COUNTRIES WITH THE CHEAPEST INTERNET IN THE WORLD 2020

The countries with the cheapest internet in the world have been ranked. Read our insights from the study and browse the rankings below

If you’re one of the millions of people working in a remote job or pursuing a career as a digital nomad, then internet speed and the cost of connecting is likely to be one of the most important factors in your choice of destination.

Internet comparison site Cable (with assistance from consultancy firm BVA BDRC) has ranked the countries with the cheapest internet in the world based on fixed-line broadband packages.

The data was collected from 3,095 fixed-line broadband deals across 206 countries and territories between 28 November 2019 and 8 January 2020. It is the third year of the ranking.

A number of internet packages in each country were assessed before finding the average cost of a monthly internet package. All prices have been converted from local currency to USD.

10 COUNTRIES WITH THE CHEAPEST INTERNET

1. Syria
2. Ukraine
3. Russian Federation
4. Romania
5. Belarus
6. Bhutan
7. Iran
8. Kazakhstan
9. Lithuania
10. Vietnam

10 COUNTRIES WITH THE MOST EXPENSIVE INTERNET

1. Yemen
2. Mauritania
3. Burundi
4. Equatorial Guinea
5. Turkmenistan
6. Tanzania
7. Brit. Virgin Is.
8. Mozambique
9. Greenland
10. Brunei Darussalam

KEY HEADLINES

• The average price of a broadband package has fallen by almost one fifth (19.98%)
• War-torn Syria has the cheapest internet in the world with an average monthly cost of $6.60 per month, although this is largely due to the collapse of its currency
• Ukraine has the second cheapest at $6.64 for a monthly package
• Eritrea has the most expensive internet in the world with an average monthly price of $2,666.24 per month
• Countries in sub-Saharan Africa are the most expensive overall with all but six of the 35 countries in the region sitting in the most expensive half of the table
• Of the 15 independent states that were once Soviet Republics, five are among the 10 cheapest countries: Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Lithuania
• The US, in 119th place with an average monthly cost of $50.00, is one of the most expensive western nations

REGION BY REGION

In western Europe, Andorra, France, Germany, Italy and Monaco are the countries with the cheapest internet. Notably, of the 29 qualifying countries in western Europe, none made it into the top or bottom 10% of the table.

Eastern Europe is a different story. All countries in the region fall into the cheapest 65 countries. Ukraine has the de-facto cheapest internet in the world as Syria’s position is down to its weak currency.

Bhutan has the cheapest broadband in Asia (as well as sixth-cheapest globally) with an average package price of $10.42 per month, followed by Iran ($10.50) and Vietnam ($11.23). Brunei Darussalam ($157.02), the Maldives ($88.53) and Timor-Leste ($57.33) are the most expensive in Asia.

In North America, Mexico has the cheapest average broadband ($33.15), followed by Canada ($34.86) ranking 50 places above the US ($50.00). Bermuda has the most expensive internet in the region at $129.98 per month.

Guatemala is the country with the cheapest internet in Central America, with an average monthly broadband package of $38.13. Belize is the most expensive at $62.54 per month.

All of South America’s countries feature in the top 100 countries with the cheapest internet. Most notable of these is Argentina, coming in 17th cheapest. Only the territories of the Falkland Islands, in 194th, and French Guiana, in 104th, are outside the cheapest 100.

Sub-Saharan Africa is the most expensive region in the world with almost all of the region’s states in the most expensive half of the table. Eswatini (Swaziland) is the cheapest in the region, coming 34th overall with an average package price of $21.73.

Finally, in the Middle East, it is difficult to come to any real conclusions due to the ongoing instability in the region. Syria came in the cheapest (and overall) with an average monthly price of $6.60. It is followed by Iran ($10.50, Turkey ($13.61) and Israel ($19.90).

Troubled Yemen is the most expensive country in the region at $2,466.67 per month, although the data is likely to be unreliable. Bahrain and the UAE are the next most expensive with average monthly packages of $145.89 and $115.97 respectively.

COUNTRIES WITH THE CHEAPEST INTERNET: COMPLETE RANKINGS

Sort the table below to view the countries with the cheapest internet ranked by the average price of a monthly broadband package or by the average price per megabyte (MB).

Some countries and territories have been omitted due to insufficient data.