The States with the Cheapest and Most Expensive Internet

With the advent of COVID-19 more and more Americans are ever more reliant on the internet. From working from home to online shopping to even taking classes, or just simply staying connected the internet seems to be the go-to place. But internet users in some states are getting a much better deal than others.

According to the survey by HighSpeedInternet, users in the state of Wyoming on average pay $7.84 Megabits per second (Mbps) making it the most expensive in the USA. While internet users in Rhode Island pay on average $0.63 per Mbps.

States with Most Expensive High Speed Internet

The latest survey by HighSpeedInterent crunched some 350,000 data points from internet customers across the country to compare what people really pay for internet in each state.

Other findings of the survey include:

• States such as Wyoming, North Dakota, Montana and South Dakota have cost upwards of $7 per Mbps
• On the other hand, Rhode Island, District of Columbia, Massachusetts, Georgia, New York, California, and Maryland pay less than $2 per Mbps
• States with large rural areas tend to pay more per Mbps of internet than states with more urban areas
• Internet speeds in America range from 5 to 2,000 Mbps
• Mbps trump monthly payments. In terms of monthly bills, California and South Carolina residents pay similar average monthly internet bills of $45.43 and $45.47, respectively. However, internet users in California pay just $1.86 per Mbps while those in South Carolina have to fork out $4.20 per Mbps.

Why the Disparity?

Prices for internet service are impacted mostly because of the type of internet service available. Fiber-optic internet and cable internet tend to offer lower costs per Mbps. On the other hand, DSL and satellite internet tend to cost more per Mbps. DSL and satellite are the most prevalent internet services in rural America.

Other factors that impact prices include the availability of competition in terms of providers and internet speeds they offer. The average monthly internet bill in America ranges from $15–$200 per month. The survey also reveals having higher-speed plans tend to cost less per Mbps for users.

Image: highspeedinternet.com

This article, "The States with the Cheapest and Most Expensive Internet" was first published on Small Business Trends