Study – UK Falls to Rank 96th Cheapest in the World for Broadband
The latest annual study from Cable.co.uk has tested fixed line broadband ISP packages from 223 countries (up from 219 last year) to create a global price comparison, which finds that the UK ranks 96th cheapest (down sharply from 76th), with an average monthly cost of $38.79 (£30.65) and that’s up from $34.19.
The research, which used data from 3,405 fixed broadband deals gathered between 7th September 2023 and 10th November 2023, also reported that the average package cost across the world as a whole came out as $55.89, which is down from $57.07 last year.
Otherwise, the Solomon Islands came out as the country with the most expensive average monthly broadband package cost at $457.84, while Sudan continued to deliver the cheapest on $2.40, albeit largely due to the collapse in value of the Sudanese Pound (SDG) against USD.
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The 29 countries measured in Western Europe span the middle to the lower end of the table, with none in the top 50 cheapest places in the world to get broadband and two in the bottom 50. The regional average price of $50.01 makes it the seventh cheapest of the thirteen global regions overall. The cheapest in the region was Malta ($27.01, 63rd), followed by Italy ($30.97, 70th) and Spain ($31.99, 76th). The most expensive was the Faroe Islands ($83.86, 182nd), followed by the Norway ($80.18, 176th) and Iceland ($76.24, 172nd).
However, it’s important to reflect that the core ranking of this study doesn’t tell the whole story, not least because it cannot easily reflect the other differences between packages, such as in things like value-added extras (static IP addresses, different router quality, security features, unlimited vs capped data allowances etc.) and broadband speeds.
Doing a true apples-to-apples value comparison would be nightmarishly difficult and, arguably, might work better if weighted to reflect cost using Purchasing Power Parity (PPP). The application of PPP is important because there can be huge differences between countries in terms of things like taxation, size of the state and monthly salaries (i.e. $1 will go many times further in some countries than others).
| Rank | Name | Average cost of broadband (Per month in USD) | Average cost of broadband (Per Megabit per month in USD) |
| 1 | Sudan | $2.40 | $0.83 |
| 2 | Argentina | $5.17 | $0.03 |
| 3 | Belarus | $7.03 | $0.75 |
| 4 | Ukraine | $7.35 | $0.04 |
| 5 | Egypt | $8.31 | $0.17 |
| 6 | Romania | $8.60 | $0.01 |
| 7 | Vietnam | $8.72 | $0.04 |
| 8 | Kazakhstan | $9.08 | $1.94 |
| 9 | Moldova | $9.19 | $0.04 |
| 10 | Nepal | $9.51 | $0.11 |
| 11 | Zimbabwe | $9.64 | $0.38 |
| 12 | Russian Federation | $9.66 | $0.02 |
| 13 | India | $9.73 | $0.08 |
| 14 | Bulgaria | $10.47 | $0.08 |
