Cheapest internet in the world: 2021 country ranking

The countries with the cheapest internet in the world have been ranked for 2021. Read our insights from the study and browse the latest data

15th December 2020

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 3,288 fixed-line broadband deals across 211 countries and territories between 29 October 2020 and 9 December 2020. It is the fourth 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.

• Countries with the fastest internet in the world – ranked
• Global internet speeds during lockdown – ranked
• Countries with the cheapest mobile data in the world

10 countries with the cheapest internet

1. Ukraine
2. Syria
3. Russia
4. Bhutan
5. Sri Lanka
6. Iran
7. Kazakhstan
8. Moldova
9. Belarus
10. Romania

“For the first time since taking these yearly measurements, the average cost of a broadband package globally hasn’t fallen. Whether or not this is related to the pandemic and other, destabilising global events is a matter for further study, however. We have also seen a substantial number of countries upgrading their infrastructure in the last 12 months, with available speeds of 1Gbps becoming increasingly common.”

Dan Howdle, Cable

10 countries with the most expensive internet

1. Eritrea
2. Mauritania
3. Comoros
4. Burundi
5. Macau
6. Ghana
7. Samoa
8. British Virgin Is.
9. Cayman Is.
10. Turkmenistan

Key headlines

• For the first time since studies began, the average price of a broadband package hasn’t fallen in the past 12 months.
• Ukraine has the cheapest internet in the world with an average monthly cost of $6.41 per month.
• 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 37 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, Kazakhstan, Moldova and Belarus.
• The US, in 131st place with an average monthly cost of $59.99, is one of the most expensive western nations.

Region by region

We’ve broken the ranking by continent so it’s possible to compare countries to regional providers. The complete data set from Cable’s broadband price comparison, along with various graphics and interactive tools, can be accessed here.

Cheapest internet in Europe

1. Ukraine (1)
2. Russia (3)
3. Moldova (8)
4. Belarus (9)
5. Romania (10)
6. Georgia (15)
7. Bulgaria (17)
8. Lithuania (19)
9. Armenia (21)
10. Hungary (22)

cheapest internet in Asia

1. Bhutan (4)
2. Sri Lanka (5)
3. Iran (6)
4. Kazakhstan (7)
5. Mongolia (11)
6. Vietnam (12)
7. China (16)
8. Nepal (18)
9. India (20)
10. Kyrgyzstan (23)

Cheapest internet in the Americas

1. Argentina (32)
2. Colombia (41)
3. Saint Martin (42)
4. Brazil (43)
5. Dominican Republic (44)
6. Suriname (50)
7. Mexico (52)
8. Chile (66)
9. Paraguay (68)
10. El Salvador (72)

cheapest internet in Africa

1. Tunisia (14)
2. Egypt (28)
3. Somalia (30)
4. Algeria (34)
5. Réunion (56)
6. Morocco (62)
7. Cape Verde (76)
8. Niger (78)
9. Senegal (82)
10. Mayotte (84)

Cheapest internet in the Middle East

1. Syria (2)
2. Turkey (13)
3. Israel (40)
4. Palestine Territories (49)
5. Yemen (75)
6. Iraq (81)
7. Jordan (98)
8. Cyprus (105)
9. Lebanon (109)
10. Bahrain (137)

“The countries with slow, patchy broadband infrastructure that supplies only a fraction of the population tend to be the most expensive, and their growth in terms of available speeds either slow or non-existent.”

Dan Howdle, Cable

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.

