Watching TV and listening to music now costs British households £467.64 a year, with the UK paying more for a standard bundle of Netflix, Disney+ and Spotify than any of the other 12 European countries examined. Research by Babestation found that the three subscriptions cost a combined £38.97 a month in the UK, around £91 more annually than subscribers in Norway pay for the same three services.
UK most expensive market in Europe
When prices were first compared in March 2026, the three subscriptions cost a combined £35.97 a month in the UK, which was 15% more than the average cost across the 13 European countries studied and added up to £431.64 a year. Prices have since risen, with the same bundle now costing British customers £38.97 a month.
The research compared three of the biggest names in streaming across 13 European countries and found that the UK was the most expensive market overall, beating Ireland and costing almost 30% more than the cheapest country, Portugal.
Spotify and Disney+ price rises
At £12.99 a month, Spotify was 72% more expensive in the UK than in Portugal when the research was carried out. The music platform had increased its UK prices twice in 18 months, according to the research.
Disney+ now costs £11.99 a month for its ad-free Standard plan, double its £5.99 launch price in 2020. UK subscribers now pay £13.99 for Netflix's ad-free Standard plan, taking the combined monthly cost of the three platforms to £38.97.
Cheapest markets in the study
Belgium and Ireland were joint second most expensive, with bundles costing approximately £33.58 a month, or £402.96 annually. Both countries had the highest euro-denominated standard Netflix price in the study at approximately £14.28.
The Netherlands, Germany and Austria followed at approximately £31.90 a month for all three services. Spain and Italy were next at approximately £31.06, followed by France at £30.77 and Finland at £30.22. Sweden and Norway were among the cheapest markets, with monthly bundles costing approximately £28.64 and £28.36 respectively.
Portugal offered the biggest bargain, with subscribers paying approximately £27.70 a month for the same three services, adding up to £332.44 a year. That is approximately £99.20 less annually than British customers were paying at the time of the study. Spotify was especially cheap in Portugal at approximately £7.55 a month, compared with £12.99 in the UK.
Netflix and Disney+ offer different films and TV programmes depending on the country, largely due to licensing agreements. Spotify's music catalogue can also vary by region, meaning some songs and albums may be available in one country but not another.
Separate research from Uswitch in August 2026 also found that 34% of UK adults surveyed had continued paying for a streaming subscription simply because they forgot to cancel it.
A spokesperson for Babestation said: "What's interesting is that even when subscribers do cancel something, they normally hold onto one service like it's non-negotiable. Streaming isn't a treat anymore; it's just part of the monthly budget, like your phone bill. You might grumble about it, but you're not actually cancelling."
The monthly cost of Netflix, Disney+ and Spotify across the 13 countries studied in March 2026 was: United Kingdom – £35.97; Belgium – £33.58; Ireland – £33.58; Netherlands – £31.90; Germany – £31.90; Austria – £31.90; Spain – £31.06; Italy – £31.06; France – £30.77; Finland – £30.22; Sweden – £28.64; Norway – £28.36; Portugal – £27.70.