| 15 | Iran | $10.69 | $5.13 |
| 16 | Turkey | $10.95 | $0.11 |
| 17 | Kyrgyzstan | $11.04 | $0.30 |
| 18 | Azerbaijan | $11.18 | $0.96 |
| 19 | Mongolia | $12.55 | $0.71 |
| 20 | Republic of Congo | $12.62 | $0.12 |
| 21 | Bangladesh | $13.73 | $0.36 |
| 22 | Georgia | $14.21 | $0.89 |
| 23 | Tunisia | $15.01 | $0.67 |
| 24 | Serbia | $15.36 | $0.14 |
| 25 | Kosovo | $15.36 | $0.31 |
| 26 | Uzbekistan | $15.43 | $0.62 |
| 27 | Pakistan | $15.52 | $0.53 |
| 28 | Northern Macedonia | $15.56 | $0.22 |
| 29 | Eswatini | $15.90 | $6.09 |
| 30 | Latvia | $16.59 | $0.09 |
| 31 | Lithuania | $16.94 | $0.04 |
| 32 | Czechia | $16.99 | $0.18 |
| 33 | Slovakia | $17.12 | $0.03 |
| 34 | Tajikistan | $17.42 | $1.85 |
| 35 | Tonga | $17.66 | $1.59 |
| 36 | Poland | $17.71 | $0.03 |
| 37 | Lao People’s Democratic Republic | $17.87 | $2.04 |
| 38 | Armenia | $18.21 | $0.31 |
| 39 | Albania | $18.32 | $0.23 |
| 40 | Ethiopia | $18.46 | $2.02 |
| 41 | China | $18.81 | $0.05 |
| 42 | Libya | $19.07 | $4.48 |
| 43 | Hungary | $20.01 | $0.06 |
| 44 | Colombia | $20.47 | $0.03 |
| 45 | Myanmar | $20.56 | $0.71 |
| 46 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | $20.72 | $1.42 |
| 47 | Algeria | $20.80 | $0.57 |
| 48 | Brazil | $21.18 | $0.06 |
| 49 | Paraguay | $21.44 | $0.11 |
| 50 | Chile | $21.86 | $0.03 |
| 51 | Nigeria | $21.89 | $0.72 |
| 52 | Lebanon | $21.91 | $1.22 |
| 53 | Croatia | $21.94 | $0.08 |
| 54 | Thailand | $22.56 | $0.02 |
| 55 | Liberia | $24.00 | $7.70 |
| 56 | Taiwan | $24.63 | $0.28 |
| 57 | Peru | $24.86 | $0.12 |
| 58 | Venezuela | $25.00 | $0.22 |
| 59 | Montenegro | $25.04 | $0.52 |
| 60 | Sri Lanka | $25.66 | $3.26 |
| 61 | Israel | $25.80 | $0.19 |
| 62 | South Korea | $25.99 | $0.05 |
| 63 | Malta | $27.01 | $0.05 |
| 64 | New Caledonia | $27.70 | $0.44 |
| 65 | Syria | $27.74 | $7.19 |
| 66 | Indonesia | $28.05 | $0.41 |
| 67 | Mayotte | $28.36 | $1.42 |
| 68 | Cambodia | $29.13 | $1.17 |
| 69 | Cuba | $29.52 | $11.99 |
| 70 | Italy | $30.97 | $0.04 |
| 71 | Estonia | $31.21 | $0.35 |
| 72 | Mauritius | $31.28 | $0.44 |
| 73 | Ecuador | $31.42 | $0.19 |
| 74 | Malaysia | $31.44 | $0.09 |
| 75 | Afghanistan | $31.86 | $15.80 |
| 76 | Spain | $31.99 | $0.06 |
| 77 | Portugal | $32.10 | $0.10 |
| 78 | Guatemala | $32.31 | $0.38 |
| 79 | Mexico | $32.35 | $0.26 |
| 80 | Austria | $32.67 | $0.36 |
| 81 | France | $33.16 | $0.06 |
| 82 | Dominican Republic | $33.51 | $1.87 |
| 83 | Sweden | $34.05 | $0.14 |
| 84 | Suriname | $34.35 | $1.72 |
| 85 | Togo | $34.36 | $0.47 |
| 86 | Nicaragua | $34.50 | $1.70 |
| 87 | Morocco | $34.65 | $1.16 |
| 88 | Greece | $34.86 | $0.34 |
| 89 | Philippines | $35.55 | $0.14 |
| 90 | Germany | $36.14 | $1.04 |
| 91 | Iraq | $37.19 | $0.47 |
| 92 | Panama | $37.67 | $0.10 |
| 93 | Finland | $38.15 | $0.20 |
| 94 | Denmark | $38.19 | $0.30 |
