How Much Data Does Google Maps Use?

Google Maps navigation uses about 2 to 10 MB an hour in tests. Offline map sizes (about 300 MB a city), satellite view, a monthly total and Apple Maps.

3 min readUpdated

The short answer

Google Maps is one of the lightest apps on your phone. Measured tests put turn-by-turn navigation at about 2 to 10 MB an hour. Searching for places along the way pushes it toward the top of that range.

Google does not publish a figure, so these are estimates. Downloading an offline map on Wi-Fi is the easiest way to drive with almost no mobile data.

Data per hour while navigating

Two independent tests, a few years apart:

  • WhistleOut (2020): Google Maps used an average of 0.73 MB per 20 minutes of driving. That is 0.73 × 3, or about 2.2 MB an hour.
  • Yoho Mobile (2025): a simulated 4-hour drive mixing city streets with live traffic and highway, with searches for gas stations and cafes, used just over 40 MB. That is about 10 MB an hour.

The gap is mostly about what you do on the way. Following a route uses little. Searching, opening place photos and rerouting in traffic use more. Both are small next to video: an hour of Netflix in SD can use about 1 GB.

Satellite view and live traffic

Satellite view loads photo tiles instead of simple map drawings, so it uses noticeably more data than the default map view. We could not find a reliable measured figure, so keep it for Wi-Fi. Live traffic is part of normal navigation and is included in the tests above.

Offline maps: download sizes

An offline map lets you navigate by car with no connection, as long as the whole route is inside the downloaded area. Sizes depend on how big and how dense the area is:

  • A typical city area: around 300 MB in one 9to5Google test.
  • Larger or busier areas: about 500 MB to 2 GB.

The app shows the estimated size before you tap Download, and a smaller box means a smaller file. Offline maps expire, so Google Maps updates them on Wi-Fi when they have 15 days or less left, if auto-update is on.

Offline maps do not give you traffic, alternate routes, or transit, walking and cycling directions. For those, the app needs a connection.

Download an offline map

  1. 1Connect to Wi-Fi first.
  2. 2In Google Maps, tap your profile picture, then Offline maps > Select your own map.
  3. 3Move and zoom the box to cover your trip, check the size, then tap Download.
  4. 4In Offline maps > Settings, turn on Auto-update offline maps.

What a month looks like

An hour of navigation a day at about 10 MB an hour is about 300 MB over 30 days. At the lighter 2.2 MB rate it is under 70 MB. A week-long road trip with 4 hours of driving a day is about 280 MB at 10 MB an hour. Maps is rarely the reason a plan runs out.

Google Maps vs Apple Maps

In the same 2020 WhistleOut test, Apple Maps used 1.83 MB per 20 minutes, about 5.5 MB an hour, against Google Maps' 2.2 MB. Waze used the least, at 0.23 MB per 20 minutes. All three are light, so pick the app you like.

If your data still disappears fast, the cause is usually video. See Which Apps Use the Most Mobile Data? and How to Save Mobile Data.

Summary

  • Google Maps navigation uses about 2 to 10 MB an hour in measured tests.
  • An hour a day is about 300 MB a month at the higher rate.
  • Offline maps are around 300 MB for a city and up to about 2 GB for big areas. Download on Wi-Fi.

Sources

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