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Paying for your bills seems to cost more and more every year. In the UK, the average broadband bill is now just over £30 a month. However, like all other bills, internet costs vary, depending on location, package type and household usage. Staying connected is a key part of 21st-century living, but that doesn’t mean you should be paying an extortionate amount for your internet.
In this article, we’ve drilled down into internet costs across different parts of the UK. We’ve also talked about the average cost of bundled deals, highlighted some of the UK’s most popular internet providers and included a couple of ways to reduce your internet bill.
To figure this out, we’ve looked at the cost of internet with a speed of 60Mbps or more in different UK cities.
Source: Numbeo
According to this Numbeo study, the cheapest UK city for internet is Aberdeen, with an average monthly bill for internet with a speed of 60Mbps or more being just £24.52. Similarly, Newcastle, York, Birmingham, Plymouth, Bournemouth and Guildford all came in at under the £28 mark. On the flipside, Hull ranks as the UK’s most expensive city for internet. Over £7 ahead of the next most costly city, average monthly costs in Hull are £45.65. Stoke, Dundee, Coventry, Southampton, Milton Keynes and Reading all cost over £34 a month as well.
The next table from GetAgent shows how much different UK regions are spending on internet for every megabit per second. Essentially, this table is showing which parts of the UK are getting the most bang for their buck when it comes to internet.
Source: GetAgent
London is the part of the UK with the quickest download speeds and the cheapest internet per Mbps. While London’s average is £0.32 below the UK average, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales are all slightly above it.
Outside of London, the cheapest UK region is the North East of England, with an average monthly cost of £0.78 per Mbps. England’s most expensive region is the southwest, with an average monthly cost of £0.93 per Mbps.
Many customers choose to bundle multiple bills together. Not only does this avoid having to set up and create multiple accounts for various bills, but it also reduces the number of direct debits that leave your account on a monthly basis. At Resooma, we do just that, setting up and bundling together your bills, including utilities, Wi-Fi, TV and council tax into one simple monthly bill. If living in a shared house or flat, then we can automatically split the bill between you and your housemates. Leave all the work to us and relax!
According to Ofcom’s most recent Pricing Trends Report, 80% of UK households bought bundle deals (two or more services from the same provider) at the start of 2021. The most common combination was a broadband and home phone package, with 36% of households getting one of these deals.
When combining internet and a home phone, UK households are currently paying an average of £28.33 a month for basic broadband. This rises to £39.75 for a superfast fibre connection (30Mbps+) and £61.90 for those with ultrafast connections (300Mbps+).
The same report shows that 23% of UK households are on triple-bundled deals; with these including broadband, a home phone and TV services. Even though these are more expensive, they can actually end up saving you quite a bit of money when compared to purchasing all three separately.
In 2021, UK households paid an average of £44.21 a month for basic broadband options. This rose to £56.99 a month for a superfast package and £79.40 for an ultrafast package.
BT are the UK’s largest internet provider and are estimated to have just over 9 million subscribers. They’re a great option if you’re considering a faster fibre connection as BT definitely outshines most competitors in this area. Their ‘Stay Fast’ guarantee promises that any speed issues will be resolved within 30 days. If not, they’ll pay you £20 cashback and allow you to leave your contract without incurring any penalties.
Average monthly cost = £29.99
Average download speed = 51Mbps
Sky are known as a very reliable all-rounder when it comes to internet packages. Many of its more basic packages are also cheaper than the likes of Zen Internet, Virgin and EE. Ofcom found that Sky received fewer complaints than any other major broadband provider.
Average monthly cost = £28
Average download speed = 59Mbps
We’re a big fan of Cuckoo’s flexible contracts that can be paid on a 30-day rolling basis with no cancellation fees. Cuckoo also provide a really helpful onboarding service and regular updates. What’s more, when you sign up to Cuckoo through Resooma, their £60 installation fee is totally waived!
Average monthly cost = £24.99
Average download speed = 67Mbps
TalkTalk is one of the best value-for-money internet providers out there, thanks to a fairly low average monthly cost for their more basic packages with speeds that are still enough for multiple devices to be used at once. However, they did record a below-average score in Ofcom’s 2020 customer satisfaction tracker.
Average monthly cost = £25
Average download speed = 52.5Mbps
Plusnet is another excellent value-for-money internet provider. It does fall down slightly though as set up fees apply. Ofcom reported that 93% of customers were satisfied with the overall service.
Average monthly cost = £23.99
Average download speed = 51Mpbs
There are actually a couple of ways to cut down on your monthly internet bill in order to get the most out of your provider. Here are the best ways to reduce the cost of your internet:
As is the case with many bill types, staying loyal to one internet provider doesn’t really make financial sense. Internet providers are always keen to find new customers and will offer a range of fantastic sign-up deals to get them. These could include discounted rates for the first 3-12 months or other freebies when you join. It’s worth shopping around first to source all of these deals. You’d be amazed at what you can find!
Another easy way to save money on your internet is by downgrading your internet package. You should consider how much data you actually need. It may turn out that you’re paying for a pricey package that includes much more than you require. Not everyone needs full-fibre broadband in their home – especially if only one or two people are ever using it. Having an internet plan that’s catered to your needs will ensure you aren’t paying more than necessary.
It’s a common misconception that you need a seriously expensive internet package in order to get by. Actually, most households can probably make do with something a little less pricey. Superfast broadband tends to be much cheaper than ultrafast options, but unless you’re living in a house with several other people and are all using multiple devices at the same time, the extra cost just isn’t worth it. Similarly, standard broadband options are still enough for many, particularly smaller households with just a couple of people living in them.
Already sorted your house but need to set up bills? We can help with this too – we set up and split utilities for you. Get a free quote for your utilities here.
All your utility bills in one monthly payment, split between housemates
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All your utility bills in one monthly payment, split between housemates
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