Rank	Name	Per package	Per MB
1	Ukraine	$6.41	$0.05
2	Syria	$6.69	$3.15
3	Russia	$7.50	$0.10
4	Bhutan	$8.71	$4.35
5	Sri Lanka	$9.58	$1.68
6	Iran	$9.60	$5.46
7	Kazakhstan	$9.76	$0.69
8	Moldova	$9.95	$0.18
9	Belarus	$10.11	$1.14
10	Romania	$10.59	$0.02
11	Mongolia	$11.13	$2.97
12	Vietnam	$11.27	$0.17
13	Turkey	$11.48	$0.36
14	Tunisia	$11.65	$0.75
15	Georgia	$12.20	$1.36
16	China	$12.26	$0.25
17	Bulgaria	$12.69	$0.19
18	Nepal	$13.15	$0.35
19	Lithuania	$13.35	$0.20
20	India	$13.58	$0.39
21	Armenia	$14.58	$0.66
22	Hungary	$15.45	$0.05
23	Kyrgyzstan	$15.47	$3.48
24	Uzbekistan	$16.50	$0.82
25	Poland	$16.66	$0.04
26	Azerbaijan	$16.76	$7.93
27	Latvia	$16.99	$0.11
28	Egypt	$17.83	$3.97
29	Serbia	$18.24	$0.24
30	Somalia	$19.15	$21.53
31	Slovakia	$19.30	$0.22
32	Argentina	$19.49	$0.63
33	Tajikistan	$19.76	$8.47
34	Algeria	$19.87	$3.50
35	Pakistan	$20.43	$1.70
36	Bosnia & Herz.	$21.67	$1.86
37	Thailand	$23.30	$0.12
38	Taiwan	$23.67	$0.28
39	Czechia	$24.49	$0.36
40	Israel	$24.61	$0.52
41	Colombia	$24.63	$1.14
42	St Martin	$24.66	$0.03
43	Brazil	$24.79	$0.94
44	Dom. Rep.	$26.78	$2.84
45	Croatia	$27.21	$0.46
46	Myanmar	$27.33	$1.50
47	Montenegro	$27.85	$0.57
48	Afghanistan	$28.15	$70.45
49	Palestine	$28.29	$1.71
50	Suriname	$28.61	$2.86
51	Albania	$28.99	$0.56
52	Mexico	$29.01	$0.27
53	Indonesia	$29.06	$0.56
54	North Macedonia	$29.79	$0.35
55	Estonia	$30.34	$0.62
56	Réunion	$30.99	$0.04
57	South Korea	$31.15	$0.17
58	Bangladesh	$31.34	$1.28
59	Malaysia	$31.85	$0.24
60	France	$32.16	$0.48
61	Italy	$32.73	$0.31
62	Morocco	$32.74	$1.72
63	Cambodia	$33.17	$2.19
64	Portugal	$33.31	$0.13
65	Singapore	$33.43	$0.04
66	Chile	$33.55	$0.26
67	UK	$34.78	$1.06
68	Paraguay	$35.57	$0.53
69	Malta	$35.59	$0.12
70	Slovenia	$36.41	$0.66
71	Monaco	$37.61	$0.30
72	El Salvador	$38.00	$2.80
73	Uruguay	$38.59	$0.48
74	Greece	$38.72	$0.82
75	Yemen	$39.34	$6.49
76	Cape Verde	$39.82	$3.27
77	Peru	$39.87	$0.27
78	Niger	$40.00	$216.37
79	Ecuador	$40.38	$1.04
80	Guatemala	$40.85	$10.92
81	Iraq	$41.08	$1.39
82	Senegal	$41.36	$2.76
83	Germany	$41.46	$0.42
84	Mayotte	$41.81	$2.52
85	Costa Rica	$42.43	$1.45
86	New Caledonia	$42.45	$0.40
87	Spain	$43.43	$0.20
88	Finland	$43.57	$0.27
89	Grenada	$44.40	$2.85
90	St Vin. & Gren.	$44.40	$0.89
91	Hong Kong	$44.46	$0.05
92	Gibraltar	$44.72	$0.51
93	Kenya	$45.28	$2.37
94	Austria	$45.59	$0.49
95	Zimbabwe	$45.80	$1.53
96	Bolivia	$45.96	$2.06
97	Jamaica	$46.06	$3.99
98	Jordan	$46.40	$0.41
99	Puerto Rico	$46.49	$2.61
100	Fiji	$48.07	$68.48
101	Åland Is.	$48.31	$2.79
102	Japan	$48.37	$0.82
103	Sweden	$48.40	$0.12
104	Ireland	$48.55	$0.33
105	Cyprus	$48.70	$1.01
106	St. Pierre & Miquelon	$48.85	$12.22
107	Papua New Guinea	$48.95	$25.18
108	St Lucia	$49.95	$1.09
109	Lebanon	$50.03	$5.98
110	Mauritius	$50.59	$1.01
111	Dominica	$51.43	$1.81
112	Denmark	$52.02	$0.79
113	St. Barts	$52.17	$0.56
114	The Netherlands	$52.47	$0.45
115	Nicaragua	$52.50	$4.35
116	Angola	$52.68	$8.63
117	San Marino	$53.40	$0.30
118	Laos	$53.41	$4.70
119	Philippines	$53.71	$0.75
120	Guyana	$53.79	$8.58
121	Belgium	$54.53	$1.04
122	Togo	$54.62	$1.59
