How much it costs to run a cell phone around the world

India

A cell phone plan in India is incredibly cheap, at $3.75 per month. Some areas struggle with broadband coverage, so mobile data is a good and affordable alternative. 

Russia

Russia has a fairly competitive market when it comes to cell phone plan providers. Despite the increase in prices since the conflict with Ukraine broke out, they're still among the cheapest in the world, at $4.63.

Indonesia

Indonesia has a number of companies providing cell phone plans, and the competition helps keep prices down. Indonesians pay an average of $4.65 per month for a plan. 

Ukraine

Ukraine operators managed to keep prices affordable despite the ongoing conflict with Russia. Kyivstar even made an agreement with Elon Musk's Starlink to bring direct-to-cell satellite connectivity to the country. Prices are around $5.04 per month. 

Poland

High competition and low operational costs make Poland one of the cheapest countries in Europe to run a cell phone. Monthly plans come in at around $8.56.

Turkey

The prices of cell phone plans in Turkey have increased a lot over the last couple of years, but they remain fairly low overall, at $9.58 per month. 

China

China's Great Firewall may block a lot of internet content from users, but it doesn't slow down the market, which is huge in the country. The price of a monthly plan in China comes in at around $10.41. 

Chile

Chile enjoys very similar prices to its neighbor Peru, with an average monthly price of $11.35 for a cell phone plan. 

Brazil

Cell phones in Brazil can be expensive due to the import taxes imposed by the Brazilian government. Prices of monthly plans, however, are not as expensive, at $12.70 per month. 

United Kingdom

The UK comes in second after Italy as the cheapest Western European nation to run a cell phone. Plan prices average $15.44 per month. 

Argentina

Providers such as Claro, Movistar, and Personal dominate the market in the South American nation. Monthly plans cost around $17.86.

Austria

The cost of running a cell phone in Austria increased for most clients of traditional providers. Some newcomers have however kept prices relatively low. The average monthly plan costs $18.52.

Ireland

Three, Vodafone and Eir dominate the Irish market, but they have plenty of MVNOS competition. A monthly plan comes in at around $21.32 per month. 

Netherlands

Dutch customers can choose from a variety of providers, some of which offer competitive prices. When it comes to the average, a monthly plan costs $22.64.

Japan

The Japanese market is dominated by providers such as Docomo, AU, and Softbank. Running a cell phone in Japan will set you back around $24.87 per month. 

Germany

The German market is dominated by providers such as Telekom, Vodafone, and O2. As for prices, expect to pay around $25.96 for a monthly plan. 

Philippines

For many years, the country only had two providers: Globe and Smart. The arrival of competitors such as Dito Telecommunity spiced things up, but prices remain on the expensive side, at $29.63 per month. This is especially high considering the average monthly salary is less than $400. 

New Zealand

New Zealand has fairly high prices when it comes to cell phone plans, with an average of $32.88 per month. 

South Korea

KT, LG U+, and SK Telecom are the major players in the cell phone market in South Korea. As for prices, the monthly bill is around $38.01.

Canada

Canada is among the most expensive countries to run a cell phone. The three big providers are Bell, Rogers, and Telus. Customers pay an average of $43.64 for a monthly plan. 

Switzerland

Switzerland is the most expensive country in Europe to run a cell phone. An average monthly plan costs around $48.42.

United States

The US is the runner-up when it comes to the most expensive nations to run a cell phone. American customers pay around $56.69 for a monthly plan.