| 95 | Japan | $38.27 | $0.06 |
| 96 | United Kingdom | $38.79 | $0.36 |
| 97 | Bolivia | $39.24 | $0.77 |
| 98 | Jordan | $39.28 | $0.16 |
| 99 | Singapore | $39.37 | $0.03 |
| 100 | Senegal | $39.84 | $2.11 |
| 101 | Andorra | $40.13 | $0.07 |
| 102 | Slovenia | $40.29 | $0.12 |
| 103 | Puerto Rico | $40.63 | $0.27 |
| 104 | Réunion | $40.75 | $0.03 |
| 105 | Côte d’Ivoire | $40.82 | $0.70 |
| 106 | Mali | $40.82 | $1.02 |
| 107 | Åland Islands | $42.69 | $0.67 |
| 108 | Martinique | $42.69 | $0.04 |
| 109 | Ireland | $42.80 | $0.16 |
| 110 | Cyprus | $42.82 | $1.14 |
| 111 | Rwanda | $43.22 | $0.36 |
| 112 | El Salvador | $43.36 | $0.35 |
| 113 | Tanzania | $43.44 | $1.00 |
| 114 | Belize | $43.61 | $0.86 |
| 115 | Cape Verde | $44.20 | $1.18 |
| 116 | Zambia | $44.36 | $3.52 |
| 117 | Burkina Faso | $44.74 | $3.25 |
| 118 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | $45.51 | $0.18 |
| 119 | Brunei Darussalam | $45.99 | $0.34 |
| 120 | Fiji | $46.18 | $2.68 |
| 121 | Costa Rica | $46.27 | $2.99 |
| 122 | The Netherlands | $46.81 | $0.22 |
| 123 | San Marino | $47.08 | $0.26 |
| 124 | Angola | $47.52 | $2.95 |
| 125 | Kenya | $47.73 | $1.54 |
| 126 | Jamaica | $48.11 | $0.30 |
| 127 | South Africa | $48.24 | $0.50 |
| 128 | New Zealand | $48.60 | $0.15 |
| 129 | Guadeloupe | $49.43 | $0.36 |
| 130 | Australia | $52.21 | $1.05 |
| 131 | Uganda | $52.59 | $2.81 |
| 132 | Luxembourg | $52.93 | $0.28 |
| 133 | French Guiana | $53.84 | $0.24 |
| 134 | Grenada | $54.58 | $0.16 |
| 135 | Somalia | $54.58 | $42.42 |
| 136 | Benin | $55.11 | $1.77 |
| 137 | Uruguay | $55.35 | $0.09 |
| 138 | Macau | $55.85 | $0.09 |
| 139 | Madagascar | $56.31 | $0.56 |
| 140 | Cameroon | $56.88 | $17.47 |
| 141 | Ghana | $57.65 | $2.58 |
| 142 | Namibia | $57.75 | $2.47 |
| 143 | Honduras | $58.00 | $0.64 |
| 144 | Canada | $58.26 | $0.66 |
| 145 | Saint Martin (France) | $58.35 | $0.07 |
| 146 | Belgium | $58.40 | $0.36 |
| 147 | Turkmenistan | $58.68 | $21.11 |
| 148 | Monaco | $58.84 | $0.13 |
| 149 | St. Pierre and Miquelon | $58.85 | $0.49 |
| 150 | Palestine (State of) | $59.95 | $0.39 |
| 151 | Saint Lucia | $62.35 | $0.20 |
| 152 | Liechtenstein | $62.41 | $0.19 |
| 153 | Guyana | $62.47 | $1.69 |
| 154 | Dominica | $62.90 | $0.21 |
| 155 | United States | $65.00 | $0.08 |
| 156 | French Polynesia | $65.27 | $8.80 |
| 157 | Mauritania | $65.66 | $11.57 |
| 158 | Trinidad and Tobago | $66.53 | $0.23 |
| 159 | Bahrain | $66.61 | $0.50 |
| 160 | Saint Helena | $68.02 | $44.28 |
| 161 | Switzerland | $68.38 | $2.07 |
| 162 | Isle of Man | $68.58 | $1.16 |
| 163 | Guernsey | $68.84 | $1.11 |
| 164 | Botswana | $68.92 | $7.76 |
| 165 | Jersey | $69.08 | $0.11 |
| 166 | Equatorial Guinea | $69.40 | $26.84 |
| 167 | Kuwait | $73.09 | $0.46 |
| 168 | Montserrat | $73.63 | $0.44 |