123	Andorra	$55.83	$0.13
124	Honduras	$57.50	$1.38
125	Martinique	$57.53	$0.16
126	Belize	$57.58	$3.03
127	Luxembourg	$57.80	$0.70
128	Australia	$59.25	$1.88
129	French Guiana	$59.45	$0.31
130	Guadeloupe	$59.93	$0.84
131	USA	$59.99	$0.20
132	South Africa	$60.06	$1.99
133	Isle of Man	$60.17	$0.96
134	New Zealand	$62.94	$0.56
135	Madagascar	$63.01	$0.63
136	Panama	$66.05	$0.14
137	Bahrain	$66.37	$2.39
138	Aruba	$66.95	$0.44
139	Trinidad & Tobago	$67.54	$0.42
140	Bahamas	$67.78	$1.54
141	Iceland	$68.68	$0.46
142	St Helena	$69.21	$45.06
143	Switzerland	$69.37	$1.74
144	Seychelles	$70.56	$12.21
145	Libya	$70.67	$20.12
146	Montserrat	$71.04	$35.52
147	Côte d'Ivoire	$72.01	$17.25
148	Ethiopia	$73.21	$6.65
149	Cameroon	$73.67	$25.44
150	Sao Tome & Prencipe	$74.00	$12.33
151	Liechtenstein	$74.52	$1.05
152	Guernsey	$74.91	$1.27
153	Marshall Is.	$75.78	$148.01
154	Canada	$76.14	$0.94
155	Kuwait	$77.98	$2.83
156	Norway	$79.16	$0.30
157	Maldives	$80.01	$3.50
158	Faroe Is.	$80.60	$2.55
159	St Kitts & Nevis	$81.82	$1.57
160	Burkina Faso	$81.96	$10.80
161	Cocos Is.	$81.98	$3.28
162	Guam	$82.88	$2.88
163	Gabon	$83.09	$8.07
164	Zambia	$83.35	$8.81
165	Dutch Caribbean	$83.89	$3.62
166	Eswatini	$85.70	$83.69
167	US Virgin Is.	$85.97	$2.96
168	Nigeria	$88.58	$4.08
169	Palau	$89.98	$6.00
170	Oman	$91.04	$0.59
171	Botswana	$94.28	$14.84
172	Djibouti	$94.62	$21.16
173	Curaçao	$95.11	$3.33
174	Jersey	$97.27	$0.13
175	Cook Is.	$98.30	$12.63
176	Anguilla	$99.54	$3.40
177	Micronesia	$105.00	$52.83
178	Namibia	$105.60	$4.86
179	Barbados	$106.56	$0.49
180	Saudi Arabia	$107.27	$0.77
181	Timor-Leste	$107.33	$14.91
182	French Polynesia	$109.57	$3.76
183	Turks & Caicos Is.	$111.00	$3.20
184	UAE	$111.20	$42.06
185	Mozambique	$111.86	$20.22
186	Sint Maarten	$115.00	$6.56
187	Mali	$115.40	$11.49
188	Qatar	$116.73	$0.57
189	Haiti	$123.75	$9.28
190	Tanzania	$127.29	$35.81
191	Liberia	$129.00	$18.54
192	Bermuda	$129.00	$6.37
193	Antigua & Barbuda	$129.14	$4.74
194	Lesotho	$129.91	$14.91
195	American Samoa	$130.00	$22.20
196	Greenland	$130.29	$11.40
197	Brunei Dar.	$137.62	$2.90
198	Christmas Island	$148.30	$13.42
199	Falkland Is.	$149.38	$41.96
200	Equatorial Guinea	$156.79	$163.66
201	Vanuatu	$160.13	$80.06
202	Turkmenistan	$164.48	$128.50
203	Cayman Is.	$170.03	$3.54
204	British Virgin Is.	$179.00	$1.29
205	Samoa	$192.84	$1.93
206	Ghana	$254.35	$23.03
207	Macau	$307.74	$0.03
208	Burundi	$370.00	$100.46
209	Comoros	$414.01	$152.17
210	Mauritania	$712.46	$125.57
211	Eritrea	$2,666.24	$1,590.75

More rankings and articles can be found in our remote work area:

► Most dangerous countries in the world
► Countries with the best healthcare in the world
► World’s worst countries to drive in
► Most peaceful countries in the world
► Best countries for women
► Poorest countries in the world – ranked
► Happiest countries in the world
► World’s most powerful passport
► Countries with the fastest internet in the world
► Most stressed countries in the world
► Most expensive cities for expats
► World’s most democratic countries

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