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Staying connected has become a vital part of 21st-century living – so much so that paying for internet is now considered an essential bill to pay, along with gas, electricity, water and council tax. But bills can be expensive, especially once you add up the cost of all your outgoings.
It’s important for all of us to keep on top of our bills, and the easiest way to do that is to make them manageable and affordable in the first place. It’s helpful to know what the average UK citizen pays for each service so you’ll know if you’re paying more than you need to.
In this guide, we’ll explain what the average broadband costs are in the UK, what affects broadband prices and how you can find a better broadband deal while saving on your bills.
According to Ofcom’s latest Pricing Trends Report, 80 per cent of households in the UK bought two or more services from the same provider as part of a bundle deal in 2023. Of these, broadband and home phone packages were the most popular, with almost a quarter (23 per cent) of households paying for one of these deals.
The cost of a broadband and phone deal can vary hugely based on the provider, the speeds you’re getting and the type of connection, such as whether it’s standard ADSL, superfast fibre broadband (30-300Mbps) or ultrafast full fibre (300Mbps+).
Households with a standard ADSL connection (which we wouldn’t recommend unless fibre isn’t available in your area) paid an average of £26.58 per month for both their broadband and home phone service.
Broadband and phone customers with a superfast fibre connection paid an average of £35.02 for the dual service.
Meanwhile, households with the fastest speeds paid £50.13 per month on average for an ultrafast broadband connection with a landline.
More than a third (36 per cent) of UK households are on a triple-play deal that bundles your broadband, home phone and TV services under one bill. These are understandably more expensive on average than a dual-play bundle, but they typically offer significant savings compared to buying each service separately.
Customers who bundled their TV, phone and broadband and opted for a superfast package paid an average of £40.98 a month for the whole service in September 2023.
Those who went all out for an ultrafast broadband, phone and TV bundle paid an average of £53.10 per month.
Broadband-only packages aren’t as common as dual-play or triple-play packages, mainly because some providers still require a phone line to deliver internet to your home since full fibre is only available to around 57 per cent of UK homes. They are, however, rising in popularity, and a growing number of providers are now offering these simple plans.
According to Ofcom’s report, which looked at prices offered by broadband providers including BT, EE, TalkTalk and Virgin Media, the prices for superfast broadband-only plans ranged from £20 to £40.99.
