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StarCostUnofficial Starlink cost calculator

Plan comparison · estimates as of 2026-09-01

Starlink Roam vs Residential

Residential is the home-address family: unlimited data in this dataset at $55 / $85 / $130 per month, and it is the family that typically triggers an address-specific demand surcharge in congested cells. Roam is the portable family: 100GB $55, 300GB $80, Unlimited $175, usually without a fixed-address surcharge.

If monthly rates match (Residential 100 and Roam 100GB are both $55 here), any surcharge makes Roam cheaper from month 1 in this model — with the trade-off of a data allotment and typically lower network priority. If you compare Residential 100 ($55) to Roam Unlimited ($175), Roam costs $120 more each month, so a $500 surcharge takes about 4.2 months to “earn back.”

Unofficial US monthly list prices (2026-09-01)

  • Residential 100

    Family
    residential
    Monthly
    $55
    Spec
    Up to 100 Mbps

  • Residential 200

    Family
    residential
    Monthly
    $85
    Spec
    Up to 200 Mbps

  • Residential Max

    Family
    residential
    Monthly
    $130
    Spec
    Highest Residential priority

  • Roam 100GB

    Family
    roam
    Monthly
    $55
    Spec
    100 GB priority data / mo

  • Roam 300GB

    Family
    roam
    Monthly
    $80
    Spec
    300 GB priority data / mo

  • Roam Unlimited

    Family
    roam
    Monthly
    $175
    Spec
    Unlimited data
Estimate your Starlink cost

Client-side US presets dated 2026-09-01. Change any input — the URL updates so you can share it. Verify on starlink.com.

Calculator inputs

Plan family

One-time purchase estimate for the Standard kit.

Address-specific demand / congestion surcharge. Enter what checkout shows for your address (often $0–$1,500). Roam typically avoids a fixed-address surcharge — verify on starlink.com.

Optional professional installation. Public US figures are often around $199 where offered; sometimes bundled on higher tiers. Leave $0 for self-install.

Optional combined tax rate applied to hardware + service + surcharge + install. Electricity is not taxed in this model. Default 0% — add your state/local rate if you want a loaded estimate.

Months of service for TCO

Optional. Starlink dishes often draw roughly 30–75 W depending on kit, temperature, and activity. Converted to a monthly $ using your $/kWh. Collapsed by default because it is small versus hardware and service.

Direct answer

Unofficial estimate: Residential 100 at $55/mo with Standard kit — buy with no demand surcharge modeled costs about $404 in month 1 and about $1,009 in first-year TCO. Verify live pricing on starlink.com — StarCost is not affiliated with SpaceX or Starlink.

Month-1
$404
Hardware + first month + fees
Year-1 TCO
$1,009
12 months of service
Month-1 breakdown
Hardware
$349
Service
$55
Demand surcharge
$0
Install
$0
Tax
$0
Electricity
$0
Total
$404
Year-1 breakdown
Hardware
$349
Service
$660
Demand surcharge
$0
Install
$0
Tax
$0
Electricity
$0
Total
$1,009

How these formulas work — sources, tax treatment, and the unofficial disclaimer.

Residential vs Roam break-even

Same hardware, install, tax, and electricity. Surcharge is applied to Residential only — Roam is modeled at $0 surcharge because it typically avoids a fixed-address fee. Surcharge math.

Residential 100

Month-1
$404
Year-1
$1,009
Monthly service
$55

Roam 100GB

Month-1
$404
Year-1
$1,009
Monthly service
$55

The two families tie at this horizon in this model.

Monthly rates are equal or Roam is cheaper ($55 vs $55). Any Residential surcharge makes Roam win from month 1 in this comparison.

Month-1
$404
Year-1 TCO
$1,009

Roam vs Residential questions

Does the Starlink demand surcharge apply to Roam?

The surcharge is address-specific and typically appears on Residential checkout in congested cells. Roam usually does not require a fixed service address, so it typically avoids that surcharge — that is the comparison StarCost models. Some third-party reports say a surcharge can still appear in certain Roam activations. Treat $0 as the Roam default and verify the live cart.

How do I estimate demand-surcharge break-even vs Roam?

If Roam’s monthly rate is higher than Residential, extra monthly cost × months eventually exceeds the one-time surcharge. Break-even months ≈ surcharge ÷ (Roam monthly − Residential monthly). Example: $500 surcharge and Roam Unlimited at $175 vs Residential 100 at $55 is $120 extra per month, so about 4.2 months. After that, paying the surcharge and staying on Residential is cheaper in this model. If monthly rates are equal (both $55), any surcharge makes Residential more expensive from month 1.

What is the difference between Residential 100, 200, and Max?

In this dataset they are unlimited-data US Residential tiers at $55, $85, and $130 per month, with increasing speed targets and network priority. Max is the highest Residential priority. Actual speeds vary by cell, time of day, and obstruction. Pick the tier that matches what starlink.com offers at your address.

Mini kit vs Standard kit — which should I model?

Standard kit buy is $349 (or ~$10/mo rent). Mini kit buy is $199 and has no rent option in this dataset. Mini is the portable dish commonly paired with Roam; Standard is the typical home kit. Compatibility and which kit checkout requires are address- and plan-specific — confirm on starlink.com. StarCost lets you price either kit on either plan family for apples-to-apples TCO.

More detail lives in the full FAQ and methodology.