long ago, at Circles Life, we currently offer it for $10.09 a month with no lock-in contracts.

If you feel that's not enough for you, we have a few other plans offering higher data allowances at competitive prices.

Finding the right data plan for you

For anyone visiting Singapore on holiday, or if you just use your phone for simple tasks such as keeping in touch with friends, emailing, etc., our 10GB plan may well be plenty. Click here to find out more.

Besides our 10GB per month plan, we also have SIM-only data plans with 200GB and 300GB.

Whether you're a tourist or a local looking for efficient phone usage, our 10GB plan could be your perfect match. Click here to explore further.