| 169 | Gibraltar | $74.86 | $0.12 |
| 170 | Maldives | $75.58 | $2.09 |
| 171 | Sierra Leone | $75.80 | $14.50 |
| 172 | Iceland | $76.24 | $0.20 |
| 173 | Hong Kong | $76.50 | $0.39 |
| 174 | Haiti | $77.00 | $1.43 |
| 175 | Gabon | $77.91 | $0.57 |
| 176 | Norway | $80.18 | $0.21 |
| 177 | Niger | $81.65 | $52.05 |
| 178 | Cook Islands | $82.38 | $10.58 |
| 179 | Virgin Islands (U.S.) | $82.45 | $0.80 |
| 180 | Curaçao | $82.78 | $0.33 |
| 181 | Antigua and Barbuda | $83.64 | $2.44 |
| 182 | Faroe Islands | $83.86 | $2.13 |
| 183 | American Samoa | $85.00 | $2.84 |
| 184 | Djibouti | $85.53 | $3.91 |
| 185 | Sao Tome and Prencipe | $85.78 | $5.32 |
| 186 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | $85.96 | $0.87 |
| 187 | Lesotho | $85.98 | $1.31 |
| 188 | Barbados | $86.44 | $0.16 |
| 189 | Gambia | $87.33 | $4.19 |
| 190 | Saudi Arabia | $91.53 | $0.24 |
| 191 | Qatar | $91.55 | $0.06 |
| 192 | Anguilla | $91.57 | $0.32 |
| 193 | Marshall Islands | $92.03 | $142.88 |
| 194 | Caribbean Netherlands | $93.89 | $2.52 |
| 195 | Vanuatu | $94.44 | $9.50 |
| 196 | Palau | $95.37 | $6.36 |
| 197 | Oman | $95.47 | $0.30 |
| 198 | Comoros | $96.11 | $62.46 |
| 199 | Aruba | $103.05 | $0.44 |
| 200 | Bahamas | $103.81 | $1.05 |
| 201 | Micronesia (Federated States of) | $107.25 | $22.08 |
| 202 | Timor-Leste | $107.33 | $19.80 |
| 203 | Seychelles | $108.51 | $5.84 |
| 204 | Greenland | $114.60 | $10.02 |
| 205 | Sint Maarten | $115.00 | $5.90 |
| 206 | Eritrea | $116.66 | $338.15 |
| 207 | Bhutan | $117.75 | $6.83 |
| 208 | Mozambique | $118.26 | $14.10 |
| 209 | Samoa | $133.53 | $1.34 |
| 210 | Saint Barthélemy (St. Barts) | $134.56 | $5.01 |
| 211 | Guam | $135.00 | $1.60 |
| 212 | Falkland Islands | $139.74 | $28.01 |
| 213 | Christmas Island | $141.85 | $11.33 |
| 214 | United Arab Emirates | $142.65 | $4.31 |
| 215 | Cayman Islands | $155.04 | $0.57 |
| 216 | Yemen | $159.71 | $29.92 |
| 217 | British Indian Ocean Territory | $167.33 | $16.21 |
| 218 | Congo (Democratic Republic of) | $170.97 | $2.96 |
| 219 | Bermuda | $185.00 | $0.55 |
| 220 | Virgin Islands (British) | $189.00 | $0.28 |
| 221 | Turks and Caicos Islands | $212.00 | $0.84 |
| 222 | Burundi | $304.57 | $116.66 |
| 223 | Solomon Islands | $457.84 | $289.75 |
Mark is a professional technology writer, IT consultant and computer engineer from Dorset (England), he also founded ISPreview in 1999 and enjoys analysing the latest telecoms and broadband developments. Find me on X (Twitter), Mastodon, Facebook, BlueSky, Threads.net and Linkedin.
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Presumably, the last column is per megabit per second, not per megabit?
Yes, that would be my assumption too, but then most people will probably understand that as being the only way broadband speed is typically measured (per second).