Starlink has three prices that people quote as if they were one. The plan price is the monthly service charge ($85/mo on Residential 200 Mbps). The kit price is the one-time hardware charge ($349 list for a Standard kit). The total price is what you pay over a period: $1,369 for year one on that plan with a bought kit, before tax. US list prices, checked Oct 5, 2026.
When someone says “Starlink costs X,” ask which of the three they mean. Most arguments about whether it’s expensive are two people quoting different numbers.
Number 1: the plan price
This is the monthly service charge on your bill, the one on Starlink’s plans page. Starlink’s Residential support page lists three tiers:
| Tier | Plan price | Speed |
|---|---|---|
| Residential 100 Mbps | $55/mo | capped at 100 Mbps |
| Residential 200 Mbps | $85/mo | capped at 200 Mbps |
| Residential Max | $130/mo | up to 400+ Mbps |
What it covers: one month of service at that tier, with unlimited data. What it doesn’t: the hardware, sales tax, any one-time surcharge, shipping, or extras such as Standby months. Residential 100 Mbps is offered in select areas only.
The plan price is the right number for one question: what does each month cost once you’re set up?
Number 2: the kit price
The kit is the dish, router, cable and power supply. You get it one of three ways, and each has its own price line:
- Bought on starlink.com: $349 list for a Standard kit (our price file, secondary source). Paid once at order.
- Rented: no kit price; an activation fee instead, which our price file lists as varies by location; shown at checkoutunverified. Starlink keeps ownership and you return the kit when you cancel. See the activation fee explainer.
- Bought at a store: the store’s shelf price. Compare in the store kit vs starlink.com tool.
The kit price is the right number for one question: what do I pay up front? It’s the wrong number to compare with a monthly bill on its own, which is how Starlink gets called “a $349 internet plan”.
Number 3: the total price
The total is everything you pay over a period you pick. Our formula, the same one the calculator uses:
Total = kit or activation fee + (months × plan price) + (months × any rental fee) + one-time surcharge + tax.
| Plan, bought kit | Plan price | Kit price | Year-one total | Three-year total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residential 100 Mbps | $55/mo | $349 | $1,009 | $2,329 |
| Residential 200 Mbps | $85/mo | $349 | $1,369 | $3,409 |
| Residential Max | $130/mo | $349 | $1,909 | $5,029 |
The total is the right number for budgeting a year, and for deciding whether the service is worth it compared with what you have.
A fourth number that ties them together
Divide the total by its months and you get the effective monthly cost, defined in our glossary. It’s the only single number that’s fair to compare with another provider’s monthly bill, because it includes the hardware.
On Residential 200 Mbps with a bought kit:
- Plan price: $85/mo a month.
- Effective monthly cost over 12 months: $114.08.
- Effective monthly cost over 36 months: $94.69.
The longer you keep it, the closer the effective cost gets to the plan price. Over three years the kit adds only $9.69 a month. Our three-year guide shows that effect in detail.
Worked example: two neighbors, one argument
Neighbor A says “Starlink is $85/mo a month.” Neighbor B says “I paid over $434 to get started.” Both are right:
- A quotes the plan price on Residential 200 Mbps.
- B quotes the first charge: the kit at $349 plus the first month at $85/mo, which is $434 before tax.
The honest comparison with B’s old cable bill is neither number. It’s the effective monthly cost over the time B expects to keep the service: $114.08 over one year, $94.69 over three.
Lines that sit outside all three numbers
Some charges depend on your address or choices, so no national figure exists. They belong in your total, but you have to supply them:
| Line | What our price file says |
|---|---|
| Sales tax | Your state and local rate; enter it in the calculator |
| Demand surcharge | no official amount; depends on the addressunverified |
| Rental activation fee | varies by location; shown at checkoutunverified |
| Shipping | about $20 on rentals (reported); variesunverified |
| Standby months | $10/mo a month (secondary source) |
If checkout shows a line you didn’t expect, why the checkout total differs from the plans page goes through each one.
Common mistakes
- Comparing Starlink’s plan price with another ISP’s total. The other ISP may include equipment rental in its bill; add Starlink’s kit to be fair.
- Calling the kit price “the cost of Starlink.” It’s paid once; it’s the smallest part of a three-year total.
- Quoting an old plan price. Prices changed in May 2026. Check the date on anything you read.
- Leaving tax out of your own budget. Our tables do, because it depends on your address; your bill won’t.
What we don’t know
- Your sales tax, any surcharge, and the rental activation fee for your address.
- Whether prices will change during the period you’re totalling. See will Starlink get cheaper? for the record so far.
What to do next
- Pick the period you care about: 12 months for cash flow, 36 months for a keep-or-skip decision.
- Put your plan, kit path and tax rate into the calculator.
- Compare its effective monthly cost, not the plan price, with your current internet bill.
