HDMI cable: what each metre actually costs (2026)

A 1-metre HDMI cable costs €2.99. A 2-metre one, same manufacturer, same version, also costs €2.99. The second metre is free. And a 5-metre cable at €3.99 works out at €0.80/m, while the 1-metre one works out at €2.99/m: 3.7 times more expensive per metre.

That is the first idea to accept before buying an HDMI cable: the price is not set per metre of copper, it is set by what sits at each end — the connector, the chip and the certification. Copper is the cheap part. That is why comparing cables by length without looking at price per metre almost always means overpaying.

The second metre is free

The price ladder from a single manufacturer makes it plain. The Aisens V2.0 18 Gbps cable costs €2.99 at 1 metre and €2.99 at 2 metres: the extra metre is given away. At 3 metres it rises to €3.99 (€1.00/m) and at 5 metres to €6.99 (€1.40/m). The curve is not linear: it is a ramp that flattens out.

In practice: if you are torn between 1 and 2 metres, buy 2. If you are torn between 2 and 3, the difference is €1 — less than the cost of returning the short cable. The only stretch where price per metre climbs steeply again is 8 to 12 metres, where more copper and better shielding start to be needed.

The table: 15 cables, sorted by price per metre

Lowest variant prices taken from the catalogue on 5 November 2026. €/m = price ÷ length stated in the product title.

Why the short cable is the most expensive per metre

In the sample, cables from 0.5 to 1.8 metres have a median of €7.28/m. Those from 4 to 7.9 metres, €2.80/m. The difference is not copper — a half-metre cable carries very little — it is that every cable has two connectors and packaging that cost the same whether it measures 50 cm or 5 metres. That fixed cost is spread over fewer metres and drives the ratio up.

The absurd extreme is in adapters and converters: a 0.3 m cable with USB-C at one end and HDMI at the other costs €45.99, that is €153.30/m. You are not paying for copper there: you are paying for the chip that converts the signal.

8K doubles the price per metre

At the same length, certification decides. An Aisens V2.0 18 Gbps at 2 metres costs €2.99 (€1.50/m); the certified V2.1 48 Gbps at 2 metres costs €4.99 (€2.50/m), 67 % more. At 3 metres the jump is bigger: €2.99 (€1.00/m) against €6.99 (€2.33/m), 133 % more.

Is it worth it? Only if you have a source that outputs 8K or 4K at 120 Hz and a television that accepts it. For 4K at 60 Hz, a standard 18 Gbps delivers the same picture at half the price per metre. Certification does not improve the image: it only guarantees the cable does not drop data at higher bandwidth.

From 20 metres up, fibre beats copper

Here is the most useful finding in the table. At 20 metres, the cheapest copper cable in the sample is a Lindy at €209.99, €10.50/m. The Unitek optical at the same length costs €49.99, €2.50/m: four times less per metre and with more bandwidth available.

At 30 metres the gap opens up: the Lanberg optical works out at €39.99 (€1.33/m) and the Lindy copper at €265.99 (€8.87/m). At 40 metres the Lanberg optical drops to €1.35/m, and at 50 metres there is only an optical solution: the Equip 8K at €128.99, €2.58/m.

Fibre is not always cheaper — there are branded optical cables at €12.95/m — but from 20 metres up it is the only sensible way to cover the distance without an amplifier.

What to check before paying

• Real length, not the box. Many cables advertised as 2 m measure 1.8 m; the price per metre changes by 11 %.
• Version and bandwidth. 18 Gbps (4K60), 48 Gbps (8K60) or AOC for long runs. The version explains almost all of the price difference.
• Ends. HDMI-HDMI is not the same as HDMI-DVI, HDMI-DisplayPort or mini-HDMI: those are converters and are paid for at chip prices.
• Stock. This collection has active listings with inventory of 1 or 2; if the cable is for an installation, check units before ordering two.
• Intended use. For 1 metre on a desk, any 18 Gbps will do. For 15 metres buried in a wall, pay for the optical one once and do not change it twice.

Related guides

• HDMI, USB and optical: the complete guide to Smart TV connections
• Smart TV for gaming: HDMI 2.1, 120 Hz and VRR
• Network cable: CAT.5e, CAT.6, CAT.6A or CAT.8 depending on the metres

What you will not find in this HDMI comparison

What you will not find here is the claim that a more expensive cable gives a better picture. HDMI carries a digital signal: it works or it does not. What changes with price is build quality and whether the cable holds 4K at 60 Hz over the length you need.

The cables listed are in stock, with 14 days to return, a 2-year warranty and delivery in 3-7 working days.

Frequently asked questions

How much does an HDMI cable cost per metre?

In today's sample, between €0.80/m (Nanocable V1.4 5 m at €3.99) and €8.87/m (Lindy 30 m at €265.99). The overall median is €4.66/m for cables of 2 to 3.9 metres.

Is it better to buy a longer cable than I need?

Yes, up to a point. The second metre usually costs the same as the first and the third adds about €2. Above 8 metres the price per metre stops falling and an optical cable is worth considering.

Does a €5 HDMI cable give a worse picture than a €50 one?

No, if both meet the same version and the length is short. The difference between an 18 Gbps cable at €3 and one at €30 is construction and shielding, not pixels. From 10-15 metres the quality of the conductor does matter.

What is the difference between HDMI 2.0 and 2.1?

Bandwidth: 18 Gbps against 48 Gbps. That allows 8K at 60 Hz or 4K at 120 Hz. If your equipment does not output those signals, 2.1 only adds cost: in the table, double per metre at the same length.

When do I need an optical HDMI cable?

When you go beyond 15-20 metres. At 20 m the cheapest copper works out at €10.50/m and optical at €2.50/m; at 30 m and beyond, optical is the only reasonable option without an intermediate amplifier.

Methodology. 400 listings were downloaded from the HDMI Cables & Adapters collection (3,611 products) sorted by sales, and those that were not active or did not state a length in the title were discarded. 225 valid cables remained. The price is that of the lowest variant; stock is the product's total inventory at the time of the query. Televisions, extenders, repeaters and wireless adapters are not included.